Jeffrey Epstein arrest and prosecution - is anyone following the case?
GnocchiB
2071 replies230 postsRegistered User Senior Member
I have been reading about the sweetheart deal the financier Jeffrey Epstein got from federal prosecutors in FL in 2008, when he pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges as part of a secret, lenient deal he negotiated with the United States attorney in Miami that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution. The deal also immunized his unnamed co-conspirators (the female fixers he paid to find a stream of young women to abuse). The sexual abuse victims were underage girls and the prison let him out to go to work 6 days a week. A Miami Herald reporter has been on this story for many years and has not given up. In this age of #MeToo, I think there's a lot less willingness to look away from sexual abuse cases/give powerful men a pass than there used to be.
I am glad that he has been re-investigated and was arrested a couple of weeks ago. I feared that he would be let out on bail and flee the country because he is reportedly worth $500 million and has passports under different aliases from Austria and Saudi Arabia.
Thankfully, Epstein was denied bail today. Perhaps justice will be served in this case. Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-bail-hearing.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage
325 replies I am glad that he has been re-investigated and was arrested a couple of weeks ago. I feared that he would be let out on bail and flee the country because he is reportedly worth $500 million and has passports under different aliases from Austria and Saudi Arabia.
Thankfully, Epstein was denied bail today. Perhaps justice will be served in this case. Link to article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-bail-hearing.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage
Replies to: Jeffrey Epstein arrest and prosecution - is anyone following the case?
While I think there's enough to lock him up forever, I hope more of his victims are willing to come forward.
Also Acosta was required to notify the victims about the sweetheart deal, but did not. The deal was in state court, not federal court, so the victims who were cooperating with federal prosecutors knew nothing about it until it was way too late to try to intervene. A judge recently ruled that this was illegal.
I've been reading articles re: guessing how Epstein made/makes his money. Let's see what the SDNY unearths and what dots are connected.
Unfortunately, just more proof that the very wealthy live in their own world with special and unfair treatment. It's gross how we as a society let $$$ rule so many things. Meanwhile so many disadvantaged people are incarcerated for minor things and/or don't get fair trials.
An 53 page indictment (I thought it was 87?)doesn't mean much, just that there were a lot of separate counts he was charged with. It doesn't mean there were 53 victims or 53 different events. If a single incident resulted in 10 different counts, often the 2-3 pages of facts are repeated for every count. I think if this had gone to trial in a federal court Epstein could have walked in the end. OJ did, because the LA district attorney didn't have unlimited funds to fight all those lawyers on the defense, the truckload of motions filed every day, the discovery requests. Look at Michael Jackson's court history.
It was a good deal for Epstein, but I don't think it was as awful as some are saying for the state or for 'justice.' It is common to have work release while serving time in a county jail and that's why people agree to county jail time and not state prison or federal prison time. He then registered as a sex offender at his other homes, like in NM, NYC, and USVI, and the prosecutors and US attorneys in those states did nothing, so all that evidence must not have been out there for all to see.
This new case has so much publicity that it will be harder for his attorneys to harass the victims, but in 2008 he was threatening them, stalking them, vowing to destroy them. Black SUVs followed the girls to school, interviewed their friends, and now appears there were actual bribes made (hopefully not known to the US attorney at the time). Now most of the victims are older and may be better able to handle the cross examinations, but it will still be rough. He's hired the best defense attorneys in the world and money will not be spared in defending him. How much do you think they spent just this week to try and get bail for him? Millions. Yes, rich people really do get to buy more justice.
After his jail time in 2008-2010, he was fully embraced by NYC society again. He is friends and partners with the CEO of Victoria's Secret/Bed and Body works. He was invited to all the premiers and society parties, gave money to politicians from both parties and they all took it willingly, he gave money to several Harvard funds, to a lot of other charities. No one seemed to have any trouble with his history or reputation when accepting his money, use of his airplanes, having diner with him, investing with him, inviting him to their parties. Acosta took the fall, but there is a lot of blame to go around for how Epstein was handled both before and after the 2008 charges.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/alexander-acosta-trumps-labor-secretary-broke-the-law-in-jeffrey-epstein-case-judge
Acosta made sure Epstein got a felony conviction and jail time, which is more than the Palm Beach County prosecutor wanted. There was enough evidence to put him away for years on state charges, gathered by county police. Most sex crimes are and should be prosecuted at the state level (County prosecutors). Because this prosecutor wouldn't do his job, Acosta brokered a deal. I haven't seen anything to indicate that he had a slam-dunk case with victims willing to testify on the federal charges, the leg work had all been done by the county police on the state charges. Acosta's leverage was to threaten a federal prosecution if more was not done on the state charges, but it could have been an empty threat, practically and politically.
It's right to be mad that he got away with things for this long, might as well blame the right people.
There's plenty of room here for REAL outrage.
That's kind of offensive. There is plenty of sincere, completely justified outrage over this.
It's sickening.
You conveniently forgot to mention Esptein's other friend who happens to be the current POTUS (google Trump/Epstein tape).
Let's keep any political commentary out of the thread, please.
I do hope I haven’t crossed a line , but certainly understand if my post is deleted. Just venting
Did I mention the massage parlor?
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/06/alexander-acosta-plea-deal-1152371
The US Attorney felt intimdated by Epstein's high-priced lawyers? The US Attorney? I got a bridge to sell ya! Acosta broke the law and should follow Epstein to jail.
Another podcast (cannot remember the name) mentioned how it’s not uncommon for high powered attorneys of wealthy clients go on a dirt digging & intimidation mission re: the prosecutors.
I know nothing about any of it, beyond often wondering what the real story is.