Mike Norris, Co-Editor, The American Dossier
On Monday, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) unsealed an indictment against financier Jeffrey Epstein, charging him with one federal count of sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking conspiracy, for allegedly sexually exploiting minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach and the Virgin Islands.
Epstein, 66, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
This is not the first time Epstein has run afoul of the law. In 2007, Epstein pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution, after allegations that he had molested numerous girls.
Epstein’s defense team, lead by Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth Starr, secured him the deal of the century. He plead guilty to state charges and was sentenced to 18 months in county jail, during which time he was allowed to spend 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, out of the jail on “work release.” He was also registered as a sex offender.
In exchange, the Southern District of Florida abandoned its criminal investigation of Epstein’s conduct, agreed not to prosecute him federally, and agreed not to prosecute anyone else who helped him procure underage girls for sex.
Epstein served just 13 months of his sentence.
Despite his conviction, Epstein continued to move with ease in Hollywood circles. Unlike John Conyers and Matt Lauer, who had instantly become persona non grata for sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era, Epstein had been convicted of a sex crime and yet still was invited to A-list events.
In 2010, Epstein hosted a dinner party in honor of Prince Andrew at his 71st Street mansion in New York. The New York Post reported that Epstein’s guests included Katie Couric, Charlie Rose, Woody Allen, Chelsea Handler and George Stephanopoulos.
Another dinner reported on by New York magazine was attended by billionaire Mort Zuckerman, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, magician David Blaine, Les Wexner, and former British Cabinet member Peter Mandelson. Another cabinet member, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, also reportedly socialized with Epstein shortly after his release from prison in 2011.
The son of a city parks worker and a college dropout, Epstein cultivated an impressive roster of associations, filled with East Coast elites. His black book of contacts contains a who’s who of celebrities.
There are Democrats and Republicans, an Israeli prime minister (Ehud Barak) and Saudi royals (Bandar and Salman). The list includes: Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, sex counselor Dr. Ruth Westheimer, TV journalists Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace, media moguls Rupert Murdoch, Conrad Black and Michael Bloomberg; businessmen Richard Branson, Steve Forbes and Edgar Bronfman Jr. and celebrities Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Alec Baldwin, Naomi Campbell, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker and Jimmy Buffett.
Epstein’s black book lists 16 phone numbers for the Duke of York and his aides, and 18 for the Duchess of York and her court.
Epstein’s circle also included two Presidents.
Flight logs show that President Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private Boeing 727, dubbed the “Lolita Express," 26 times between 2001 and 2003, to destinations in Asia, Europe and Africa. Alleged Epstein victim Virginia Roberts claimed in a 2015 affidavit that Clinton also visited one of Epstein’s private islands in the Virgin Islands.
Epstein’s black book included 21 contact numbers and various email addresses for Clinton. In 2002, Clinton described Epstein as “a committed philanthropist with a keen sense of global markets and an in-depth knowledge of twenty-first-century science. I especially appreciated his insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa.”
This week, Clinton said he knew nothing of Epstein’s “terrible crimes” and that the two had not spoken in a decade.
In 2002, then-socialite Donald Trump told New York magazine, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy.” “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it—Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”
Epstein’s black book listed 14 phone numbers for Trump; his wife, Melania; his longtime personal assistant, Norma Foerderer; his houseman; and his security officer. Other Trumps in the book include the president’s brother Robert and his wife, Blaine; the president’s ex-wife Ivana; and their daughter, Ivanka.
After Epstein’s longtime friend Ghislaine Maxwell recruited a 15-year-old towel girl to give him a massage, Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago, according to David Boies, an attorney for Virginia Roberts.
Now, it seems that Epstein’s luck may have run out. Last Saturday, Epstein was arrested as he returned from a trip to Paris.
Epstein’s new charges represent the DOJ’s attempt to redeem the extremely questionable plea deal it gave him in 2008.
The new indictment describes conduct in New York and Florida in 2002 through 2005—the same period covered by the earlier state and federal investigation. In 2006, Congress passed a law eliminating the statute of limitations for child sex-trafficking cases. Under Supreme Court precedent, the new law applies to him and makes his conduct in 2002 through 2005 fair game.
Even Epstein’s 2008 non-prosecution agreement is unlikely to spare him. The agreement promises only that Epstein would face no further prosecution “in this District,” the Southern District of Florida. The clause does not bind any other U.S. Attorney’s Office from bringing charges.
Great wealth often insulates people from consequences. But this protection is not not absolute, nor is it limitless. Even the richest people face the long arm of the criminal-justice system, if their behavior is egregious enough.
Now that Epstein’s past plea deal is public, he is unlikely to get another one.
Without question, Epstein will again have the best criminal defense money can buy. But this time, that will not be enough to save him.
After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mike attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University, where he received his Masters in Political Management.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in the Florida Senate, where he was one of only two Chief’s of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mike’s eighth as a Political Consultant.
Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, with his rescue Pit Bull, Ike.
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