Mitchell D. Webber Harvard Law School Graduate Answer’s Jeffrey Epstein’s Questions About Interstate Sex With Minors

Emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s personal Yahoo account, obtained and reported by Bloomberg News in September 2025, reveal a 2006 exchange between Epstein and Mitchell D. Webber, then a Harvard Law School graduate serving as a research assistant to Epstein’s attorney Alan Dershowitz.

In an August 2006 email following a phone discussion, Webber addressed a specific legal query from Epstein regarding interstate transportation for sexual purposes involving minors.

Mitchell Webber wrote: “The question is: what would happen if one were to transport a minor for sex — or transport oneself with the intent to have sex with a minor — into a state in which the age of consent is below eighteen (assuming the minor is above the age of consent in the given state)?”

He concluded that, based on his analysis, “there is no violation of law.”

Epstein responded by directing further research into sex tourism laws, specifically “going someplace with specific intent to have underage sex.”

This correspondence occurred amid Epstein’s mounting legal troubles in Florida, where he faced investigations into his exploitation of underage girls.

The exchange has drawn significant scrutiny because it appears to explore potential loopholes in federal and state laws that could allow the transportation of minors across state lines for sexual activity, provided the minor met the lower age of consent in the destination state.

At the time, federal statutes like the Mann Act (18 U.S.C. § 2421 et seq.) prohibited transporting individuals across state lines for immoral purposes, including prostitution, but interpretations varied regarding consensual acts with minors above certain state consent ages.

Critics argue the email reflects an attempt to identify ways to evade stricter federal prohibitions on sex trafficking of minors (18 U.S.C. § 1591), which carries severe penalties regardless of state consent laws when coercion or minors are involved.

Webber’s role was as a junior researcher relaying or analyzing legal points for Dershowitz’s defense team, and the communication was part of broader efforts to assess Epstein’s exposure during plea negotiations that ultimately led to his 2008 non-prosecution agreement.

Mitchell D. Webber, a partner at the prominent law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, has built a career focused on high-profile litigation, particularly in areas related to antisemitism, discrimination, and civil rights.

He has represented clients in cases combating the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has advocated against campus antisemitism. Webber serves on the board of directors of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, an organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism in higher education through legal advocacy, policy work, and campus initiatives. Reports from outlets like The Forward in early 2026 noted that Webber remained on the Brandeis Center board despite publicity surrounding the Epstein emails, with the organization not commenting on calls for his removal.

In addition to his Brandeis Center role, Webber was appointed in January 2021 to a five-year term on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the governing body overseeing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. This prestigious position involves guiding the museum’s mission to educate about the Holocaust, combat genocide, and promote human rights. Webber’s involvement in these organizations highlights his longstanding commitment to Jewish communal issues and countering hatred, even as the 2006 emails—revealed years later—have raised questions about his early professional interactions with Epstein. Webber has stated that he did not provide personal legal advice to Epstein but only relayed information from Dershowitz, describing the communication as part of confidential attorney-client work. No evidence has emerged linking Webber to any criminal activity, and the emails appear confined to his time as a research assistant during Epstein’s 2006-2008 legal defense.