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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