Criminal Justice
Billionaire’s Secret Sex Case Plea Deal Shows What a Good Defense Can Do
Posted Sep 18, 2009 12:19 PM CST
By Martha Neil
A Florida billionaire's secret non-prosecution deal with the feds in an investigation of conduct that eventually resulted in his plea to state-court prostitution-related felonies was unsealed today. And it revealed what an attorney for one of the more than 20 young women currently suing him for alleged sex-related conduct calls a sweetheart deal.
The feds agreed to recall grand jury subpoenas and not to prosecute financier Jeffrey Epstein or any potential co-conspirators, in exchange for his agreement to plead to the state-court crimes and reimburse victims' legal fees if they settle their civil lawsuits against him, reports the Palm Beach Post.
Police in Palm Beach began investigating Epstein after a relative of a 14-year-old girl complained that she had allegedly given him what the newspaper terms a naked massage at his $8.5 million home.
After pleading guilty in state court to felony solicitation of prostitution and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution, Epstein was sentenced in July 2008 to 18 months in jail. He served 13 months, eventually spending as much as six days a week outside the facility on work release, the Post recounts.
"The Jeffrey Epstein matter was an experience of what a many-million-dollar defense can accomplish," Police Chief Michael Reiter told the Palm Beach Daily News when he retired.
- How B of A’s GC Got Fired: Leave Now, and Leave Your BlackBerry Behind
- Schools Ranked by 'Super Lawyers' Produced
- Law Firm Price Wars Break Out as Some Try ‘Loss Leader’ Bids for Work
- Five Questions for Law Firms Abandoning Lockstep Compensation
- Judge Jails 2 Attorneys for Contempt in 4 Days
- Reed Smith Will Ask Nonequity Partners to Pony Up Possibly 15% of Pay
- Court Deputy Ordered to Apologize or Face Jail After Taking Lawyer's Paperwork
- Skadden Jumps on the Bonus Bandwagon
- ABA Executive Director Resigns
- Nasty Attitude to Co-Worker, Naughty Word in E-Mail Cost 2 Their Jobs
Should Supreme Court Justices Be Able to Review News Accounts Before Publication?
Comments
B. McLeod
Sep 19, 2009 2:42 AM CST
I believe it was Bob Dylan who once noted that the strings in the books can’t be pulled and persuaded, and that even the nobles are properly handled, once that the cops have chased after ‘em and caught ‘em, and the ladder of the law has no top and no bottom.
But, I think he was being sarcastic. And it’s still the same. Democratic or Republican. Still the same. Money makes a difference in the US of A.
Flag this comment
Rod Taper
Sep 20, 2009 12:50 AM CST
The following have been reported: (1) most or all the victims lied about their age and showed counterfeit identification, (2) despite an informant pressured to help trap him, recordings revealed that Mr. Epstein insisted on over-age masseuses. While legally, an under-age female is an under-age female however accomplished her counterfeiting, lying and physical appearance, I wonder whether a jury would really be inclined to ruin someone at trial for offenses under such circumstances.
Flag this comment
Add a Comment
We welcome your comments, but please adhere to our comment policy.
Commenting has expired on this post.