Epstein Prosecutors Chose Older Victim for Sweetheart Plea Deal
BACKROOM PACT
The lenient plea deal struck between federal prosecutors and millionaire Jeffrey Epstein was made even more lenient when the feds chose not to charge him with soliciting a 14-year-old girl, the Washington Post reports. Epstein was charged with sexual misconduct involving a 16-year-old—despite at least one complainant being as young as 14—as part of a plea that eased his obligations to register as a sex offender. When he pleaded guilty in 2008, the 16-year-old was the only minor Epstein was convicted of soliciting, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. The 14-year-old girl who initially notified police about Epstein believed her case was the one referenced in the guilty plea. Choosing the older teen loosens the restrictions placed on him as a registered sex offender. In New Mexico where Epstein owns a ranch, he isn't required to register because his victim wasn't under 16. Attorneys for the alleged victims are now seeking to void the non-prosecution agreement. “They were cutting a plea deal. It wasn’t a prosecution,” said attorney Spencer Kuvin, who represented the 14-year-old girl. “They had a grab bag of 40 girls to choose from.”