The Apollo Orbit, Part 2: The Trustee, The Whistleblower, and The Former Prime Minister

# The Apollo Orbit, Part 2: The Trustee, The Whistleblower, and The Former Prime Minister

Yesterday we published Part 1 documenting Josh Harris's years-long financial advisory relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, including trust structures, org charts, and the "financial confessional booth." But the 329,473 DOJ documents have more to say.

The threads run deeper than one billionaire's emails.

Kathy Ruemmler: From White House Counsel to Epstein Trustee

In Part 1, we showed Kathy Ruemmler — former White House Counsel under President Obama — having her career coached by Epstein, forwarding her Facebook interview notes to him, and meeting at his residence with Brad Karp.

But we buried the lede.

She Was a Named Trustee

The documents contain the actual trust agreement:

> **JEFFREY E. EPSTEIN 2018 TRUST**

>

> THIS TRUST AGREEMENT dated May 8, 2018 ("Agreement"), by and among JEFFREY E. EPSTEIN, as Grantor (the "Grantor"), and **DARREN K. INDYKE, RICHARD D. KAHN, and KATHERYN H. RUEMMLER**, as Trustees (the "Trustees").

>

> The Grantor hereby pays over, assigns, grants, conveys, transfers and delivers to the Trustees the property described in Schedule A annexed hereto...

A former White House Counsel was a named trustee on Jeffrey Epstein's trust. Not a lawyer who once represented him. Not someone who attended a dinner party. A fiduciary. Someone with legal authority over his assets.

This was May 2018. Fourteen months before his arrest. Ten years after his first conviction.

The Ghislaine Connection

In October 2015, Ruemmler was actively coordinating legal representation for Ghislaine Maxwell:

> **Ruemmler**: "I connected Laura and Darren via email and I have an email into Boies."

>

> **Epstein**: "Neither darren and I have heard anything at all from ghislaine."

>

> **Epstein**: "boies?"

"Boies" is David Boies — the legendary litigator. "Darren" is Darren Indyke — Epstein's attorney and fellow trustee. "Laura" is likely Laura Menninger, who would go on to be Ghislaine Maxwell's defense attorney at trial.

Ruemmler was connecting the dots between Epstein's legal team, Maxwell's future defense lawyer, and one of America's most prominent litigators. All through email. All documented.

Epstein followed up repeatedly: *"did we ever get a response from Boies"* (Oct 18), *"kevin? boies? rest rest rest"* (Oct 19). And later in October: *"50k retainer"* — in a forwarded email from Ruemmler about legal representation.

The Computer Setup

In November 2015, Epstein offered to send his personal IT staff to Ruemmler's homes:

> *"my guy will set up your computer in new york and then if you want i can send him to wash to make sure whole house has fast wifi. do you want apple TV?"*

His financial manager Richard Kahn then coordinated with Lesley Groff to ship a printer to Ruemmler's Latham & Watkins office in Washington, DC. Best Buy delivery and installation included.

A convicted sex offender's staff was setting up computers and networking equipment in the homes and offices of a former White House Counsel.

The Facebook Play

In July 2018 — two months after being named trustee — Ruemmler forwarded to Epstein what appears to be her follow-up to Facebook:

> *"Hi Sheryl, I wanted to follow-up on my visit to FB last week. I really enjoyed getting to talk to everybody, and in particular to talk to Mark and you about your vision for the role. I had a great conversation with Rachel about the overall communications strategy..."*

She was discussing a senior role at Facebook — one involving Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and communications strategy — with Jeffrey Epstein in the loop. She would eventually become Meta's General Counsel.

The Salary Coaching

Epstein actively coached Ruemmler on compensation:

> *"i suggest you tell them that paul weiss plus one other firm offered you 6 million a year for 3 years... you believe there are creative ways, if they would like to try to match"*

A registered sex offender coaching a former White House Counsel on how to negotiate a $6 million annual salary with a major law firm.

The Epstein Trust Architecture

The documents reveal Epstein's trust apparatus in full:

**The 2018 Trust** (May 8, 2018): Trustees were Darren K. Indyke, Richard D. Kahn, and Katheryn H. Ruemmler.

**The 2019 Trust** (January 18, 2019): Rewritten. Trustees were Darren K. Indyke and Richard D. Kahn. Ruemmler was no longer named.

**The 1953 Trust** (August 8, 2019): Created two days before Epstein's death on August 10, 2019. Named after his birth year. An amendment to the 2019 Trust, executed by Indyke and Kahn.

The estate was restructured three times in sixteen months. The last restructuring happened 48 hours before his death. The U.S. Attorney's office wrote to Indyke and Kahn's lawyers regarding "several matters relevant to the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, which we understand to be under the authority of your clients."

Richard Kahn — the same man who coordinated printer deliveries for Ruemmler, who ran HBRK Associates from 575 Lexington Avenue, who arranged trading through TD Ameritrade for Epstein — was a trustee controlling the disposition of the entire estate.

Ehud Barak: The Former Prime Minister

Ehud Barak — former Prime Minister of Israel, former Defense Minister, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces — communicated directly with Epstein by email. Frequently. On geopolitical matters.

North Korea

On February 28, 2014, Epstein emailed Barak:

> *"the north koreans have approached some people. As an american I cannot do biz there. they are looking to build giant infrastructure guaranteed by mining"*

A convicted sex offender informing a former head of state about North Korean infrastructure investment opportunities. Acknowledging he can't participate as an American. Implying Barak — as a non-American — could.

Profiting from Civil Unrest

On February 21, 2014, Epstein wrote to Barak:

> *"with civil unrest exploding in ukraine syria, somolia, libya, and the desperation of those in power, isn't this perfect for you"*

Barak replied: *"You're right in a way. But not simple to transform it into a cash flow. A subject for Saturday."*

A convicted sex offender suggesting that civil unrest across four countries is a business opportunity for a former prime minister. The former prime minister agreed it was, in principle, but noted the difficulty of "transforming it into a cash flow." They planned to discuss it further on Saturday.

This was February 2014 — the same month Epstein was chasing Josh Harris for organizational documents.

Regular Contact

The Barak-Epstein correspondence shows a pattern of regular, casual communication:

- *"are you planning on going to paris"* (Jan 23, 2014)

- *"welcome 358 el brillo"* (Jan 25 — that's Epstein's Palm Beach address)

- *"waiting for your call"* (Mar 24, 2014)

- *"what are your travel plans"* (Mar 18, 2014)

And from the calendars: Barak appeared on Epstein's schedule alongside the Apollo meetings. When Lesley Groff asked *"Do you still wish me to change Ehud to 5pm tomorrow?"* the same calendar showed *"8:30am BREAKFAST w/Leon Black"* and *"5:30pm Kathy Ruemmler/Brad Karp."*

Everyone was on the same calendar. Same residence. Same convicted sex offender.

Melanie Spinella: Leon Black's Gatekeeper

Melanie Spinella was Leon Black's assistant at Apollo. The documents reveal she was a direct channel between Epstein and Black — and that Epstein's relationship with Black went far beyond advisory fees.

"Your Family Is a 6 Billion Dollar Corp"

In February 2015, Epstein wrote to Spinella — addressed to "Leon":

> *"Leon, Yesterday, I again spent hours upon hours of my time with your office. (speak to brad to get flavor) and you and i will discuss the results in gory gruesome detail on Friday. it mirrored many other weeks spent doing the things that I don't have the time to do."*

>

> *"In order to keep things in perspective, maybe reviewing an analogy I have used before with you, might be helpful. You and your family are a 6 billion dollar corp."*

Epstein was spending "hours upon hours" managing Leon Black's personal financial infrastructure. "Speak to brad" — that's Brad Karp at Paul Weiss. The "6 billion dollar corp" is Black's family fortune.

The $10 Million Agreement

In March 2014, Epstein emailed Spinella about a financial arrangement, marked "privileged":

> *"I am aware of your discontent with the present situation. I appreciate very much our friendship, which of course will remain in our inviolate box."*

>

> *"My proposed solutions: 1. Stick with the original agreement, 10 m on april 15, june 15 and oct 15, and I will continue to abide by my obligations under that agreement. I found in my notes that you had also agreed to pay 1.5 million to a charity, which it appears did not happen."*

$10 million installments three times a year. A $1.5 million charity commitment. "Obligations under that agreement." This was structured financial compensation — not casual consulting.

Do Not Pull the Loan Trigger

Epstein to Spinella, April 10, 2014:

> *"do not pull the loan trigger until we speak please"*

Epstein had authority over lending decisions involving Black's financial apparatus.

Coordinating Access

Spinella's role as gatekeeper is explicit. In April 2017, Lesley Groff emailed Spinella:

> *"Morning Melanie...did you hear back from Leon re a meeting with Jeffrey next Wed. or Thursday? Might something work?"*

>

> Spinella: *"Nope!"*

Even after years of paying Epstein tens of millions, Black's meetings still went through the assistant-to-assistant channel. The relationship was institutional, not personal.

Chris Dilorio: The Whistleblower They Couldn't Shut Up

Chris Dilorio filed dozens of SEC complaints and sent hundreds of emails to federal prosecutors, SEC officials, and journalists connecting Apollo to Epstein. His emails are in the DOJ production.

He was loud. He was profane. And he was drawing lines that would later prove prescient.

The Web He Drew

In May 2019 — two months before Epstein's arrest — Dilorio laid out the connection:

> *"Leon Black / Apollo / Schwarzman: Trump Kushner"*

> *"Black / Apollo / Schwarzman: Epstein"*

> *"Black / Apollo / Schwarzman: Putin/RU"*

He linked to Reuters reporting on Apollo's Black sharing a platform with Putin for a Russian investment fund. He referenced Athene — the insurance company Apollo acquired and where, Dilorio alleged, policyholder money was being invested by "Milken Degenerate Fat Leon Black."

Intimidation

In May 2019, Dilorio reported being threatened:

> *"This was a blatant attempt to intimidate a whistleblower. 'HE' (I think a male although very effeminate voice) was an anonymous, coward, scumbag who threatened me. AND then called me another 11/12 times after that. This is a VERY serious matter. Felony."*

>

> *"I obviously have hit a nerve."*

The Vindication

When Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, Dilorio emailed prosecutors:

> *"Mr Berman, Thanks for the shout out, but I'm not a journalist. lololol. Just a very long list of credible information I have provided to the grossly corrupt SEC et al scumbags."*

He had been right. About all of it. The $158 million. The connections. The web.

Cui Bono

The Latin phrase means "who benefits." Let's answer it.

Jeffrey Epstein's network wasn't social. It was infrastructure. The documents show an operating system:

- **Harris** provided trust structures and organizational documents — the financial architecture of a $700 billion firm's co-founder, managed by a convicted sex offender

- **Black** paid $158 million and had Epstein spending "hours upon hours" managing his family's "$6 billion corp" — with authority over loan decisions

- **Karp** provided legal access — the chairman of Paul Weiss meeting regularly at a sex offender's residence, joking about his client Apollo's Kushner loans

- **Ruemmler** provided government access — former White House Counsel, trustee of Epstein's trust, connecting his legal team to David Boies for Ghislaine Maxwell's defense

- **Barak** provided geopolitical access — a former prime minister discussing North Korean infrastructure deals and how to monetize civil unrest in Ukraine and Syria

- **Kahn and Indyke** provided operational continuity — trustees who restructured the estate three times in sixteen months, the last time 48 hours before death

This wasn't a party invitation list. This was a corporate org chart.

329,473 documents. Every EFTA reference number verifiable. The receipts are permanent.

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*Every document referenced in this article is from the DOJ's Epstein file production, searchable at epstein.dugganusa.com. EFTA reference numbers are provided for independent verification.*

*DugganUSA LLC. 329,473 DOJ documents. $76/month. The documents speak for themselves.*

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*Her name was Renee Nicole Good.*

*His name was Alex Jeffery Pretti.*