Epstein Sweetheart Deal Documents Unsealed
The Office of State Attorney Dave Aronberg unsealed and published the documents late yesterday
We are offering two venues to view the files and videos…
or
The files can be downloaded from either of the above sources
The Epstein Sweetheart Deal
The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) conducted a review of the 2007 non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier accused of sex trafficking and sexual abuse.
The review found that former Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who was the U.S. Attorney in Miami at the time, exhibited “poor judgment” in deciding to resolve the case through a non-prosecution agreement without informing or consulting with the alleged victims.
Key Findings:
Acosta’s Poor Judgment: The OPR report concluded that Acosta’s decision to resolve the case through a non-prosecution agreement was a result of poor judgment, as he failed to consult with the alleged victims and did not consider the potential consequences of the agreement.
No Professional Misconduct: The report found that none of the five federal prosecutors involved in the case committed professional misconduct or violated any clear and unambiguous rules.
Faulty Decision-Making: The report criticized Acosta’s decision-making process, stating that he did not adequately consider the potential consequences of the agreement and did not consult with the alleged victims.
Victims’ Rights: The report acknowledged that the alleged victims were not informed or consulted about the agreement, which was a violation of their rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.
Reactions:
Victims’ Rights Advocates: Victims’ rights advocates have criticized the report, stating that it does not hold anyone accountable for the harm caused to the alleged victims.
Sen. Ben Sasse: Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) has called for further investigation and accountability, stating that the report is “whitewashing” the deal.
Alexander Acosta: Acosta has defended his decision, stating that he did not commit misconduct and that the report confirms his actions were appropriate.
Background:
Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier, was accused of sex trafficking and sexual abuse of dozens of underage girls.
In 2007, he was given a non-prosecution agreement by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Miami, which allowed him to plead guilty to state charges and serve a 13-month sentence.
The deal was widely criticized as a “sweetheart deal” and has been the subject of ongoing controversy and investigation.
Previous Challenges to the 2007 Sweetheart Deal
Courtney Wild, one of the accusers of rapist Jeffrey Epstein, has lost her bid to challenge the secret "sweetheart deal" that Florida prosecutors offered him following a sex crimes trial in 2007.
Mr Epstein - who died earlier this year while in prison for other charges - was only sentenced to 13 months in jail and spent much of it outside of prison, as he was allowed to travel to his office almost daily. He was also required to pay financial settlements to victims and was added to the sex offender registry in some states.
The Daily Mail reported that Ms. Wild - who accused Mr. Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager - claimed the secret deal the prosecutors made with the now-dead pedophile was a violation of the Crime Victims' Rights Act because they did not notify the victims the deal was made.
According to Reason, 11th Circuit Court Judges ruled 2-1 against Ms Wild and other victims of the crime who'd petitioned for the challenge.
The judges ruled that the Crime Victims' Rights Act doesn't apply until federal criminal charges are formally filed, which means the victims of Mr Epstein weren't entitled to challenge the non-prosecution agreement.
Given the Sweetheart Deal documents are now public, we are quite sure this is a case that will either be revisited or will present a new angle of attack against whatever is left of the Epstein estate and/or his associates.
sources
15th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office
ABCNews.go.com
CNBC.com
CBS12
AP News
Independent
The Daily Mail
Reason