By Business Insider. A federal judge dealt Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers a massive disappointment in a new court ruling that shut down more than 10 years of legal battles over investigations into the late financier’s potential co-conspirators.
Judge Kenneth A. Marra wrote in a decision, filed Monday, that he was denying the request of two of Epstein’s alleged victims to rescind a non-prosecution agreement that shortened Epstein’s 2007 jail sentence and promised immunity for “any potential co-conspirators.”
In August, lawyers representing some of Epstein’s victims filed a brief arguing that a clause in a non-prosecution agreement struck between the US attorney’s office, Epstein, and his co-conspirators in 2007 should be rescinded.
The deal was previously detailed in a November 2018 Miami Herald report that said local and federal investigators looking into Epstein’s suspected trafficking of minor girls had enough evidence to put him away for life in 2007.
However, after then-US Attorney of the Southern District of Florida, Alexander Acosta, met with one of Epstein’s lawyers, Jay Lefkowitz, the two former colleagues reportedly agreed on a deal that stipulated Epstein serve just 13 months from a private cell block at a county jail, instead of federal prison. The financier also pleaded guilty to just two prostitution charges. (Read more from “Federal Judge: All Pedophile Co-Conspirators Remain Protected by Epstein’s Corrupt Deal” HERE)
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Judge Refuses to Scrap Plea Deal That Protected Jeffrey Epstein’s Co-Conspirators
By The Daily Beast. . .On Monday, Marra denied Jane Does’ request to rescind the plea deal’s immunity provisions from Epstein’s alleged accomplices. He stated that the co-conspirators were not involved in active litigation and were non-parties to the case against the government. “The question of the validity of the non-prosecution provisions of the NPA as they relate to the alleged co-conspirators will have to be litigated with their participation if any prosecution against them is ever brought,” he wrote. “Any decision by this Court on that question is meaningless without their participation in this proceeding.”
The judge also denied the victims’ request for FBI files related to the 2008 investigation into Epstein and his alleged co-conspirators, stating that, “it is also a matter of public knowledge that there is an ongoing investigation by the Department of Justice relative those individuals. The FBI’s documents, to the extent they were not otherwise protected by attorney/client or work product privileges, in all likelihood, are relevant to that ongoing investigation.”
Additionally, Marra denied the request for a hearing for the victims with Acosta present, stating the former U.S. Attorney is now a “private citizen.” He also rejected awarding attorneys’ fees to the victims or forcing the government to pay for damages associated with their decade-long fight. Despite the mounting legal bill, Marra said that Florida prosecutors did not act in bad faith during the deal and therefore should not have to monetarily compensate Jane Does 1 and 2.
Marra concluded his opinion Monday by hoping the women “may take solace, however, in the fact that this litigation has brought national attention to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act and the importance of victims in the criminal justice system.” (Read more from “Judge Refuses to Scrap Plea Deal That Protected Jeffrey Epstein’s Co-Conspirators” HERE)
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Jeffrey Epstein’s Victims Will Not Get Cash Damages From Federal Government Over Controversial Non-Prosecution Deal, Judge Says
By CNBC. A federal judge in Florida ruled Monday that victims of late accused child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein will not get monetary damages from the U.S. government, despite a failure by federal prosecutors to inform them years ago about a controversial non-prosecution deal with the wealthy financier.
Judge Kenneth Marra also ruled against the victims’ request that their lawyer fees be paid for by the government. . .
Marra had ruled last February that federal prosecutors in Florida had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by not telling them they were agreeing in 2007 not to bring serious sex crime charges against Epstein, in exchange for his guilty plea to relatively minor state charges the following year. (Read more from “Jeffrey Epstein’s Victims Will Not Get Cash Damages From Federal Government Over Controversial Non-Prosecution Deal, Judge Says” HERE)
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