Caribbean Linked to Sex, Lies, Corruption and U.S. Multi-Millionaire
An island in the Caribbean has been drawn into an explosive scandal involving sexual exploitation of underage girls, possible United States justice system cover-up and a rich, powerful American.
Jeffery EpsteinAnd, based on media reports, court records and U.S. Justice Department investigations, it appears the matter’s tentacles stretch to lofty levels of the U.S. government, including a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
A U.S. court on Feb. 21 ruled that federal prosecutors broke the law while handling the case of Jeffery Epstein in Florida. The multi-millionaire pleaded guilty to two felony prostitution charges in 2008. One case involved a 14-year-old girl. The age of consent in Florida is 18. Epstein claimed he did not know she or other alleged victims were underage.
Federal Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled that prosecutors, including Alexander Acosta, who currently serves as secretary of labor in the Trump administration, violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by not informing numerous other girls, who had accused Epstein of abuse, that the multi-millionaire’s case had been concluded. The alleged victims were, therefore, denied their day in court.
SWEET DEAL
Epstein’s crimes could have drawn a life sentence. However, prosecutors brokered a deal with Epstein, which allowed him to be benefit from far more generous sentencing terms, including shortened time in prison and being allowed to leave his Palm Beach County lockup each day to go to work at his office while serving his sentence.
In Nov. 2018, the Miami Herald newspaper, whose investigative work has been largely responsible for unveiling facts surrounding Epstein’s illegal exploits and deal with prosecutors, reported that “about 80 women who say they were molested or otherwise sexually abused by Epstein from 2001 to 2006” .
Epstein reportedly committed crimes at various properties he owns, including “Little St. James’’, an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.Following his conviction, Epstein is now listed as a sex offender in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
However, none of the victims, 36 of whom were identified by federal prosecutors as being underage at the time of their interactions with Epstein, showed up in court June 30, 2008, the day Epstein was sentenced.
Marra last month granted prosecutors additional time to find a settlement with the victims. Whether Epstein, a money manager whose clients included some of the wealthiest people in the U.S. and lists Trump and former U.S. President Bill Clinton as friends, could receive additional punishment was not clear up to press time.
SECRET
Reports indicate that Epstein sexually abused numerous minor females between 2001 and 2006, primarily at his home in Palm Beach, Florida. He was sentenced to 13 months in a county jail after the deal worked out between him and prosecutors, led by Acosta, who was a U.S. attorney in Miami, Florida at the time. The agreement, signed off by Acosta in 2007, was kept secret from the victims.
None of Epstein’s co-conspirators, including those who set up the multi-millionaire’s meetings with victims, were prosecuted. The Herald reported that the underage girls were mostly from poor, broken homes.
Acosta has denied any wrongdoing in the case. However, recent revelations, particularly based on the Herald’s reporting, has generated fierce political backlash, with some observers calling for Acosta’s resignation as labor secretary and further investigations into his conduct as U.S. attorney in Miami.
