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There have been several articles in large and small media outlets that have addressed the connections between CBP and Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network. I do not want to take up too much time rehashing all these pieces. You can search for them and easily find them yourselves. What I hope to do in this piece, is give you a better understanding of how CBP facilitated the sex trafficking of children for over a decade, and address why CBP and even Congress seems to not even care to investigate these failures. This is a lot of information that I am going to try and boil down to an understandable synopsis.
How CBP agents helped Epstein traffic children.
It’s important to point out that any relationship with criminals, especially someone known for sex crimes against children is expressly forbidden in CBP. Giving favors such as light inspections, signing off on documents or even giving the impression of favorable treatment is a violation and grounds for dismissal at the very least. CBP officers asking wealthy travelers for money, loans, business advice and crossing the line from professional into personal relations is corruption. U.S. Customs and Border Protection states on their website that all their officers are highly trained to recognize human trafficking. They are the sex trafficking experts, or so they claim. Yet not a single officer reported Epstein and his plane loads of little girls. All the officers stated they believed the girls were women, and that they seemed “happy.”
In the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell for her part of this trafficking organization, FBI agents interviewed several CBP officers working in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Epstein’s pilot, Larry Visoski stated in his FBI interview that Epstein routinely tried to create relationships with CBP officers to ease the customs and immigration inspections. He even tried to buy the CBP office in the Virgin Islands computers and turkeys which a supervisor turned down saying that such gifts would be unethical and against policy. And just to be clear, CBP officers are trained to be leery of people trying to gain favors in this manner. At first, Visoski claimed he was not aware of any gifts or preferential treatment given to Epstein by CBP officers but then later admitted in his interview that he had in fact given “one or two” helicopter rides to officers, that one CBP officer had a private lunch with Epstein on his island and that another officer played the steel drums at a party at his mansion.
Epstein’s pilot further claimed that he and other staff were ordered to keep the phone numbers of these chosen CBP officers so that they could help facilitate their inspections upon arrival and departure. The inspections discussed in the FBI interviews all occurred after Epstein’s guilty plea, and the officers interviewed admitted they knew of his criminal record. At the same time, Visoski stated he was not aware of CBP’s involvement with helping Epstein traffic children. But the definition of helping someone traffic children is never explained by the FBI. It seems they are saying that CBP did not actively help him traffic or hide that he was trafficking children, and do not consider the favors given, the free helicopter rides and meals nor financial advice or lax inspections as aiding and abetting Epstein in his sex trafficking. That the officers knew Epstein was a child sex trafficker was shown in an email exchange involving the FBI New York Office’s Criminal Division where they stated that CBP officers routinely called Epstein’s plane the “school bus” and referred to his private island as “pedophile island.” (EFTA00165468) Yet, not a single officer ever seemed to report , investigate or question the plane loads of girls, and the FBI seems to think none of this is criminal or even problematic.
CBP Officer Timothy Routch is an example of how Epstein maintained relationships with inspectors he considered friendly. Routch was interviewed by the FBI in the Maxwell case. He stated that he inspected Epstein’s plane several times a month for years. In the beginning of the interview, he claimed he never received any benefits or gifts from Epstein nor did he give the predator any favors. But just like Visoski, he contradicted himself the more he talked. He admitted to hanging around Epstein’s office and asked him if he could get him a better deal on a loan for some property he wished to purchase in the Virgin Islands. He eventually told FBI investigators that he became friends with Epstein’s pilot and boat captain by drinking at a bar with him and even visited the private island at least twice. He then stated he was taken to the island by the boat captain while not on duty to give Epstein an inspection of coconut trees, which is a favor. There he was treated to a free lunch with wine with Epstein and they then traveled back on his boat, which means he did accept gifts. He stated he noticed “beautiful women” playing in the ocean during lunch, but that they all seemed “happy.”
When investigators asked Routch what he thought of Epstein and his sex crimes, the CBP officer stated he believed it was a set up and claimed that he was “a good guy.” Even though the officer knew of his criminal record, knew what it was for, inspected plane loads of girls coming to the island, stated that he knew many were of “eastern European” decent, he still thought Epstein was a “good guy” and never bothered to question anything. Routch even had an ex-girlfriend file a complaint with the FBI claiming that he had bragged to her about being close with Epstein and facilitating the trafficking. When questioned by his supervisor, Routch stated the complainant had a history of mental illness and a prior suicide attempt, and therefore her testimony could not be trusted. The supervisor admonished him verbally and warned him to be careful who he had relations with while noting that Officer Routch had a history of “international travel” for “personal rendezvous excursions.” (EFTA01249742 and EFTA0031495) Routch admitted to traveling extensively through Central America. It is important to note that Central America is a hot spot for sex tourism/prostitution (aka personal rendezvous excursions) within CBP and Border Patrol culture as is evidenced by the most recent Chief of the Border Patrol Michael Banks being forced to retire for said activities and by the murders of CBP agents Mathel Wasson and Jaime Eduardo Cisneros who were on separate “personal rendezvous excursions” in Colombia when they were killed.
Routch would have never met Epstein had he not been inspecting his plane in his official capacity as a CBP officer. That’s what makes this corruption. The line from inspecting CBP officer to a personal relationship with benefits was clear, yet the FBI and CBP did not seem interested in investigating this possible corruption and instead suggested Routch was exaggerating his ties to Epstein. Routch has since claimed that all these statements from his supervisor and the FBI investigation are lies.
Among all the CBP officers with close ties to Epstein and his sex trafficking organization discussed in the files, one seems to stand out: CBP Officer Carol Montgomery. In January 2010, Officer Montgomery sent Epstein and his pilot a New Years Eve card wishing them both well and signed off as, “a friend always, Carol.” This suggests that she was associating with Epstein on a personal level within a few years after his plea to solicitating prostitution from a minor in 2008. (EFTA02432318)
In January 2011, in her official capacity as a CBP officer, Epstein’s staff was told to bring “the passports and boat documents” they wanted registered and she would take care of it. Officer Montgomery even gave directions and added, “he can call me if he get(s) lost.” (EFTA02389908) In February 2011, she asked if Epstein would help her invest $10,000. (EFTA01836903) In November 2011, she sent Epstein an email telling him to have a happy Thanksgiving and wishing him well. Says stated that she missed him. (EFTA01850531) In January 2013, she emailed Epstein wishing him a happy birthday writing: “The friendship we have had over the yea(r)s brightens every corner of the world. Your birthday is be [sic] perfect change for me to thank you jeffery [sic] for being a wonderful friend to me. Happy birthday! You are so special and never seem to ask for anything but bring so much joy to others -:). Happy birthday.” She signed it xoxo. (EFTA01907425) In February 2013, she emailed Epstein: “I do miss u how r u doing? I start my 7 days on 12 hr a day starting Thursday morning. I am doing a 17 day cruise April 21, 2013 that end in Copenhagen on may 13, 2013. Fly from Copenhagen into ice land back to Seattle. I will be in MYS April 19-21 Sunday I get on the ship if ur in that area I would love 2 see u carol big hugs. XOXO carol.” She added a photo of herself in her standing with Jeffrey Epstein, an adjudicated sexual predator. They are standing in front of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seal. (EFTA01188239) In September 2013, then CBP Officer Carol Montgomery was in Washington state and desperate to meet up with her buddy. The FBI redacted much of this conversation, which leads one to believe she is possibly referencing the sexual trafficking or at the least possibly mentioning her involvement in helping him get around CBP regulations. (EFTA01955451)
In February 2015, she wrote, “Hi Jeffrey now I realize why you were not able to come up the end of January so that you and I could celebrate our January birthdays together. I just wish that the news media would get over themselves and quit hashing over the same old stuff . What they think is new news was cleared up over three years ago it’s just unbelievable that the news media can’t find something different to sell their magazines and newspapers. I so much hope things are going to be better for you in this year always know you mean a lot to me and I have 100% faith that you will be found innocent again anything that I can do please don’t hesitate to call me, text me, write or even have Larry fly you up to just get done quiet time for yourself. Please “No” you have a friend forever.” (EFTA01746642) In September 2015, she sent an email that the FBI entirely redacted save for her addressing it to Epstein. (EFTA02376921) In December 2015, she requested to be hired by Epstein after she retired from CBP. (EFTA01138835) In February 2016, Carol was retired from CBP but complained to Epstein that her retirement pay didn’t kick in for months. Her father was sick and she asked if he would help her out with a construction loan. She asked to borrow $200,000 from child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. (EFTA02473033)
The letters of affection continued throughout the years into 2019. Thinking about this timeline, you can see how CBP Officer Carol Montgomery interacted with a known adjudicated sexual predator of children in her official CBP capacity and then engaged in a personal relationship with him, seeking favors and money. In other emails, she stated repeatedly how Epstein helped her over the years when she needed it. She asked for financial assistance on more than one occasion. Montgomery is even shown in the emails actively assisting Epstein and his staff with approving passports and other travel documents for his boat and plane saying the holders of those passports did not even need to be present for inspection. She documented in her own emails that she knew about his crimes and lamented that the media was attacking him for his predatory nature around chidlren. She had the nerve to stand before the seal of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection with a known child sex predator. Yet, not once did she ever have Epstein investigated for sex trafficking of minors. In fact, it appears that she helped her good friend get through his CBP inspections.
Where are the experts in sex trafficking?
For an agency that claims to be the experts in identifying sex trafficking, CBP failed these victims in a multitude of ways and continues to do so. First, the CBP officers involved did not properly inspect the boats and planes. This is especially mind-bobbling when you consider Epstein was a known convicted predator. The officers stated they knew who he was and what he had pleaded guilty to. Instead of conducting their inspections with that in mind, they chose to ignore and down-play the implications of plane loads of girls. They joked about his island being a “pedophile’s island” and his plane being a “school bus.” They accepted invitations to play drums at his parties, have lunch with him, ride in his helicopter and his boat. They used their positions as CBP officers to ask Epstein for financial advice and cash loans while offering him faster and inadequate inspections as well as off-duty inspections of his plants.
All of that is corruption and aiding and abetting in child sex trafficking.
Secondly, if the FBI or anyone else has done a thorough inspection of the CBP records for Epstein, they are not in the Epstein files. While there are many CBP flight logs and inspection notes, it is easy to see that much of the CBP data is missing. Every single flight would be recorded by the agency, along with every single person on those planes and their documents. Yet, there is nothing there, whether redacted or not, aside from the flight logs of Maxwell and Epstein nothing else exists. And I do not hear anyone in Congress demanding this evidence.
Lastly, CBP and Congress continue to fail these victims because they have not demanded any investigations into how the agency could have allowed this to happen. The administrations of Biden and Trump have not demanded any inquiries into why the supposed experts in sex trafficking, particularly child sex trafficking, ignored plane loads of girls to this private island; a private island of a child sex predator that the CBP officers admitted they laughingly referred to as “pedophile island.”
The first thing the current commissioner of CBP should have demanded was an investigation into why this happened. It is not possible for a child sex trafficking network this large, that existed for over a decade to not be known to CBP officers. That is exactly what the files demonstrate; they knew. They knew and did nothing to stop it! Malfeasance and misfeasance abound. The commissioner must know why and how this happened. He must demand to know who was involved and hold them accountable in order to set an example and create deterrence for other officers willing to cross the lines of corruption. Congress must demand this of the agency, because without it, CBP is aiding and abetting in covering up child sex trafficking. They are continuing the coverup because many of their own officers are implicated in it. Those involved must be held criminally and civilly responsible if Americans are to believe CBP is a professional law enforcement agency, but I’m not holding my breath.
The picture of Jeffrey Epstein next to CBP Officer Carol Montgomery in front of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it all.
