Alleged Collusion Between Federal Prosecutors and Jeffrey Epstein in Secret Plea Deal

16 The Virgin Islands Daily News PERVERSION OF JUSTICE Wednesday, February 27, 2019 PERVERSION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 60 of hem are now scattered around the coumry and abroad. Eight of than agreed to be inter- viewed, on or off the word. Far of them were willing b speak on video. The women am now mothers, wives. nurses, bartender, Realtors, hairdremers and teach- ers. One is a Hollywood actress. Sewral ham roar==trhed=and A few did not strvive One young woman was found dead last , a rundown motel in West Palm Beach. S.ownlosal on heroin and left behind a young son As pan of Epstein, agreement. he was required to register as a bx offender. and pay restitution to the three dozen victims identified by die FBI. In many cabs, the confidential financial settlements came only atter Epstein's attorneys diggers. "You beat ycurself up mentally and physically, said Jena-Lisa Jon., 30. who said Epstein mo- les. her when she was 14. "You can't eter stop your thoughao A word can trigger something. For me, it is the worepure. because lie calla! me 'h. in t.t room and hen I remenher what lie to me in that room, Now more .n a deca. later. two unrelated civil lawsuits arose. A civil trial set for Dec.4 in Palm Beath Cowry stab on, involves Epstein and Edwards. whom En.in had accused of legal misdeeds in represrotag sewral victims. The case would haw been noteworthy becaase it waild mark the first time that Emtein's vicuna vroukl have thro day in court, and sewral of diem Irlottl.14:::„ests;t1lal that case and publlicly apologizal to Edwaros — but he did not apologize to aniyt of his vi:surthnse.fcdera, cnme Vvueooe igthat:11 isollegParill'itiing.rt Veda irwalidate t. non-prosecution agreement in hopes of sending Epstein to Waal prison Wild who has never spoken publicly until now, is Jane Doe Na I in "Jane Doe No. 1 and Jane Doc Na 2 vs. thc UMW Stabs of America" a federal lawsuit that allegro Epstein, federainon- prosecution ag.men was illegal.e. o nr;dbrIle==ituiCir'inct‘itenstdinngurt documents. but rity conspiral with Epstein and his lawyers to circumvent public scrutiny and deceive his victims in violation of the Crime Victims' Rights Act inclehl7trigLliferibmtrc:O7aineY forurAcced- ings and t. opportunity to appar at sentencing. "As soon as that deal was signed. they silencal 7he'r=teaivdtTld'f 11j.lras EP'isn's about justice, not just for us, but for other victims who aren't Olympic stars or Irollywood stars, In court papers, federal prosecutors htroc ar• goad that they did not violate the Crime Victims' tinitlfC te.'S=tilut cfrdt=ecrs:r District of Florida, an argument that was later dismissed by the judge. Despite substantial physical evidence and mat ipk witnesses backing up gi.' stories, the secret deal allowed Epstein to enter guilty plc. to nro felony prostitution charges. Epstein admined to committing only one offense amidst Jeffrey Epstein, s.ond from left, in custody in West Palm Beach, Fla., init°08.'S'Im":"'"' _____________44______________ You beat yourself up mentally and physically. You can't ever stop your thoughts. A word can trigger something. For me, it is the word 'pure because he called me 'pure in that room and then I remember what he did to me in that room. one underage girl who was lab. a prostitute, even though he was 14, which is one under he agc of consent 18 in Flaida. "She w. taken advantage of twice — frst by Fpstin. and then by the criminal justice system that labeled a 14-yearrold gin as a postitute, said Spencer Kuvin, the I,er who represental die girl "It, just outrageous how t.y minimized his crones and .valt,. his victims by calfingt.m mooistint:te:LsaidYesnalVafa, a Imgalrillts :Leh is' workingttitowent !Tice Te7ual exPoitatior; of girls and young women. 'T.re is no such thing as a roild prostitute. Under federal law it, called child set trafficking — w.ther Epstein pimp.' t.m 04 bothers or not. It, still a commercial sex act — and he could haw been jailed for the lest of his life under fedend law" she said It would . easy to dismiss the Emicin case as another example of how there arc tvzo systems of justice in America one for the rich and coe for he no.. But a thorough analysis oft. cab tells a far more troubling sior,, Unusual level of collaboration A close look at the trove of letters and emails contained in court racrds provides a window into the plea negotiations. roweling an unusual level of collabonuion between faleral prosecutors and Epstein, legal team that even gmemment lavyers, in recrot cotut documa., admitted was unorthodox. Acosta, in 2011, %%mkt explain that he was unduly messured by Epstein, heavy-hitting I,cis — LalcowiM. Ilarvand professor Alan Dershavitz, Jack Goldbager, Roy Black, former U.S. Attorney Guy Lcwi, Gerald Lefcourt. and Kenneth Starr, the former Whiiewater special prosecutor who .rotigated Bill Clinton, sexual liaisons with Monica Lewinsky. That incluck, keeping tle .al from Epstein, victims. email s show. 'Thank you for the commitment you mak to me during our Oct 12 meeting," Lef.witz wrote in a letter to Acosta atter t.ir breakfast meeting in West lkilm Beach. Ile added that he was hope- ful that Acosta would abide by a promise to keep the deal confidential. "You assu. me that your office would not ... contact any of the i.ntified indviduals, tenth! witnesses or potential civil claimants and thc respective camel in this matter, Lefkowitz VVrC4C. In email a.r email, Acosta and the fa, eral prosecutor, A. Marie Villafaro, acquiesced to Epstein, legal icam, .mands, which often focused on ways to lima the scandal by shutting out Ms victims and the media, including suggest- ing that the chugoa be filed in Miami, instead of Pa. Beach, where Epstein, victims I.. "On an 'avoid the press' note ... I can Me he chage in district cotrt in Miami which will hopefully cut he press coverage significantly. Do you want to check that out?" Vitiate. wrote Lefkowitz in a September 2007 email. Fechral prosaism idati.d 36 underage vbt ins, but none of those victims apmared at ha sentencing on June 30,2008, in state court in Palm Beach County. Most of them heard about it on the news — and even t.n thcy ...and what had happen. to the federal probe that they'd been Edtds'sf=tnergency motion in federal court to block the non-posecution agreement. but by the time the agreement was unsealal — over a ycar later — Emtein had already soled s' .711:::=Va cbrbg, it: et hiefig=rann le„t and thetinorth .a1W.:yfri7eudtyaa7astIr! said Edward, who ',resents Wild and Jane Doc No.2, who deal. to comment for this story. "In never consulting with viroms, and keep- w'n—Y VIP treatment a,. far from the kat time Epstein would 'tire Tthh:rilt&tal sex offendas. Epstein didn't face the kind of rough justice that child sex offendas do in Florida state prisons. Instead of being sent to state prison, Epstein was housed in a priwte wing of the Palm Beach Cowry jail. Rather than having him sit in a croU most of the day, the Pa. Beach County Shetifrs Office allowed Epstein wak release privileges, which enabled h. to leave the jail six days a week. for 12 hairs a day. to gobo a comfortable office that Epstein had set up in West Palm Beach, .gri•Itsmwe: girrarttirlIttleolf=t1m1 qualify for work release. gule170.7.1,,17217,thir,evy al.Z1,1,117=„ E'N'etittirpttreei Inter.his lead attorney, Jack Goldberger, respond.' to muhiple requests for comnbro for this story. During depositions takcn as part of two dozen lawsuits filed against han by his via., Epstein has imoked his Fifth Amend- ment right aging self-incrimination, one instance doing so mom 1.1200 times. 1 ic Idnattlreirii:g:Yt te'roe egxi s gem'. or un.e and that hey whe witnesses pone to dng use. 1r2011. Epstein *dated to haze his sex oft.der status reduced in New York, where . has a home al. requi. to register evezy days. In NOW... he is classified as a level 3 offender — highest safety risk because of his l&eli hood to roroffaxl. A prosccubr under New Yak County District Atbrney Cyrus Vance argued on Epstein, behalf, FtinIfoit1/41:latSFulgr!_rose_C"Priralt; indictment and that his unuaragc victims fan. to c1=I=droial the maim, a, re. hg astonishment that a NewYork prose.. would make such a request on behalf of a serial set of- fender accusal of mdat ing so many girls. "I haw to tell you, I'm a little oven.. because I hme never seen a prosecutor, office do anything Ide this. I have done so many [sex of- fender irgistration hearings] much less troubling than this cue where the [prosecutor] would never make a downward argument like tha, she said Coming tomonow: The NM.' Mona