Epstein died a month after his arrest on charges that he sexually abused and exploited dozens of girls. He had a decade earlier served time in county jail in Palm Beach on similar charges, in a case involving a secretive plea deal: Alexander Acosta, the U.S. attorney at the time in Florida, resigned as President Donald Trump’s labor secretary last month under pressure from the taint of that case.
That Epstein won’t stand trial is deeply disappointing for his accusers, who will be unable to seek justice from him directly. Their lawyers said their clients will pursue civil cases against his estate, while prosecutors signaled there could be new criminal charges forthcoming. “Our investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment -- which included a conspiracy count -- remains ongoing,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.
In Paris, prosecutors are considering opening a formal probe into Epstein after French ministers said the U.S. sex-trafficking case indicated links to France.
Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center at about 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, a day after a federal appeals court made public hundreds of pages of documents in a civil case that revealed lurid new details about how he allegedly lured his young victims and who may have helped him.
In one of the unsealed depositions, an Epstein accuser said she was sent by Epstein and his friend Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former U.S. Senator George Mitchell and money manager Dubin. All three have denied the claims.
A spokeswoman for Dubin said he had no comment on Epstein’s death. Maxwell couldn’t be reached for comment, but she has over the years denied involvement with Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse of underage girls.
The deposition by Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was a “sex slave” for Epstein from 2000 to 2002, expands on allegations she has made in court filings and interviews in which she has said she was forced to have sex with the U.K.’s Prince Andrew and Harvard University law professor Alan Dershowitz. Both have denied the allegations.
Epstein may carry to his grave secrets of his conduct, the escapades of his wealthy friends and the mysteries of his financial dealings. But “I don’t think anyone should expect that this will quietly disappear,” said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who teaches law at Loyola Law School. “For people whose names have been floated with regards to this investigation, things are about to get even more intense.”
--With assistance from David Voreacos, Patricia Hurtado, Erik Larson and Michelle F. Davis.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.