Ivan Fisher

FEC records: Ivan S. Fisher donated to both Clinton presidential campaigns - $1,000 in 1992, $2,300 in 2007. LittleSis records additional NYS donations: $360 to Alan Hevesi (1999), $500 to William C. Thompson Jr (2007). All donations Democratic, NYC-focused. No other federal contributions found. Separate Springfield VA donor named 'Ivan Fisher' is a different person.

FEC Schedule A records show FISHER, IVAN S, Self-Employed Attorney, New York NY: (1) $1,000 to Clinton for President Committee on 1992-01-24, (2) $2,300 to Hillary Clinton for President on 2007-12-12 (maximum individual contribution). LittleSis entity 356352 tracks 6 relationships including 4 political donations and tenant relationship with Epstein (entity 36043). The Hevesi donation is notable: Alan Hevesi was later convicted of corruption (public pension fund kickback scheme). No evidence Fisher-Hevesi donation is connected to Epstein network.

LittleSis political donations: Fisher donated ,000 to Bill Clinton (1/24/1992 - same year Epstein obtained his OFM lease), ,300 to Hillary Clinton (12/12/2007 - during Epstein criminal plea deal period), to Alan Hevesi NYS Comptroller (1999 - later convicted of corruption), to William C Thompson Jr NYC Comptroller (2007). Clinton donations parallel Epstein networks Clinton-era connections.

Epstein's 34 E 69th St scheme was a profitable arbitrage: He leased from OFM (US State Dept) at ,000/month starting 1992, then sublet to Fisher at ,000/month starting May 1996, pocketing ,000/month. Fisher in turn sublet to approximately 12 additional lawyers. The court opinion reveals Epstein collected rent from Fisher through September 30, 1996 (at least ,000 over 5 months). Epstein also demanded ,000 from another prospective subtenant (Xenophon Galinas) for 'improvements to the Premises.' This was a rent-seeking operation on Iranian consular property held in trust by the US government.

FEC records confirm Ivan S. Fisher (self-employed attorney, NYC) donated 1000 to Clinton For President Committee on 1/24/1992 (from 10022 zip code) and 2300 to Hillary Clinton For President on 12/12/2007 (from 251 E 61st St, 10065). LittleSis additionally records 360 to Alan Hevesi (NYS, 6/10/1999) and 500 to William C. Thompson Jr (NYS, 1/10/2007). Both Clinton donations parallel Epstein own Clinton donation pattern.

LittleSis entity 356352 maps Fisher network: 6 relationships total. (1) Jeffrey Epstein - tenant relationship (sublease); (2) Anthony Charles Castelbuono - client relationship (Fisher was his defense attorney in 1983 EDNY cooperation agreement case, US v. Castelbuono 643 F.Supp.965); (3-4) Bill Clinton 1000 (1992) and Hillary Clinton 2300 (2007) - campaign donations; (5) Alan Hevesi 360 (1999) - NYS donation; (6) William C. Thompson Jr 500 (2007) - NYS donation. The Castelbuono connection is significant: Castelbuono was excluded from NJ gaming for organized crime ties. Fisher negotiated a cooperation agreement for him with EDNY in 1983 that was later voided for bad faith.

Fisher represented Roy L. Schneider MD, former USVI governor, and secured dismissal of his indictment. This is a notable USVI connection. Schneider was USVI governor 1995-1999, overlapping with the period Epstein was developing his USVI presence. However no direct evidence Fisher connected Schneider to Epstein or that representation arose from Epstein network.

Fisher-Epstein relationship was purely commercial sublease, not legal representation. Fisher was Epsteins TENANT not his lawyer. However Epstein represented to Fisher that OFM had orally approved the sublease - which was false. Fisher claims he would not have entered sublease without State Dept approval. After govt notified Fisher of lease termination, Fisher stopped paying rent to Epstein. No evidence Fisher ever represented Epstein or Epstein associates in any legal matter. Epsteins attorney in this case was Wachtel and Masyr LLP (Steven J. Cohen).

LittleSis records Fisher as attorney for Anthony Charles Castelbuono (LittleSis entity 356351). Castelbuono appears to be an additional Fisher client in the organized crime defense space. Fisher also confirmed as Tenant of Epstein in LittleSis relationship database (entity pair 356352/36043 category Transaction/Rental).

Ivan S. Fisher was one of NYC's most prominent criminal defense attorneys in the 1980s-90s. Top 5 criminal attorney per NYT in 1980. Lead counsel in the Pizza Connection Trial (longest federal criminal trial at the time) and French Connection cases. Lectured at Yale Law and Columbia Law. Fisher sublet 34 E 69th from Epstein at $20K/month starting May 7, 1996. He turned the former Iranian diplomatic residence into a multi-occupant law office complex housing at least 3 separate practices. Fisher was subsequently BANNED from practicing in federal court in SDNY in 2013 after stealing money from a client.

Epstein profit scheme on 34 E 69th: Epstein paid OFM 15K/mo but charged Fisher 20K/mo, pocketing 5K/mo. Fisher then further sublet portions to other lawyers at unknown rates. Second Amended Complaint (EFTA01324981) names 18 defendants total. Govt also alleged Epstein took Iranian fixtures (chandeliers, sconces, mirrors) and claimed ownership. Case was prosecuted by AUSA Serene Nakano under US Atty Mary Jo White.

Ivan Fisher's co-counsel in the 34 E 69th St ejectment case (96 Civ 8307) was Gage & Pavlis (G. Robert Gage Jr., Eileen J. Casey, later Gage Spencer & Fleming LLP). Fisher was represented by this firm on behalf of himself, Diane Fisher d/b/a The Fisher Group, and Fisher & Soffer a/k/a Fisher & Sophir. Key factual detail from Judge Chin's opinion: Fisher met with an AUSA on Sept 23, 1996 and was told that OFM's Richard Massey 'would swear under oath that he never orally approved the sublet to Fisher.' Fisher then offered to pay rent directly to OFM (never answered) and stopped paying Epstein. Fisher was a prominent criminal defense attorney — he defended the Pizza Connection Trial (largest Mafia-heroin prosecution). Fisher's firm with Soffer at the Iranian consular property establishes a direct professional relationship between a major organized crime defense lawyer and Soffer in an Epstein-controlled space.

Epstein leased 34 E 69th St for personal residential use from 1992, with his family occupying through January 1996 when he 'abandoned' the premises. By March 1996 he was simultaneously negotiating sublease arrangements with both Xenophon Galinas and Ivan Fisher. Fisher required the sublease be approved by the State Department and that he could remain beyond the lease expiration (January 31, 1997). Epstein represented to Fisher that OFM had approved the sublease -- a claim the government would later deny under oath. Fisher entered the sublease on Epstein's representations.

CourtListener confirms SEPARATE Epstein v. Fisher case (1:97-cv-01489 SDNY, filed 1997-03-05) in addition to US v. Epstein (96 CIV 8307). Nature of suit: 230 Rent Lease & Ejectment. Epstein commenced holdover proceeding in NYC Civil Court in February 1997 against Fisher for nonpayment of rent under the sublease after Fisher stopped paying rent in Sept 1996. Fisher removed the state court action to federal court where it was consolidated with 96 CIV 8307 by Judge Chin. This dual-case posture shows Epstein and Fisher were adversaries, not allies.

Full list of Fisher subtenants at 34 E 69th: Ron Soffer (Fisher partner, resident NY/France), Diane Fisher dba The Fisher Group (spouse, real estate), Ellyn Bank (atty), Debra Elisa Cohen (atty), Lawrence D. Gerzog (atty), Robert Heilbrun (atty), Suzanne McDermott (atty, associated with Fisher firm), Christopher H. Martin (New York Defenders Service), Jesse Siegel (atty), Carmen Tausik (atty), law firm Siegel Martin and Heilbrun. All used 34 E 69th as business address. Fisher had converted former Iranian consular residence into multi-attorney office complex.

Judge Chin Feb 19 1998 protective order ruling: Govt sought provision allowing use of Fishers confidential discovery (1996 tax return) in other civil/criminal matters. Fisher objected and won. Court held tax info entitled to confidentiality and govt could not exploit fruits of private litigation for criminal investigation. Significant because Epstein also had a separate protective order over financial discovery in same case.

Feb 19, 1998 protective order decision (1998 WL 67676): Government sought Fisher's 1996 tax return to verify rent collected from subtenants. Fisher objected to a government clause that would allow sharing discovery info with other agencies. Judge Chin sided with Fisher, ruling confidential information (especially tax returns) could not be used outside this lawsuit. Key quote: 'Fisher should not become the subject of an IRS tax investigation merely because of documents he produced in what is essentially a landlord-tenant suit.' The Government wanted to reserve right to use Fisher's financial info in 'unrelated civil or criminal matters.'

Government's motion for summary judgment against Diane Fisher d/b/a The Fisher Group and Ron Soffer (EFTA01325003, dated March 13, 1998): Diane Fisher used the premises to conduct business as a real estate salesperson. Ron Soffer used the premises as a business address and registered it with the NY State Office of Court Administration as his attorney registration office. By stipulation of March 5, 1998, all subtenants except Diane Fisher and Ron Soffer agreed to be bound by the court's decision. Diane Fisher later signed; Soffer declined and was ejected anyway since he 'can have no greater rights than Fisher.'

Judge Denny Chin's April 1, 1998 opinion (1998 WL 159055) in US v. Epstein & Fisher, 96 CIV 8307, provides comprehensive factual record: OFM leased 34 East 69th St (former Iranian consular residence) to Epstein in 1992 at ,000/month. Epstein abandoned the premises in January 1996, then sublet to Fisher on May 7, 1996 at ,000/month despite OFM's express denial. Fisher sublet portions to approximately 12 additional lawyer-subtenants. Epstein's lease terminated August 23, 1996. Court found Epstein needed prior written consent (not oral) and could be denied arbitrarily under NY law. All defendants ejected.

Judge Chin full eviction opinion (96 CIV 8307 / 1:97-cv-01489): OFM leased 34 E 69th St (former Iranian Deputy Consul General residence) to Epstein 2/1/1992 at 15K/mo. Epstein abandoned Jan 1996 and sublet to Fisher 5/7/1996 at 20K/mo despite OFMs express written denial 4/26/1996. Fisher further sublet to 12+ lawyers including Ron Soffer, Diane Fisher, Ellyn Bank, and law firm Siegel Martin and Heilbrun. Summary judgment granted ejecting all defendants. Lease unambiguously required prior written consent for sublet which was never given.

Forfeiture case 1:05-cv-09105 (SDNY 2005-2007): US govt brought civil forfeiture action against bank accounts numbered 2445, with Ivan Stephan Fisher as a party. Filed 10/25/2005, terminated 7/13/2007 before Judge Pauley. Nature of suit: Other forfeiture and penalty. This case overlaps chronologically with the period when Fisher was misappropriating Raphael restitution funds (2007). May relate to proceeds of Fisher client representation or personal financial misconduct.

June-July 2007: Florida Criminal AUSA (from West Palm Beach office) sought Epsteins deposition transcript from the 96 CIV 8307 eviction case for use in the CRIMINAL investigation. SDNY retrieved files but could not locate the deposition. Protective order limited use - AUSA could review but not use in other litigation. This proves the Florida criminal investigation team was actively seeking Epsteins financial testimony from the Fisher subletting case in 2007 during the plea deal period.

The Jane Doe v. United States (08-80736) privilege log (EFTA00020711) confirms the 2007 AUSA email exchange was formally logged: '6/12/2007-7/6/2007 series of emails between Marie Villafana and AUSAs Serene Nakano and James Cott re an earlier unrelated investigation of Epstein.' This independently verifies both the timeframe and the fact that SDFL's Villafana was seeking information from the 96 CIV 8307 case for the criminal investigation. The privilege log also identifies SDNY AUSA James Cott as involved.

In June-July 2007, SDFL Criminal AUSA (AVillafana, West Palm Beach) contacted SDNY AUSA Serene Nakano seeking Epstein's deposition transcript from US v. Epstein & Fisher, 96 CIV 8307 for use in the then-active criminal investigation. Nakano described it as 'my infamous landlord-tenant case.' The files could not be located -- deposition was NOT found in the retrieved closed files. This was a crucial moment: SDFL was investigating Epstein's 2005-06 sex trafficking and sought his earlier sworn testimony. The protective order limited use of financial discovery.

Ivan Fisher disbarment: In 2004 client Abrahim Raphael retained Fisher for federal criminal defense re embezzlement from International Gemological Institute (IGI). In 2007 Raphael entrusted Fisher with 250K for restitution to IGI. Fisher misappropriated 180K for personal use. SDNY Committee on Grievances (M2-238, Judge P. Kevin Castel) filed proceeding 1/24/2012, disbarred Fisher 3/14/2013. Fisher appealed to 2d Circuit (13-1272) - affirmed 7/22/2014. NY Appellate Division First Dept struck Fisher from state bar nunc pro tunc to 3/12/2015 (Matter of Fisher M-310 M-5318). Also separately suspended from EDNY in 2007 (1:07-mc-00414, Judge Cogan).

Epstein was represented by Wachtel & Masyr LLP (Steven J. Cohen, Esq.) in 96 CIV 8307, while Fisher was separately represented by Gage & Pavlis (G. Robert Gage Jr., Ellen J. Casey). Fisher was NOT Epstein's attorney in this case -- they were co-defendants with separate counsel, though both fighting the ejectment. Epstein's 'transaction counsel' for the original sublease negotiations with OFM was Jeffrey Schantz (USVI-based attorney at 6100 Red Hook Quarter, St. Thomas).

Complete list of 34 E 69th St subtenants (Fisher's subtenants) from Second Amended Complaint (EFTA01324981): Ellyn Bank (Esq., pro se), Debra Elisa Cohen (Esq., pro se), Diane Fisher d/b/a The Fisher Group, Fisher & Soffer a/k/a Fisher & Sophir, Lawrence D. Gerzog (Esq., pro se), Robert Heilbrun (Esq., pro se), Suzanne McDermott (Esq., pro se), Christopher H. Martin (NY Defenders Service, pro se), Jessie/Jesse Siegel (Esq., pro se), Siegel Martin & Heilbrun (firm, by Robert Heilbrun), Ron Soffer (Esq., pro se), Carmen Tausik (Esq., pro se). All were attorneys or law firms. The building was converted into a multi-lawyer office building.

LittleSis records Ivan Fisher (entity 356352) as attorney for Anthony Charles Castelbuono (entity 356351), categorized as a business relationship with is_current=true. Castelbuono is otherwise unidentified in publicly available databases. This is the only known client relationship recorded for Fisher in LittleSis aside from the Epstein tenant relationship. LittleSis also records Fisher as having 6 total relationships: Epstein (tenant), Castelbuono (attorney), and 4 political donations (Clinton x2, Hevesi, Thompson).

34 E 69th St intelligence significance: Former Iranian Deputy Consul General residence seized after 1979 revolution. Under IEEPA frozen asset regulations and Vienna Convention, OFM managed as blocked Iranian property. All income constituted blocked Iranian property per Treasury license. Epsteins lease of Iranian diplomatic property in 1992 and subsequent unauthorized subletting to criminal defense lawyers raises questions about how Epstein obtained access to sensitive government-custodied diplomatic real estate. The Galinas competing bid at 16K/mo vs Epsteins 15K/mo shows OFM preferred a higher-paying direct tenant.

Jeffrey Schantz, identified in the 1998 court opinion as Epstein's 'transaction counsel' who negotiated the 34 E 69th St sublease with OFM in April 1996, was simultaneously serving as VP/Secretary/Treasurer of Epstein's USVI entities (articles of incorporation found in EFTA01390430). Schantz operated from 6100 Red Hook Quarter, Suite B-3, American Yacht Harbor, St. Thomas, VI 00802 -- Epstein's USVI office. This shows Schantz was deeply embedded in Epstein's legal infrastructure, not just a transactional attorney.

Epstein financial discovery in Fisher case: Epstein obtained a protective order sealing financial discovery in the eviction case. When FL Criminal AUSA sought his deposition in June 2007 the protective order restricted use. SDNY could not even locate the deposition transcript. This protected financial information from Epsteins mid-1990s period may have contained relevant details about his income sources and financial arrangements during the period he was building his wealth and reputation.

OCCRP Aleph shows an Ivan Fisher as director of a Panama company in the 2008 Panama Companies Registry scrape. No additional detail available (entity data is minimal). This is likely a different person given the commonality of the name, but cannot be ruled out. Separately, Fisher and Soffer had no ICIJ records (ICIJ Neo4j unavailable), zero OCCRP company results for Fisher and Soffer, and zero EpsteinExposed person records for Ivan Fisher specifically (EpsteinExposed returned 174 document hits but all relate to the 96 CIV 8307 case or unrelated Fishers).

DISAMBIGUATION: Multiple 'Fishers' in the Epstein corpus are NOT Ivan Fisher: (1) Alice Fisher -- DOJ Assistant Attorney General mentioned in 2017 Indyke-to-Epstein email as potential FBI director candidate; also appears in House Oversight docs receiving appeal about SDFL prosecutorial misconduct. (2) Paula Heil Fisher -- Epstein's ex-girlfriend, former Bear Stearns associate, opera producer. (3) Lenny Fischer -- CEO of RHJI (Kleinwort Benson parent), met by David Stern at dinner in St. Moritz Dec 2011. (4) Helen Fisher -- author of 'Anatomy of Love,' recommended by Epstein to Summers in March 2019 email. None of these are Ivan S. Fisher.

COMPREHENSIVE NEGATIVE RESULTS: Exhaustive multi-database search for Ivan Fisher, Diane Fisher, Fisher & Soffer, and The Fisher Group returned zero results across: (1) SEC EDGAR - no filings, no CIK, no insider transactions; (2) NYC ACRIS - no property records for Ivan Fisher (Diane Fisher result was different person in Staten Island); (3) Corporate registries (NY, FL, CO, NM, CA, UK) - no entities for Ivan Fisher, Fisher & Soffer, or Fisher & Sophir registered in any jurisdiction; (4) UCC filings (FL, NM) - zero filings; (5) FAA aircraft registry - zero; (6) GLEIF LEI - zero; (7) OpenSanctions - not listed; (8) Deutsche Bank DS10 - zero transactions; (9) FARA - not registered; (10) ProPublica 990 - no matching nonprofits; (11) OCCRP Aleph - API error, not searched. The NY SoS 'Diane Fisher-Golden' (Coolfish Web Development, Slingerlands NY) is a different person. This total absence from corporate, financial, and property databases is consistent with Fisher operating exclusively as a solo/partnership criminal defense attorney with no corporate or financial entanglements beyond his law practice.

FL SunBiz re-verified Feb 15 2026 after entity-name search fix (corprindata→cordata). Generic name matches found but none connected to Epstein network (no known associates as officers, no known addresses). Original conclusion unchanged.

NEGATIVE RESULT: Exhaustive search of 331K-page DOJ Vol 11, 204K DugganUSA, 60K LMSBAND, 70K Unified DB, 25.8K Epstein 20K, and investigations.db found ZERO evidence that Ivan Fisher ever served as legal counsel for Epstein or any Epstein associate. No emails, no correspondence, no attorney-client communications. Fisher appears in the corpus ONLY in connection with 96 CIV 8307 (the landlord-tenant case) and in the Vicky Ward 2003 Vanity Fair article. Similarly, zero overlap found between Fisher's organized crime defense clients and Epstein's known network. The relationship appears strictly landlord-tenant.

NEGATIVE RESULT: No email communications between Epstein and Ivan Fisher found in any corpus (Unified DB, LMSBAND, HF Parquet, DDoSecrets). Zero hits for Fisher in email sender/receiver fields. Zero Fisher email addresses in any contact list. This strongly suggests the Fisher-Epstein relationship was purely transactional (sublease) and did not extend to Epstein's social, financial, or intelligence networks.

The Vicky Ward Vanity Fair 2003 profile of Epstein (found in at least 4 copies across corpus: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017784, 017771, 017935, EFTA01334040) contains the only public media reference to the Fisher subletting: 'Attorney's Office sued Epstein for illegally subletting the former home of the deputy consul general of Iran to attorney Ivan Fisher and others. Epstein paid 15,000 a month in rent to the State Department, but he charged Fisher and his colleagues 20,000. Though the exact terms of the agreement are sealed, the court ruled against Epstein.' Note: Ward says terms were 'sealed' -- this aligns with the protective order on financial discovery.

NEGATIVE RESULT: Fisher Soffer / Fisher Sophir law firm has zero hits in DOJ Vol 11, zero in LMSBAND, and only appears in Duggan results as part of the 96 CIV 8307 court filings. The firm name does not appear in any Epstein email, financial record, or contact list. This confirms the firm's only connection to Epstein was through the 34 E 69th St sublease.

EpsteinExposed.com indexes 17 documents mentioning Ivan Fisher, confirming the comprehensive document footprint: 7 are direct court filings from 96 CIV 8307 (EFTA01324981, EFTA01325003, EFTA01325008, EFTA01325020, EFTA01325022, EFTA01325025, EFTA01480859), 2 are the Vicky Ward Vanity Fair article (EFTA01334040 and document d-28674), 2 are derivative court exhibits (d-987, d-7056 discussing 'illegal subletting'), 1 is the EFTA01405372 due diligence report mentioning Epstein & Co in a KYC context, 1 is a Law360 article about defense investigators (EFTA00032906), and 1 is the Virginia Roberts v. Dershowitz filing (d-34595). The Vicky Ward article (EFTA01334040) is the only document that names Fisher outside the court case context, describing the subletting as one of several Epstein legal disputes.

Fisher Pizza Connection correction: Fisher defended Salvatore Catalano (of Queens, NY), NOT Gaetano Badalamenti as sometimes reported. Catalano was the alleged head of US operations. The trial ran 1985-1987 in SDNY, lasted 17 months, and was the longest federal criminal trial in US history at that time. Fisher cross-examined Chief Inspector Antonietta Mantoro of the Italian National Science Police. Catalano was convicted. Fisher also represented Haji Ayub Afridi (Pakistani tribal chief/narcotrafficker with CIA ties) and Haji Bashir Noorzai (convicted 2008 for 50M heroin smuggling after being lured to US with promise of immunity from arrest).

Fisher current status: NY bar registration number 1521384, admitted 1968, Boston University School of Law. Status as of 2024: SUSPENDED, DELINQUENT. Office address 125 E 50th St Ste 1201, New York, NY 10022. Next registration due August 2026. Previously at 251 E 61st St (per 2007 FEC filing). The SDNY federal disbarment (March 2013) was followed by NY Appellate Division First Department striking him from state bar nunc pro tunc March 12, 2015 (Matter of Fisher M-310, M-5318). Fisher is now 82 years old (born August 26, 1943) and effectively unable to practice law in any forum.

Ivan Stephan Fisher b.1943 profile: Horace Mann School, Syracuse Univ, BU Law. Partner of Albert Krieger, independent practice 1974. Top-5 NYC criminal atty per NYT 1980. Notable clients: Jack Henry Abbott 1982, Michele Sindona 1980, Gaetano Badalamenti Pizza Connection 1985-87, French Connection, Joseph Bonanno, Roy Schneider USVI gov, Alberto Vilar, Haji Ayub Afridi, Haji Bashir Noorzai.

Fisher complete client list reconstructed from web sources: (1) Jack Henry Abbott - murder trial (trial of the decade), (2) Joseph Bonanno - Bonanno crime family boss, (3) Michele Sindona - Italian financier (P2 Lodge/Vatican Bank scandal, murdered by cyanide in prison 1986), (4) Salvatore Catalano - Pizza Connection Trial 1985-87, (5) French Connection defendants, (6) Marie Luisi - J. Walter Thompson SVP (30M theft allegations), (7) Lowell Birrell - oil executive/financier (largest white-collar prosecution of era), (8) Haji Ayub Afridi - Pakistani tribal chief/narcotrafficker, (9) Haji Bashir Noorzai - Afghan heroin trafficking (50M), (10) Roy L. Schneider - USVI governor (corruption, dismissal secured), (11) Alberto Vilar - billionaire investor (securities fraud), (12) Remy Ma - rapper, (13) Norman Mailer - author, (14) Demetrios Demetrios - illegal trade (acquittal), (15) Anthony Charles Castelbuono - organized crime figure. Fisher also won landmark decision US v. Toscanino (2d Cir. 1974) leading to Kissinger directive on torture.