Jeffrey Epstein appears to have visited Canada despite being convicted of a crime that should render him “inadmissible”.
Among the more than three million documents released by the Justice Department last week are travel reservations for Epstein in Vancouver for March 17-20, 2014, the CBC reported. He apparently booked a massage at a local hotel and attended a conference during this period.
His apparent visit to the Great White North came nearly six years after he pleaded guilty to multiple state charges in Florida — including soliciting prostitution of a minor — that resulted in an 18-month prison sentence. He was also required to register as a sex offender.
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, was deemed ineligible in Canada because he had been “convicted of at least one offense that, if committed in Canada, would be an indictable offense under an Act of Parliament,” according to a 2018 letter from the country’s consulate in California.
The letter — included in the DOJ’s recent release of documents related to Epstein — denied the disgraced financier’s application for a temporary resident permit. This permit would have given him an exception to travel to the country despite his criminal record.
Canadian officials cannot explain why Jeffrey Epstein was allowed to travel to the country because his conviction should have rendered him ‘inadmissible’ (DOJ).
“After a careful and sympathetic review, balancing all factors, I have determined that there are insufficient grounds to merit the issuance of a permit in your case,” the letter said.
Although the convicted sex offender appears to have crossed the line years ago.
According to CBC citing DOJ documents, a Canadian customs clearance document indicates that on March 20, 2014, Epstein passed through customs in Seattle after a flight from Vancouver. The document appears to have disappeared from the DOJ’s website.
Epstein emailed an anonymous person two days ago to say he was attending a TED conference. The person replied: “Jealous! I heard it happened in Vancouver this year.” Epstein also received an email confirming a March 17 massage appointment at the city’s Four Seasons Hotel.
Epstein was deemed ineligible for Canada because he was convicted of a crime that would be an indictable offense under Canadian law, according to a 2018 letter (DOJ).
After his 2008 plea deal, Epstein was able to travel to several countries, including the UK and France (House Oversight Committee).
When asked if Epstein was allowed to enter Canada in 2014, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency did not give a direct answer.
“Because a person’s immigration and border information is considered personal information and protected by the Privacy Act, we cannot comment on specific cases,” said Guillaume Berube, the agency’s acting director of media relations. independent. “Acceptance of passengers is decided on a case-by-case basis and based on information available at the time of entry.”
Berube added that, if a CBSA officer believes a foreign national is inadmissible, they can report them, force them to leave the country or issue them a temporary residence permit.
Epstein, who died in a New York jail awaiting trial on new charges in 2019, has several passports – including an Austrian passport with his photo and a fake name.
A former Canadian official said that, if a convicted sex offender did indeed travel north of the border, it would be a major oversight.
Former Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander told the CBC: “If he had come to Canada at that time, that would have been a very serious lapse in immigration enforcement. Our government’s position has been very clear that anyone with a criminal record (including US citizens) is inadmissible, and these provisions of the law must be strictly enforced.”
Even after his 2008 guilty plea, Epstein traveled freely to several countries, including the UK and France (he was arrested in 2019 shortly after returning from a trip to Paris). He also maintained business relationships with major financial institutions — and continued to correspond and meet with countless high-profile individuals — despite at least one company raising concerns about suspicious activity.
