Federal prosecutors walked into court with billionaire offender Jeffrey Epstein in cuffs claiming they had him dead to rights on sex trafficking charges. However, recent reports point to weaknesses in the government’s efforts.
“The defendant is a serial sexual predator who is charged with abusing underage girls for years,” government lawyers argued in court documents. “And any doubt that the defendant is unrepentant and unreformed was eliminated when law enforcement agents discovered hundreds or thousands of nude and seminude photographs of young females in his Manhattan mansion on the night of his arrest, more than a decade after he was first convicted of a sex crime involving a juvenile.”
The bravado was matched by the Southern District of New York’s corruption unit taking the lead with the FBI to ensure the convicted sex criminal didn’t get another sweetheart deal many believe was due to high-level political influence. Touting the initial arrest as a mere “placeholder” with an avalanche of additional charges to come, government lawyers now appear fearful Epstein could walk.
Epstein’s team of lawyers recently petitioned a federal judge to allow the registered sex offender to leverage his substantial wealth to post bond while awaiting trial. He reportedly owns a New York City mansion valued at upwards of $77 million and a Palm Beach, Florida, estate valued at more than $12 million. His attorneys tried to persuade the judge that he would submit to 24-7 electronic monitoring, security guards, and hand over his passport and private jet.
Although it had been 14 years since his last arrest, early proceedings leaned on the conventional wisdom that Epstein poses a significant danger to society and flight risk. Despite losing an initial bail hearing, Epstein’s lawyers are already punching holes in the state’s charges.
“There are no allegations in the indictment that Mr. Epstein trafficked anybody for commercial profit; that he forced, coerced, defrauded, or enslaved anybody,” Epstein’s lawyers, Reid Weingarten, Marc Fernich, and Martin G. Weinberg, reportedly wrote. “No one seeks to minimize the gravity of the alleged conduct, but it is clear that the conduct falls within the heartland of classic state or local sex offenses.”
In another legal twist, Epstein’s legal team is also arguing that the convicted billionaire and previous friend of disgraced former President Bill Clinton had already reached an agreement that covered charges in the recent indictment. Part of the new indictment alleges Epstein sexually assaulted a minor in 2008 at his New York mansion.
It is commonly known that the previous sweetheart deal allowed Epstein to enjoy the comforts of his Florida residence during the work week to maintain his financial empire. It also reportedly allowed him to sidestep other federal and state charges. If Epstein’s high profile lawyers are correct, the current charges only amount to garden variety prostitution.
Other case-related issues are surfacing that Epstein has doled out hush money to potential witnesses to keep quiet and not testify. A court filing indicates that $350,000 was sent to a pair of co-conspirators.
“This course of action, and in particular its timing, suggests the defendant was attempting to further influence co-conspirators who might provide information against him in light of the recently re-emerging allegations,” prosecutors reportedly sated in court documents.
The alleged payments were reportedly in the amounts of $100,00 to one person and $250,000 to another. Epstein’s reportedly housed upwards of $500 million in one financial institution alone. This revelation raises the specter that testimony required to get the sex criminal off the streets may be unavailable or tainted.
Further compounding prosecutors’ fears is the possibility that Epstein’s lawyers punch enough holes in the indictment to secure bail down the road. Given the wealth he has acquired internationally, payoffs could be made with unknown holdings and through back channels.
An ongoing investigation into the previous conviction and sentencing has heightened concerns that wealthy and powerful people could intervene on numerous fronts. Much of that alarm is driven by known associates such as former heads of state, celebrities, and billionaires. Although accusers have been vocal about denying Epstein bail, his willingness to post more than $100 million, submit to house arrest, and turn in his passport, among other conditions could eventually work in his favor. Being out of jail would, theoretically, give Epstein access to associates and money to beat the charges.
