Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 122-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y. 2022)/245-23.pdf

EXHIBIT 298 Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 1 of 10 ·1· · · · · UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE ·2· · · · · · · SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK ·3· · · · · · · CASE NUMBER:· 22-CV-10904-JSR ·4· · · · · · · · · ·ACTION FOR DAMAGES ·5 · · ·GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES· · · ) ·6· ·VIRGIN ISLANDS,· · · · · · · · · · · ) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ) ·7· · · · · · · · · · · · · · Plaintiff,· ) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ) ·8· ·VS.· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ) ·9· ·JP MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,· · · · · ) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ) 10· · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·Defendant. ) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ) 11· ·------------------------------------- 12 13 14 15· · · · · · · VIDEO RECORDED DEPOSITION OF 16· · · · · · · · · ·MARGARITA BENJAMIN 17· · · · · · · · · FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2023 18 19 20 · · ·REPORTED BY: 21 · · ·DENISE D. HARPER-FORDE 22· ·Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR) · · ·Certified RealTime Reporter (CRR) 23· ·Certified LiveNote Reporter (CLR) · · ·Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) 24· ·Notary Public (FLORIDA) 25 Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 2 of 10 ·1· ·that you are here to testify on behalf ·2· ·of the Government of the U.S. Virgin ·3· ·Islands? ·4· · · · ·A.· Yes, I do. ·5· · · · ·Q.· Okay.· And the topic that ·6· ·you're testifying about is the ·7· ·Government's knowledge of Cecile de ·8· ·Jongh's employment with an ·9· ·Epstein-related organization.· Do you 10· ·understand that? 11· · · · ·A.· Yes, I do. 12· · · · ·Q.· Can you tell me what the 13· ·Government's knowledge was in the time 14· ·period 2000 to 2019 about Ms. De 15· ·Jongh's employment? 16· · · · · · ·ATTORNEY ACKERMAN:· Object to 17· ·form.· You can answer. 18· · · · · · ·THE WITNESS:· Right.· I can -- 19· ·I can speak for specific government 20· ·and not the overall government.· But 21· ·it was widely known that Cecile de 22· ·Jongh was the Governor's wife.· And in 23· ·particular, being a part of our 24· ·program, she would engage with several 25· ·different government agencies. Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 3 of 10 ·1· · · · · · ·For instance, the Department ·2· ·of Corporations, the Division of ·3· ·Corporations, that's where they would ·4· ·file their corporate annual reports. ·5· ·And so it was known, of course by ·6· ·record, she -- her -- she was listed ·7· ·in those reports that she was also ·8· ·working for the company. ·9· · · · ·Q.· For which company? 10· · · · ·A.· For Financial Trust. 11· · · · ·Q.· All right.· Which was 12· ·Mr. Epstein's company? 13· · · · ·A.· Mr. Epstein's company, yes. 14· · · · ·Q.· Okay.· So you've mentioned one 15· ·-- 16· · · · ·A.· Right. 17· · · · ·Q.· -- place, the Division of 18· ·Corporations. 19· · · · · · ·What else? 20· · · · ·A.· Correct. 21· · · · · · ·And she was also -- would be 22· ·also engaging with the Bureau of 23· ·Internal Revenue.· And so coming in 24· ·contact with any individuals in the 25· ·Bureau of Internal Revenue as a Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 4 of 10 ·1· ·manager for the company and speaking ·2· ·on behalf of any filings that were ·3· ·done, they will be able to recognize ·4· ·her. ·5· · · · · · ·It's important to note that ·6· ·she was publicly known as the wife, of ·7· ·course.· Once he became Governor, she ·8· ·was part of the swearing-in ceremony ·9· ·that was advertised and was publicly 10· ·shown.· Generally everyone knew that 11· ·she was his wife. 12· · · · · · ·Those who would have come in 13· ·contact with her as a cause of doing 14· ·business would then recognize her as 15· ·his wife relating to the business of 16· ·Financial Trust. 17· · · · ·Q.· Okay.· Any other government 18· ·agencies that you're in a position to 19· ·testify knew that Ms. -- 20· · · · ·A.· Uh-huh. 21· · · · ·Q.· -- de Jongh was working for an 22· ·Epstein-related organization? 23· · · · ·A.· The Department of Labor. 24· · · · ·Q.· Uh-huh.· How did the 25· ·Department of Labor know? Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 5 of 10 ·1· · · · ·A.· Well, our Chairman, Albert ·2· ·Bryan, was also Commissioner at the ·3· ·Department of Labor.· And also during ·4· ·the course of the certificate of ·5· ·benefits, the term of certificate of ·6· ·benefits, there was also Commissioner ·7· ·Catherine Hendry, that was also at one ·8· ·point working there, and other staff ·9· ·members that would have engaged in the 10· ·reporting that was filed with that 11· ·agency. 12· · · · ·Q.· So the Department of Labor was 13· ·another portion of the Virgin Islands 14· ·Government that you are testifying 15· ·during the 2000 to 2019 time period 16· ·knew that Ms. de Jongh was not only 17· ·the -- that· · Ms. de Jongh was 18· ·working for an Epstein-affiliated 19· ·organization? 20· · · · ·A.· Yes. 21· · · · ·Q.· Okay. 22· · · · ·A.· And then in preparation for 23· ·today, I reviewed several documents 24· ·that attest to the fact that the 25· ·Department of Planning and Natural Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 6 of 10 ·1· ·Resources -- ·2· · · · ·Q.· Uh-huh. ·3· · · · ·A.· -- was aware. ·4· · · · · · ·The now sitting Commissioner ·5· ·was then the director of CZM.· And so ·6· ·in that role, he was aware of that. ·7· ·The previous Commissioner, Dawn Henry, ·8· ·was also aware that he was -- she was ·9· ·working with that company. 10· · · · ·Q.· Okay.· And is it your 11· ·testimony that from 2000 to 2019, that 12· ·the Virgin Islands DPNR was aware that 13· ·Ms. de Jongh was representing -- or 14· ·was working for an Epstein-related 15· ·company? 16· · · · ·A.· I would not say from 2000, but 17· ·somewhere within that period that they 18· ·would have been aware of it. 19· · · · ·Q.· Can you be more specific? 20· · · · ·A.· I would say probably around 21· ·2007 or so where they may have been 22· ·doing more major construction on the 23· ·island. 24· · · · ·Q.· Okay.· You mentioned the EDC 25· ·director, Mr. Bryan, now the Governor. Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 7 of 10 ·1· · · · ·A.· Uh-huh. ·2· · · · ·Q.· But we haven't asked yet about ·3· ·the EDC. ·4· · · · · · ·Did the EDC know from the 2- ·5· ·-- from 2000 to 2019 that Ms. de Jongh ·6· ·was working for an Epstein-affiliated ·7· ·company? ·8· · · · ·A.· Those in management, those ·9· ·board members who were -- like Ms. 10· ·Lynn Millin at one -- 11· · · · · · ·COURT REPORTER:· Ms.? 12· · · · · · ·THE WITNESS:· Lynn Millin was 13· ·also a Commissioner at the Department 14· ·of Planning and Natural Resources, and 15· ·she was a previous board member of the 16· ·Economic Development Commission. 17· · · · · · ·(BY ATTORNEY NEIMAN): 18· · · · ·Q.· Okay.· But to just -- let me 19· ·just put my question to you again. 20· · · · ·A.· Okay. 21· · · · ·Q.· From the time period 2000 to 22· ·2019, was the EDC of the Virgin 23· ·Islands aware that· · · · · · · Ms. de 24· ·Jongh was working for an 25· ·Epstein-affiliated company? Case 1:22-cv-10904-JSR Document 245-23 Filed 07/25/23 Page 8 of 10 ·1· · · · ·A.· Those employees that were -- ·2· ·had access specifically to the ·3· ·employment records would have known at ·4· ·that time.· The CEO and in the ·5· ·management team would have known at ·6· ·that particular time. ·7· · · · ·Q.· So, in fact, from -- ·8· ·throughout the EDC's relationship with ·9· ·Mr. Epstein's companies, the senior 10· ·management of the EDC would have known 11· ·of Ms. de Jongh's affiliation with 12· ·those companies? 13· · · · · · ·ATTORNEY ACKERMAN:· Object to 14· ·form. 15· · · · · · ·THE WITNESS:· Yes.· And it's 16· ·important to note that in and about 17· ·2012, everybody more or less knew 18· ·because there was an article that was 19· ·published that stated that she was 20· ·working with the Financial Trust, 21· ·Epstei