Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon Remarks as Prepared The defendant is about to make a bail application, and the

People will be consenting to that application. We would like to advise the Court of the circumstances that have led us here today. At the time this case came to the District Attorneys Office, we were faced with a credible claim of a serious sexual assault by a civilian witness who made prompt outcry to third parties and had a solid work history with her employer. The fact of a sexual encounter was and is corroborated by forensic evidence, and the very brief time period inside the hotel suite strongly suggested something other than a consensual act. We conducted extensive interviews with the complainant, co-workers, friends, hotel security, police officers, and reviewed extensive records and physical evidence. That was the state of the case when we appeared before the Court to set the conditions of the defendants release on home confinement, and at the time we presented the case to the grand jury. Even after indictment, in accordance with our obligation to see that justice is done and our obligations to the defendant, we have been conducting a comprehensive and thorough investigation of all aspects of this case, including the background of the complainant and her various statements about the incident and her past activities. This included review of many additional subpoenaed records, interviews of additional witnesses, and re-interviews of the complainant. All of this has caused us to re-assess the position that we have advanced to the Court about the strength of the case, an issue that particularly affects the question of bail. Yesterday afternoon, well in advance of any time period required by law, we provided to defense counsel a written summary of all known exculpatory information, as well as salient, confirmed, impeachment information that we have learned, and informed the defense that we would continue to provide additional disclosures as required by law. Some of the information that we provided the defense was provided, post indictment, by counsel for the complainant. We are filing our disclosure letter with the Court, and we informed the defense yesterday that we were amenable to an immediate appearance before the Court for the purpose of re-assessing bail. Although it is clear that the strength of the case has been affected by the substantial credibility issues relating to the complaining witness, we are not moving to dismiss the case at this time. We are, however, consenting to the defendants bail application, and will be discussing the matter in further detail with defense counsel in advance of the next court appearance on July 18. ###

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. Remarks as Prepared

Good Afternoon. I am Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. I am here to provide further details regarding todays proceedings. Six weeks ago, an independent grand jury indicted the defendant on several serious charges, based on its review of the evidence available at that time included the statements of the complainant, corroborating witnesses, police investigators and forensic evidence. As our prosecutors said in court today, after the indictment against the defendant was filed, we continued to rigorously investigate this case. That investigation raised concerns about the complaining witnesss credibility. We turned over to the defense the information that gave rise to the concerns, as we are ethically and legally obligated to do. In addition, because our request for substantial bail was based in part on our assessment of the strength of our case at the time of indictment, we disclosed this information to the court as well. Todays proceedings did not dismiss the indictment, or any of the charges against the defendant. Our prosecutors will continue their investigation into these alleged crimes, and will do so until we have uncovered all relevant facts. The vindication of the rights of sex crimes victims is among the highest priorities of this Office. With regard to the treatment of this victim, we have done nothing but support her. We have done everything in our power to maintain her privacy and keep her safe. And we will continue to do so. After the indictment was filed, I stood here and I said that the highest duty of a prosecutor is to ensure that the safeguards of American law are provided to all who come before our courts. Our judicial system seeks to ensure fairness and justice for both victims and defendants. As prosecutors, our duty is to do whatever is right, in every case, without fear or favor, wherever that leads. The disclosures we made that led to todays proceeding reflect that principle. In this case, as with every case, our commitment to the truth and the facts will govern how we proceed. ###