Image source, Getty Images
- author, Max Matza
- role, BBC News
A Florida judge has ordered the sudden release of graphic records from the state’s 2006 prosecution of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, an investigation that ended with the billionaire financier receiving only minor legal penalties.
Epstein made the deal to avoid sex trafficking and rape charges in 2008. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 13 months in prison.
The roughly 200-page document details Epstein’s crimes, including first-hand accounts from victims and details of bribing underage victims.
Circuit Judge Luis Delgado on Monday ordered the release of the 16-year-old documents, writing that “the details contained in the record would be outrageous to any reasonable person.”
“The testimony presented to the grand jury ranged from extremely unacceptable conduct to rape. All of the conduct in question was sexually deviant, offensive and criminal.”
The judge called Epstein “the most notorious pedophile in American history,” adding that the state’s leniency in the case “has caused much outrage and, at times, has diminished the public’s perception of the criminal justice system.”
“Epstein was certainly notorious and was widely reported to have flaunted his wealth while having affairs with politicians, billionaires and even British royalty,” he continued.
“Given these reports, it is understandable that the public will be very concerned by the widespread reporting by media outlets of his indictment as ‘special treatment.'”
The release of the files came on the same day that a new Florida law went into effect allowing the release of 2006 grand jury documents, which are not normally made public.
Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor, operated in a social circle that included high-ranking business and political figures, including former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, celebrities and even Prince Andrew.
The renewed investigation into Epstein began in 2018 after the Miami Herald published interviews with Epstein, including with victims who were seeking civil lawsuits against him.
The renewed interest in the case has led prosecutors to file new criminal charges.
His co-defendant, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence for aiding Epstein in his sex trafficking crimes.
