Victims claim federal prosecutors concealed Jeffrey Epstein's state plea deal, violating Crime Victims' Rights Act

35. On Friday, June 27, 2008, at approximately 4:15 p.m., AUSA Villafafia received a copy of Epstein’s proposed state plea agreement and learned that the plea was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., Monday, June 30, 2008. AUSA Villafafia called Edwards to provide notice to his clients regarding the hearing. AUSA Villafafia did not tell Attorney Edwards that the guilty pleas in state court would bring an end to the possibility of federal prosecution pursuant to the plea agreement. See Edwards Affidavit, Exhibit “N”, at 96. 36. Under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA), 18 U.S.C. § 3771, victims of federal crimes — including E.W. and L.M. — are entitled to basic rights during any plea bargaining process, including the right to be treated with fairness, the right to confer with prosecutors regarding any plea, and the right to be heard regarding any plea. The process that was followed leading to the non-prosecution of Epstein violated these rights of E.W. and L.M. See Emergency Petn. for Victim’s Enforcement of Crime Victim’s Rights, No. 9:08-CV-80736- KAM (S.D. Fla. 2008) (Exhibit “P”). 37. Because of the violation of the CVRA, on July 7, 2008, Edwards filed an action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Case No. 9:08-CV-80736, seeking to enforce the rights of E.W. and L.M. That action alleged that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had failed to provide E.W. and L.M. the rights to which they were entitled under the Act, including the right to be notified about a plea agreement and to confer with prosecutors regarding it. See id. 38. On July 11, 2008, Edwards took E.W. and L.M. with him to the hearing on the CVRA action. It was only at this hearing that both victims learned for the first time that the plea deal was already done with Epstein and that the criminal case against Epstein had been 16 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_010581