(07/07/19)- A Florida billionaire well known in political circles-- has been arrested on new charges-- related to sex trafficking crimes involving minors.

Jeffrey Epstein was jailed in New York Sunday - set to appear in Federal Court on Monday.

Officials say the alleged crimes happened in both New York and Palm Beach, Florida between 2002 and 2005.

Epstein had previously pleaded guilty to similar state charges in Florida in 2008.

A deal with prosecutors allowed him to serve only 13 months in jail, and avoid more serious, federal charges against him.

But Epstein did have to register as a sex offender as part of that deal. </s> (CNN) – Florida-based billionaire Jeffrey Epstein has been indicted on new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors, law enforcement sources told CNN on Saturday.

Epstein was arrested Saturday and is expected to appear in federal court in New York on Monday.

Epstein faces charges brought by US prosecutors in Manhattan, after previously evading similar charges when he secured a non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors in Miami.

The charges, contained in a sealed indictment, involve alleged sex trafficking crimes committed between 2002 and 2005, according to law enforcement sources. The indictment alleged that the crimes occurred in both New York and Palm Beach, Florida.

A team of federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, along with some in the public corruption unit, have been assigned to the case.

CNN has reached out to Epstein’s lawyer.

The arrest was first reported by the Daily Beast.

In November, the Miami Herald reported that when Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta was a US attorney in Florida, he gave Epstein the “deal of a lifetime.” In a sweeping review of the politically connected billionaire’s case, the Herald explained how Acosta had made an agreement with Epstein to avoid major repercussions for the hedge fund manager, even though a federal investigation had identified 36 underage victims.

The report said Acosta had brokered a deal with one of Epstein’s attorneys, where he pleaded in 2008 to two state prostitution charges, ultimately serving only 13 months and avoiding a federal trial. He also registered as a sex offender and paid restitution to the victims identified by the FBI.

The agreement, the Herald said, “essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe” and further granted immunity to “any potential co-conspirators” in the case.

Acosta told CNN in February that he welcomed an investigation by Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility into his handling of Epstein’s plea agreement.

Two months earlier, Epstein settled a separate lawsuit that could have allowed for several of his accusers to tell their stories in open court. </s> On Friday, July 12, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned from President Donald Trump's cabinet after continued scrutiny over his involvement in a 2008 plea deal for billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta made the announcement while standing next to Trump, who said, “I hate to see this happen” about Acosta's decision and insisted he had nothing to do with it.

Acosta was appointed to the position of Secretary of Labor in 2017. Before that, between 2005 and 2009, he served as the U.S. Attorney for Southern Florida. It was during that time that he issued a plea deal to Epstein, reducing federal charges for the financier's alleged abuse of 36 teenage girls down to state charges, allowing Epstein to avoid federal prosecution. The deal was reached without the knowledge or consent of many of Epstein's alleged victims.

Years later, in 2018, a Miami Herald investigation revealed the specific details of the deal that Acosta made with Epstein, noting that it enabled Epstein to serve just 13 of an 18-month jail sentence. Now Epstein is facing new charges for sex trafficking and sex abuse, in New York and in Florida. Multiple women have come forward alleging that as minors, Epstein sexually abused them. Some women have also said claimed that Epstein let his wealthy friends, including Prince Andrew and lawyer Alan Dershowitz, allegedly abuse them as well. Andrew and Dershowitz have both denied these allegations.

Epstein has also been connected to President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, the latter of whom traveled with the billionaire around the world in the early 2000s. Both men have repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, according to the New York Times. Epstein, who was arrested in New York on July 6, has pled not guilty to all charges brought against him. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in jail.

Two days before Acosta's resignation, he gave a press conference defending his decision to cut Epstein such a lenient deal years ago. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately,” Acosta said on July 10, according to the Associated Press. “We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail. He needed to go to jail.”

In a series of tweets posted the day before, Acosta condemned Epstein's alleged crimes, and thanked prosecutors for finding new evidence and building a stronger case against the billionaire.

"Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice," Acosta wrote.

The Secretary's resignation has prompted strong reactions from several Democratic politicians. Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren simply wrote "Good" in response to a tweet announcing the news.

Beto O'Rourke, who is also running for president, condemned Acosta for his actions — but also wrote that he should never have been appointed to the role of Secretary of Labor in the first place.

Candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders echoed a similar sentiment in his own statement, adding that a Secretary of Labor should not put the needs of billionaires before working people.

As Secretary of Labor, Acosta oversaw a federal agency that enforces 180 federal laws concerning nearly 10 million employers and 125 employees, according to the Associated Press. His resignation will go into effect on July 19, after which time Acosta's Deputy Secretary, Patrick Pizzella will serve as the new acting Secretary of Labor, Trump announced during the Friday morning press conference. </s> Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in New Jersey on Saturday night, charged by federal prosecutors with one count of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The 66-year-old billionaire financier—who avoided federal criminal charges on similar counts in 2008—is expected to answer the new charges before a federal magistrate on Monday.

CBS Miami first reported that Epstein was arrested Saturday afternoon at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey under a sealed indictment. Per The Daily Beast, Epstein was apprehended by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force for sexually exploiting numerous underage girls in his Upper East Side home and Palm Beach residence—soliciting massages and otherwise “molesting or sexually abusing” them. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, potentially carrying a maximum sentence of 45 years.

The allegations are comparable to those leveled against Epstein in 2007, charges for which he struck a deal that included pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution, registering as a sex offender, and serving 13 months in a county jail that otherwise released him six days a week to work in his office. That plea was signed by then-Miami federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta, who now serves as Donald Trump’s labor secretary. In February, a Florida judge ruled that Acosta violated federal law by not disclosing Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement to his alleged victims. The Justice Department has also opened an investigation into possible prosecutorial misconduct regarding the nonprosecution agreement.

“It’s been a long time coming—it’s been too long coming,” attorney David Boies told The Daily Beast of Epstein’s arrest. Boies represents two of Epstein’s past accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Sarah Ransome. “We hope that prosecutors will not stop with Mr. Epstein because there were many other people who participated with him and made the sex trafficking possible,” Boies added.

The report also notes that Epstein’s employees and associates were allegedly complicit in recruiting the underage girls, and turned some of the girls into recruiters themselves. Epstein is also said to have been aware of their underage status throughout. </s> Financier Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender, was arrested on Saturday for alleged sex trafficking of minor girls in Florida and New York, multiple sources tell ABC News.

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Epstein’s arrest was first reported by The Daily Beast.

Sources tell ABC News that Epstein was taken into custody Saturday at Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, New Jersey, in an undercover operation.

A team of law enforcement officers from the FBI and the New York Police Department arrested Epstein, who was returning to the United States from France, according to sources. Authorities also raided Epstein's New York City home Saturday night and into early Sunday.

The precise charges Epstein will face are unclear, but the sources tell ABC News that they are likely to include conspiracy and sex trafficking of minor girls in New York and Florida. At least some of the charges, sources tell ABC News, involve allegations dating back more than a decade.

The indictment against Epstein remains under seal until a hearing in federal court in Manhattan scheduled for Monday, the sources say.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement

A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment.

Martin Weinberg, an attorney for Epstein, declined to comment when reached by email on Sunday.

Epstein was first investigated beginning in 2005 for alleged sex crimes against minor girls by both local and federal authorities in Florida. The core allegations revolved around an alleged scheme to recruit underage girls to Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion for massages that, in many cases, led to sexual contact, according to court records and law enforcement documents.

Federal authorities ultimately identified more than three dozen girls who had been alleged victims of Epstein, but instead of pursuing a prosecution, entered into a once-secret non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2007 that ended the federal investigation and spared him a potentially lengthy prison sentence.

The deal with Epstein was negotiated and approved by Alexander Acosta, then the United States attorney in Miami, who now serves in President Donald Trump's cabinet as the secretary of labor.

Attorney Stan Pottinger, of Edwards Pottinger LLC, said that his law partner, Brad Edwards, who represents several alleged victims of Epstein, learned of the arrest this weekend when one of Edwards’ clients called to say that the FBI had informed her of the developments.

"We have not seen the indictment nor do we know the basis for the arrest," Pottinger told ABC News late Saturday. "We expect to know more next week after we understand there will be an arraignment."

Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

As a condition of the deal with federal authorities, Epstein ultimately pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution, but served just 13 months of an 18-month sentence in a private wing of a county jail. He was also granted liberal work-release privileges that allowed him to spend up to 16 hours a day at his office.

In 2008, two of Epstein’s alleged victims filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Justice, alleging that the deal with Epstein had been reached in violation of the Crimes Victims' Rights Act, which requires that the government confer with victims and keep them informed of developments in their cases.

Courtney Wild, one of Epstein's alleged victims, identified as Jane Doe #1 in the long-running lawsuit against the Justice Department, said she was "overwhelmed" by reports of the arrest. Wild has been interviewed by ABC News recently, and has agreed to have her name used publicly.

"Finally!" she said of the arrest. "Knowing he's off the streets and so many girls who would be in danger are now safe makes me so happy."

Another one of the Epstein's alleged victims, Michelle Licata, said it's "about time someone started picking up on what he has been doing."

Licata, who also consented to having her name used, accused Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was 16 years old during a massage at his home in 2005.

"I'm so relieved to know that he's behind bars," Licata, who spoke to authorities during the initial police investigation, told ABC News. "That's exactly where he needs to be."

Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that the government's deal with Epstein did, in fact, violate the rights of Epstein’s victims. The court is now considering the possible remedies for the violation of the law.

"If today’s report is true, it only proves that the Epstein should have been charged by federal prosecutors twelve years ago in Florida," Paul Cassell, co-counsel along with Edwards for victims Jane Doe 1 and 2 in the case challenging the DOJ over the non-prosecution agreement with Epstein, said in a statement. "With his money, Epstein was able to buy more than a decade of delay in facing justice – but fortunately he wasn’t able to postpone justice forever."

"While New York prosecutors are apparently seeking to hold Epstein accountable, the Jane Does’ fight will continue to force federal prosecutors in Florida to do the same thing," Cassell added. </s> Politicians and alleged victims have reacted angrily after Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in a prison cell, with Donald Trump sharing a conspiracy theory about the disgraced financier's death.

The 66-year-old's suicide came as he awaited a trial over sex trafficking allegations.

It has been reported that Epstein was not on suicide watch, despite the fact he attempted to take his own life a few weeks ago.

On Twitter, the US president retweeted a right-wing comedian's unsubstantiated claim surrounding the incident, which suggest Bill Clinton was involved.

But that conspiracy theory was just one of many circulating on the internet, with theories around Mr Trump's involvement among them.

Both Mr Clinton and Mr Trump have denied being privy to Epstein's alleged scheme.

Mr Trump admits he used to be an acquaintance of Epstein, but said he fell out with him more than 15 years ago.

A spokesman for Mr Clinton, Angel Urena, said previously the former president "knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York".

Prosecutors in the US have confirmed their investigation into the sex trafficking allegations against Epstein will continue.

The justice department has been criticised over its failure to ensure Epstein faced his accusers in court - with the FBI launching an investigation into his death.

Jennifer Araoz, who accused the multimillionaire of raping her when she was 15, said: "I am angry Jeffrey Epstein won't have to face his survivors of his abuse in court.

"We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed."

Another anonymous accuser, whose statement was released by her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said: "I will never have a sense of closure now. I'm angry as hell that the prison could have allowed this to happen."

Republican senator Ben Sasse, referring to a 2008 plea deal that resulted in Epstein getting 18 months' jail time for sex offences, said: "The Department of Justice failed, and today Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirators think they might have just gotten one last sweetheart deal.

"Every single person in the justice department... knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him."

Democratic New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said: "We need answers. Lots of them."

Attorney general William Barr said he was "appalled" by the suicide, adding: "Mr Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered."

Brad Edwards, who represents many of Epstein's accusers, urged anyone who had not come forward with information to still do so.

But, as a number of lawyers said the civil cases would likely continue against Epstein's estate, prosecutors indicated they would seek to investigate others connected to him.

Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who brought the sex trafficking charges against Epstein, said on Saturday night: "Today's events are disturbing, and we are deeply aware of their potential to present yet another hurdle to giving Epstein's many victims their day in court.

"To those brave young women who have already come forward and to the many others who have yet to do so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing for you, and our investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment - which included a conspiracy count - remains ongoing."

Among those in the spotlight, according to NBC News, is Briton Ghislaine Maxwell, Robert Maxwell's daughter, who was a long time member of Esptein's inner circle.

Her name re-emerged on Friday after the release of the cache of court papers relating to a 2015 defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Ms Maxwell.

The suit was settled out of court in 2017 but a judge in July gave permission for hundreds of pages of witness submissions to be unsealed and made public, many of them about Ms Maxwell's relationship to Epstein and some of his accusers.

Among the allegations made in the documents, was one that accused Prince Andrew of touching the breast of a young woman at Epstein's Manhattan mansion. Buckingham Palace reacted by stating: "Any suggestion of impropriety with minors is categorically untrue." </s> Charges against Jeffery Epstein were announced on July 8, 2019 in New York City. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed his state's law enforcement department Tuesday to handle a criminal probe into Jeffrey Epstein's jail work release in the late 2000s, and also asked the agency to launch an inquiry into "other irregularities" surrounding an earlier probe and plea agreement with Epstein.

DeSantis said he wants the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into "the prior state investigation" of Epstein and the plea agreement he signed in 2008.

Epstein, 66, is currently facing indictment in Manhattan federal court, where he is accused of child sex trafficking. He was arrested in early July at a New Jersey airport after flying there from Paris on his private plane.

Prosecutors in that case say he sexually abused dozens of underage girls at his Manhattan townhouse and Palm Beach, Florida, mansion from 2002 through 2005. He has pleaded not guilty, and is being held without bail because the judge in his case said he could represent a danger to other underage girls if he were released.

In the prior case lodged in 2008 by the Palm Beach County State's Attorney's Office, Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges involving an underage girl.

Epstein, a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, served 13 months in jail in that case, during which he was allowed outside for hours nearly every day. The case was filed after police called for far more serious charges involving alleged sexual misconduct with underage girls to be brought against Epstein. </s> Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA in 2004. Epstein is connected with several prominent people including politicians, actors and academics.

Wealthy financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Saturday in New York on new sex-trafficking charges involving allegations that date to the early 2000s, according to law enforcement officials.

Epstein, a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain's Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump, was taken into federal custody and is expected to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

One of the officials said Epstein is accused of paying underage girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case.

A message was sent to Epstein's defense attorney seeking comment. Epstein is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.

Epstein's arrest, first reported by The Daily Beast, comes amid renewed scrutiny of a once-secret plea deal that ended a federal investigation against him.

That deal, which is being challenged in Florida federal court, allowed Epstein, who is now 66, to plead guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.

Averting a possible life sentence, Epstein was instead was sentenced to 13 months in jail. The deal also required he reach financial settlements with dozens of his once-teenage victims and register as a sex offender.

Epstein's deal was overseen by former Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who is now Trump's labor secretary. Acosta has defended the plea deal as appropriate under the circumstances, though the White House said in February that it was "looking into" his handling of the deal. </s> Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected millionaire who spent just more than a year in jail to resolve allegations that he molested dozens of young girls, has been taken into custody in New York on new charges having to do with sex crimes involving minors, a person familiar with the matter said.

The precise nature of the charges - and how they differ from the previous allegations to which Epstein pleaded guilty - could not immediately be learned. An attorney for Epstein declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, where Epstein is expected to appear in federal court next week.

The new charges add a significant new wrinkle to the considerable political and legal saga surrounding Epstein. The wealthy financier - who counts among his friends President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton - pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida of soliciting prostitution in a controversial arrangement that allowed him to resolve far more serious allegations of molesting young girls.

His case was the subject of an investigation by the Miami Herald, which detailed how then-U. S. Attorney Alex Acosta, now Trump's labor secretary, shelved a 53-page federal indictment that could have put Epstein behind bars for life. The arrangement is now being investigated by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, which is seeking to determine whether the attorneys involved committed "professional misconduct" in bringing about its close.

The person familiar with the matter said the new charges against Epstein are for conduct similar to those that brought about his plea deal. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the specific counts remain under seal.

Attorney Paul Cassell, who represents Epstein victims who argued in federal court that prosecutors broke the law by not informing them about the plea deal, said he was not informed about the arrest.

"If today's report is true, it only proves that Epstein should have been charged by federal prosecutors 12 years ago in Florida," Cassell said. "With his money, Epstein was able to buy more than a decade of delay in facing justice - but fortunately he wasn't able to postpone justice forever."

The Daily Beast first reported Epstein had been taken into custody.

(c) 2019, The Washington Post. Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky wrote this story.
American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is arrested and faces new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors.