Update4: In a second Monday hearing, Epstein’s attorneys have argued that he has immunity under a 2008 plea deal. As we noted earlier, however, the new case includes additional alleged victims who weren’t covered by Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement, according to Bloomberg.
His attorneys have also argued that the images seized in a raid of his Manhattan mansion are “ancient” and show consenting adults.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, say that the images are “extremely concerning.”
Epstein’s bail hearing has been rescheduled to July 15.
Update3: Epstein pleaded not guilty during his Monday arraignment. His lawyer has asked the judge to set aside any decision on granting bail for three days while Epstein remains in custody, and has called the case “essentially a do-over” on “ancient stuff.“
— Chris Ardizzone (@Ardi44) July 8, 2019
The hearing has adjourned until Thursday the 11th.
Update2: According to OANN‘s Jack Posobiec, Epstein is willing to cooperate with the investigation, including giving up the names of those who engaged in sex with underage girls, in exchange for a maximum sentence not to exceed five years.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1148264605455720448
In a Monday bail memorandum letter to Judge Henry Pittman of the Southern District of New York, prosecutors said there was an “extraordinary risk of flight, particularly given the defendant’s exorbitant wealth, his ownership of and access to private planes capable of international travel, and his significant international ties.”
Also noted was the potential for Epstein to “attempt to pressure and intimidate witnesses and potential witnesses in this case, including victims and their families, and otherwise attempt to obstruct justice.”
“As a result, he poses both an acute danger to the community, including some of its most vulnerable members, and a significant risk of flight.“
As the defendant acknowledged in his most recent New York State sex offender registration, he has six residences, including two in the U.S. Virgin Islands (including his own private island), and one each in Palm Beach, Florida; Paris, France; New York, New York; and Stanley, New Mexico. The most recent estimated value of the defendantās New York City mansion alone is more than $77 million. The most recent tax-assessed value of the defendantās Palm Beach estate is more than $12 million. The defendantās primary residence is a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a place where any sort of meaningful supervision would be all but impossible.
Moreover, the defendant has access to innumerable means to flee. His sex registration documentation of ācurrent vehiclesā lists no fewer than 15 motor vehicles, including seven Chevrolet Suburbans, a cargo van, a Range Rover, a Mercedez-Benz sedan, a Cadillac Escalade, and a Hummer II. These cars are registered in various states and territories including the Virgin Islands, New York, Florida, and New Mexico. The defendant also has access to two private jets, giving him the ability to leave the country secretly and on a momentās notice and to go virtually anywhere he wants to travel. He is a very frequent international traveler and regularly travels to and from the United States by private plane. In particular, between January 1, 2018, and the present, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has logged approximately more than 20 flights in which Epstein was traveling to or from a foreign country. Indeed, he was arrested at Teterboro Airport arriving on just such a private international flight after having spent approximately three weeks abroad. Extensive international travel of this nature further demonstrates a significant risk of flight.
More on the photographs found during the raid this weekend
Finally, despite having been previously convicted of a sex offense involving an underage victim, the defendant has continued to maintain a vast trove of lewd photographs of young-looking women or girls in his Manhattan mansion. In a search of the New York Residence on the night of his arrest, on July 6-7, 2019, pursuant to judicially-authorized warrants, law enforcement officers discovered not only specific evidence consistent with victim recollections of the inside of the mansion, further strengthening the evidence of the conduct charged in the Indictment, but also at least hundredsāand perhaps thousandsāof sexually suggestive photographs of fully- or partially nude females. While these items were only seized this weekend and are still being reviewed, some of the nude or partially-nude photographs appear to be of underage girls, including at least one girl who, according to her counsel, was underage at the time the relevant photographs were taken. Additionally, some of the photographs referenced herein were discovered in a locked safe, in which law enforcement officers also found compact discs with hand-written labels including the following: āYoung [Name] + [Name],ā āMisc nudes 1,ā and āGirl pics nude.ā The defendant, a registered sex offender, is not reformed, he is not chastened, he is not repentant;6 rather, he is a continuing danger to the community and an individual who faces devastating evidence supporting deeply serious charges.
Update: Prosecutors alleged during a Monday morning press conference that they discovered nude photos of underage girls during a raid at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.
Prosecutors say nude photos apparently showing underage girls found during raid at Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 8, 2019
Prosecutors told reporters that they will seek Epstein’s detention pending trial due to flight risk, and that the case was “assisted by some excellent investigative journalism,” likely in reference to the Miami Herald‘s ongoing coverage of Epstein.
https://twitter.com/justinjm1/status/1148034861359345664
Prosecutors unsealed an indictment against billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, revealing two counts of child molestation involving “dozens of minor girls” as young as 14 between 2002 and 2005 in New York and Florida, according to Bloomberg.
Of note, this is separate from last week’s order by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that documents in a defamation lawsuit against Epstein be made public, which may contain the names of high-level individuals.
The case was unsealed early Monday in Manhattan federal court, where Epstein is slated to make an appearance and will likely seek release on bail. Prosecutors have scheduled an 11 a.m. press conference to discuss the case.
According to the indictment, Epstein “sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan… and Palm Beach,” per ABC7.
“EPSTEIN intentionally sought out minors and knew that many of his victims were in fact under the age of 18, including because, in some instances, minor victims expressly told him their age,” according to the indictment.
Epstein, 66, was arrested on Saturday at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, after arriving from France on a private flight, according to the New York Times.
According to the indictment, he “created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach” using victims and employees as recruiters.
Epstein's "Employee-1" used a network of recruiters to find underage girls.
"Dozens" of underage victims at his NY residence. This adds to the 30+ victims at his Florida home. pic.twitter.com/P8yh7ZtP3h
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) July 8, 2019
“There are some women who now feel they need to come forward. I hope more do. it takes a lot of courage understandably,” Miami Herald Investigative Reporter Julie K. Brown said in a statement to CNN, adding “They were taken advantage of by someone who knew how to prey upon them and groom them to do things he wanted them to do.“
In 2008 Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and felony solicitation of prostitution, serving just 13 months in a Florida state prison after cutting a sweetheart deal with current labor secretary, and then US Attorney, Alex Acosta.
The Miami Herald last year published a series of articles reporting that the top federal prosecutor in southern Florida at the time, Alex Acosta, worked with Epsteinās lawyers to fashion the deal. Acosta, now the U.S. labor secretary, violated federal law when he failed to clear the federal non-prosecution agreement with many of Epsteinās alleged victims, a federal judge ruled in February.
The Herald said it found about 60 victims. –Bloomberg
“Local victims have said that when they were 14, 15 years old they brought 25, 30 girls to him. Thatās just one person,” said attorney Bradley Edwards, who represented one of Epstein’s accusers – and noted that President Trump was the only person linked to Epstein who cooperated with his investigation.
“Nobody has really had the opportunity or ability to see how deep this goes in any other jurisdiction,” Edwards added.
According to Bloomberg, the new case includes additional alleged victims who weren’t covered by Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement. He is alleged to have committed these crimes in Manhattan.
Here it is – Federal prosecutors have released the indictment against Jeffrey Epstein
