Acosta, Epstein and Trump A Refresher

-by Helen Klein

Finally, the Jeffrey Epstein case and the fabulous, ridiculously light plea deal he received from Alexander Acosta in 2008 are back in the headlines where they belong. As described last week in the Washington Post:

A federal judge in Florida ruled this week that prosecutors led by former U.S. attorney Alexander Acosta, now President Trump’s labor secretary, broke the law 11 years ago by concealing an unusually lenient plea deal with billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from underage girls who said the financier had molested them.

“Under Acosta’s leadership, a sexual predator and his accomplices walked away with a meager slap on the wrist,” said Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, a women’s advocacy organization, in a statement.

The plea deal was unsealed in 2015 by a federal judge in a lawsuit. Then, a Miami Herald investigation last year revealed allegations against Epstein in greater detail-- more than 30 women, now in their 20s and 30s, have accused the billionaire of molesting them between 1999 and 2006.

On Thursday, federal judge Kenneth Marra ruled Acosta’s team had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, which entitles victims to know about big developments in their cases, by concealing the agreement from the victims.

Evidence showed Epstein, now 66, ran an international sex trafficking operation that targeted girls and sometimes brought them stateside from overseas, Marra wrote.

“Epstein worked in concert with others to obtain minors not only for his own sexual gratification, but also for the sexual gratification of others,” the judge wrote.

Due to this decision, the case now has new legs and the victims have the chance to bring it into federal court. If this happens, Acosta will be in really deep trouble, and more importantly, so would the famous, rich and politically connected men who participated in Epstein’s sex orgies with underage girls.

Calls for Acosta to be impeached are gaining traction.

It is interesting yet unsurprising to note that Acosta, under the auspices of his position of Secretary of Labor, is in charge of sex crimes and sex trafficking. This is so typical of Trump, appointing people to cabinet positions who have major conflicts of interest in the spheres of their authority.

This author has written two pieces on this issue for DWT, A Potential Death Knell for Trump-- A Case of Underage Rape? and Sex and the Orangeman. Both have been water under the bridge until now.

Brief Background on Jeffrey Epstein

Epstein’s history of longstanding, systematic and horrific behavior with underage girls is well documented. The variety and number of rich, famous and politically connected men who have been associated with him is staggering.

Epstein has owned a huge mansion in Manhattan, where he held glamorous parties for the rich and famous, as well as properties in Palm Beach, Paris and New Mexico, and a private island in the Caribbean, dubbed Sex Slave Island. He is also known for his private jet, nicknamed, The Lolita Express, which has been described as a “hot spot for under-age sex orgies.” Bill Clinton was known to have flown on the plane at least two dozen times. Epstein has been a major Democratic donor and he also gave millions to the Clinton Foundation. Epstein noted, “I invest in people-- be it politics or science. It’s what I do.” Are these powerful and rich men beholden to Epstein and invested in his escape from justice? What do YOU think?

Epstein’s assistants procured young girls from poor neighborhoods and groomed them to adore or acquiesce to him. According to court filings, the alleged serial sexual abuse and rape of an unknowable number of girls (some as many as 100 times) occurred over many years.

What was the plea deal?

Epstein got off with a guilty plea for a single charge of soliciting a minor, registration as a sex offender for life, and eighteen months prison time in Palm Beach. He served only thirteen months, during which he was allowed to leave six days a week on “work release.”

Another critical aspect of the plea deal, the one that has many participants in Epstein’s offerings of sex with underage girls shaking in their boots, was immunity from federal prosecution for Epstein as well as his co-conspirators, i.e., the people who procured the girls for him and others who may have been involved. The victims in the case were not made aware of this deal nor given the opportunity to object.

Did Epstein show any remorse? Hell no.

“I’m not a sexual predator, I’m an ‘offender,’” he told the New York Post in 2011. “It’s the difference between a murderer and a person who steals a bagel.”

Trump and Epstein

Trump has had ties to Epstein for decades. Epstein was a member of Mar a Lago.

In 2002, Trump stated to 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.”

In 2016, Amanda Prestigiacomo reported in the Daily Wire:

When under oath, while Epstein acknowledged he knew Trump, he “curiously pled the Fifth to Trump attending sex parties with underage girls.”

At least one of Epstein’s underage sex victims was recruited from Trump’s Mar a Lago, which he frequented often.

Trump was subpoenaed in 2009 for his connection to Epstein’s underage sex slave rings. Trump has denied ever being served. The lawyer who served him said this was patently false.

Another case involving Epstein and Trump is ripe for revisiting, described in 2016 by Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone. This would be even more of an eye opener if it sees the light of day anytime soon.

In June 2016, a case was filed in the United States District Court in the southern district of New York by Jane Doe, Plaintiff, proceeding under a pseudonym, against Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein, Defendants. A trial by jury was demanded. The incidents described took place in 1994.



What were Trump and Epstein being accused of?

Rape, sexual misconduct, criminal sexual acts, sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault, battery, intentional and reckless infliction of emotional distress, duress, false imprisonment and defamation.

Plaintiff was enticed by promises of money and a modeling career to attend a series of parties, with other similarly situated minor females, held at a New York City residence that was being used by Defendant Jeffrey Epstein. At least four of the parties were attended by Defendant Donald Trump.

The suit alleged that at the fourth party, Trump’s and Epstein’s behavior devolved dramatically and savagely. They made threats that if the Plaintiff revealed anything about their sexual misconduct, she and her family would be physically harmed or killed. The suit claimed that the behavior of the Defendants “demonstrates willful, reckless and intentional conduct that raises a conscious indifference to consequences.”

(Both Trump and Epstein) let the Plaintiff know that each was a very powerful, wealthy man and indicated that they had the power, ability and means to carry out their threats. Indeed, the Defendant Trump stated that Plaintiff shouldn’t ever say anything if she didn’t want to disappear like Maria, a 12-year-old female that was forced to be involved in the third incident with Defendant Trump and (whom) Plaintiff had not seen since the third incident, and that he was capable of having her whole family killed.

The Plaintiff asserted that over the years, fear and duress had prevented her from pursuing legal action. However, due to the mass media coverage of Trump and his campaign, the Plaintiff asserted that she had been subjected to daily painful reminders of his horrific behavior, and this is why she sought punitive damages. Shortly after her first complaint was filed in California in April 2016, the Plaintiff stated that she started receiving threatening phone calls.

Trump claimed that all of these allegations were patently false. Of course he would, regardless of their veracity. And of course nothing he says can be trusted and is often the opposite of the truth. The complaint also charged that Trump’s denial amounts to defamation.

The victim eventually dropped the case due to the threats she received and her fear of reprisal.

Questions

Will Acosta face the music? Will he be disbarred? Will he resign or be fired as Secretary of Labor?

What was the quid pro quo for Acosta to give Epstein such a sweetheart deal? Who were the politically connected power brokers that may have been behind this deal?

Will the victims of the Florida case against Epstein decide to pursue the case in federal court? If so, who and what will be exposed to the public?

Will the plaintiff in the 2016 rape case against Trump and Epstein resurface and pursue charges?

Only time will tell.