Lawyers Ask Court to Protect Epstein Accomplices’ Rights
They want to make sure Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators get plenty of notice about decisions that would affect them.
This story has been corrected to reflect that Wednesday’s filing was by lawyers for Epstein and not federal prosecutors. The Daily Beast regrets the error.
Lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein are opposing a new request by victims to rescind the 2008 sweetheart plea deal that gave immunity to his alleged accomplices.
Attorneys for Jane Doe 1 and 2 said in a filing on Tuesday that Epstein’s death by apparent suicide in jail last weekend is all the more reason the non-prosecution agreement signed by federal prosecutors in Florida should be invalidated.
They asked the court, at the very least, to toss out the part of the agreement that covered any co-conspirators.
In a court filing on Wednesday, the defense attorneys said the requests were “moot” because of Epstein’s death.
They also told the judge that if he plans to make any decisions regarding the plea deal that would affect “third parties” they should be notified in advance “so that they have a full and fair opportunity to litigate the claims affecting them.”
The alleged accomplices, the lawyers wrote, should be afforded the “deep-rooted historic tradition that everyone should have his own day in court.”
The filing is tinged with irony. It’s part of a lawsuit brought by Epstein accusers to invalidate the agreement because they themselves were not notified that the government was cutting a deal with the pedophile financier.
The deal let Epstein plead to a relatively minor charge and serve just 13 months in jail, much of it on work release, even though a slew of young woman told authorities he trafficked them.
The two Jane Does who filed the federal suit said federal prosecutors in Florida violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act because they were never notified.
A federal judge agreed that the prosecutors, led by future Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, broke the law and tried to “mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility.”
Florida prosecutors have not yet responded to the Does’ filing.
Earlier this week, Attorney General William Barr said Epstein’s cronies are not in the clear.
“Let me assure you that case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein,” Barr said at the National Fraternal Order of Police’s biennial conference in New Orleans.
“Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. Victims deserve justice and will get it.”