EFTA01121731

Wednesday June 4.2014 
VTII21'11\1 ICT A NTiC 
Epstein's accusers press 
to reopen sex abuse case 
By CURT ANDERSON 
The Associated Press 
MIAMI — Nearly a cliaade ago,
• wealthy financial gurti Jeffrey 
Epstein came under FBI investiga-
tion, suspected of 
sexually abusing 
dozens of-under-
age girls at Ms 
Palm Beachma& 
sion: Then, 
abruptly; 'the 
investigation was 
dropped and 
felTrey Epstein 
_.pleaded guilty to Jeffrey Epstein 
a single state 
charge of soliciting prostitution. He 
served jiart over a-year in jail. 
• Now, two women who say. they 
were among his victims have won 
a precedentrsetting appeals court 
ruling entitling them to see all the 
documents from the. plea bargain 
s cessions ' between Eps tein s 
41i-iieweiod 1i-titers and federal 
- prosecutors. 
Their goal: use those files to undo 
the agreement, reopen the investiga-
tion and subject Epstein to more 
charges. 
The women's lawyers contend 
Epstein got special treatment because 
of his wealth and Connections. His. 
attorneys deny that. 
• 
Virgin Islands first lady Cecile 
delongli is the manager of Financial 
Trust Co.; a financial services coin-
pany,owne.d by-Epstein. She has also 
worked with his charitable founda-
tion, the -1:-Epstein Virgin Islands 
Foundation. ., 
Epsteinowns one of the territory's 
largest residential estates, the 68.7-
acre Little St James 
- 
• 
Epstein, 61, made. hundreds of mil-. 
• lions-of dollars :tiianaging (Unfit for 
rich clients. Shortly after his -2008 
guilty plea; it came to light that his 
lawyers had secretly reached.a non-
prosecution agreement months earli-
er with-the U.S.. Justice Department 
that spared him a potentially heavier 
punishment.
• "Our complaint alleges that, prod-
.: 
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1 CISTERN SERVICE 1 
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Building • Repairing
.,....Sealin: • Ins ,ection 
: 
dad by Epstein, the federal prosecu-
tors deliberately concealed the sweet-
heart plea deal they made with him 
to avoid public criticism," said Paul 
Cassell, a University of Utah law 
professor who- is representing the two 
women. 
The U.S. attorney's office in 
Miami would not comment. But the 
U.S. attorney at the time, R.
Alexander Acosta, said in a 2011 let- • 
ter defending his office that more 
evidence came to light after Epstein 
made his deal. 
"Many victims have spoken out, 
filing detailed statements in civil, 
cases seeking damages. Physical diri: 
dente has been discovered," Acosta 
Wrote. "Had these additional state-
maita and:evidence been knoWn, the 
outcome may have been different." 
Epstein has settled lawsuits for 
undisclosed amounts with many of 
, the women who say they were unda-
age ivhen they' ere paid for sea:.
The case represents the first trend a 
federal appeafs court has ruled that 
the Crime Victims' Rights Act of 
2004-guarantees victim the right to 
be informed about the details of how 
a plea bargaiiiivas reached, accord-
ing to-legal experts and lawyers 
involved* the case. The law marked 
the culmination of efforts begun in 
the 1960s-to giVe crime victims more 
-"I hope that the case will ultimate-
ly set •an important precedent that 
federal prosecutors can't keep vic-
tims in the dark about the plea deals 
that-they reach," Cassell said, 
Epstein served 13 months of an 
18-month sentence en the prostitu-
tion charge, sold his Palm Beach 
home in 2011 and now divides his 
time between a New York City home, 
-Little St. James island and an apart-
ment in Paris, according to court doer ,
uments. He'also: has a large New 
'Mexico ranch. 
He donates huge sums each year,, 
particularly toward projects involv-
- int new medical treatments andarti-
, ficial intelligence. His foundation 
-established a liartrard- University 
program that uses. mathematics to 
study evolutionary biology, viruses 
and-disease. 
• 
Abcordifig to lawsuits filed by 
some of his accusers, Epitein relied 
on assistants to recruit underage girls 
to.give him massages and,perform 
sex acts. They were usually paid 
about S200. ' 
Some girls were notified about the 
investigation beginning in 2006. -But ' 
-they Weren't told about the negotia-
tions with federal prosecutors for at 
least nine months, despite a require-
ment. in the Crime Victims' Rights 
Act that they be kept informed; The 
two women.= who were 13 and 14 
when the 'alleged assaults occurred 
-.- --sited for the files and won. 
'Although plea negotiations are 
vital to the functioning of the crimi-
nal justice system, a prosecutor and ' 
target of a criminal prosecution do 
not enjoy a relationship of confidence 
and trust V;hen.theyhegotiate," the 
appeals diatufsaid. 
- • 
• 
Federal prosecutors have begun. . 
turning over the doctiments: 
' 
Epstein's attorney, Roy Black, the.... 
' celebrity laWyerwhe is also repre-
saiting`hartin Bieber iarhis DUI and 
resisting-arrest case in Miami 
Beach, declined to comment-but has 
asked that the documents be kept 
they 
have 
public view; and so fat they 
have beep. 
In a May 23 Court filing, Black 
said that there was no conspiracy 
between prosecutors and Epstein's 
team to violate the victims' rights 
law and that the non-prosecution' 
agreement-contained many provi.• 
.sions. Epstein strongly opposed, 
such as registering asa sex offend-
er and agreeing not to contest cer-
tain lawsuits. 
. 
' • 
".This was no aweetheiret deal by 
any stretch of the imagination," 
Black said in court papers. 
Even if a judge invalidates the plea 
deal, it will still be up.to federal pros-
ecutors to decide what to do. 
. 
"Theo:girt canitteree theProsecu-
tors to bring. charges," said Man 
Alexrod, a former.federal prosecutor 
now in private practice,- in 
Washington. 
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