Judge: Alex Acosta Broke the Law by Giving Jeffrey Epstein a Sweetheart Deal
Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges and served 13 months in Palm Beach County jail.
February 21, 2019 at 05:39 PM
3 minute read
U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra of the Southern District of Florida ruled Thursday that prosecutors broke federal law in their handling of a case against Florida billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who ran a global child sex ring between 1999 and 2007.
According to Marra's ruling, former Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta was wrong to set up a clandestine nonprosecution agreement with Epstein in 2008 that shielded him and his accomplices from federal prosecution.
Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges and served 13 months in Palm Beach County jail, but could have faced life in prison with a federal sex trafficking conviction. His alleged accomplices were never charged.
Read the ruling:
Marra found that because Acosta — now U.S. Labor Secretary — didn't tell victims about the deal, he violated their rights under the Crime Victims' Rights Act. The government argued that the law only required prosecutors to answer victims' questions, not to update them on every case development, but the court disagreed.
According to the ruling, while Acosta was working on the deal he sent letters to victims, urging them to be patient.
“Particularly problematic was the government's decision to conceal the existence of the NPA and mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility,” Marra wrote. “When the government gives information to victims, it cannot be misleading.”
A federal investigation into sex abuse claims against Epstein had uncovered more than 30 teenage victims, including petitioners Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2.
Epstein has also faced and settled various civil lawsuits over the international sex ring, involving claims he and his co-conspirators recruited underage girls and brought them to his Palm Beach mansion, where he forced them to perform sexual acts.
National women's advocacy group UltraViolet commended the ruling in a statement Friday, urging Congress to impeach Acosta.
“Under Acosta's leadership, a sexual predator and his accomplices walked away with a meager slap on the wrist,” the group's co-founder Shaunna Thomas said. “Epstein's nonprosecution agreement made the full scope of his crimes, and the identities of anyone else involved, completely private from the public, including from survivors.”
The White House told reporters at a press conference Friday that it's looking into Acosta's actions.
Fort Lauderdale white-collar criminal lawyer Richard Serafini, who has practiced in state and federal courts for more than 20 years, and said a ruling like this is rare.
“I have never seen it before,” said Serafini, who's not involved in the litigation. “After reviewing the decision, it seems that the judge came to the correct determination.”
Related stories:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllRogge Dunn Represents Florida Trucking Firm in Civil RICO Suit Against Worldwide Express
4 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Call for Nominations: Elite Trial Lawyers 2025
- 2Senate Judiciary Dems Release Report on Supreme Court Ethics
- 3Senate Confirms Last 2 of Biden's California Judicial Nominees
- 4Morrison & Foerster Doles Out Year-End and Special Bonuses, Raises Base Compensation for Associates
- 5Tom Girardi to Surrender to Federal Authorities on Jan. 7
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250