A Look at The Prosecution & Defense of Jeffrey Epstein in & Outside of Florida

The criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein has dominated news headlines of late. The billionaire is accused of engaging in sex crimes in both Florida and New York. In 2007, US Attorney’s Office in Florida allowed him to plead guilty to state prostitution instead of sexual abuse charges and serve 13 months; mostly from his personal office. Now, a number of people are wondering if the new charges will be ruled as being a part of this 2007 deal struck in Florida.

Below, we discuss some of federal criminal charges and some of the potential defenses Epstein could counter them with:

Are The Current Charges Covered By The 2007 Deal?

For one, the defense could argue that the current prosecution is illegitimate because of his original 2007 deal, which (arguably) covers the current allegations. While that agreement referred “state and federal criminal liability,” it also consistently referred to the district of South Florida, specifically. The federal government has is also arguing that they were not a part of the 2007 deal, and reiterating that its terms did/do not apply to allegations outside of Florida. In addition, they pointed to case precedent, which indicates that an agreement for one district does not necessarily bind another.

Epstein could also argue that the current charges reflect a violation of due process double Jeopardy provisions. However, the prosecution could counter that because Epstein avoided federal charges in Florida, this is not the case. Epstein could also argue that the state prosecution is part of the federal agreement and thus they are interwoven.

Delay & Prejudice

Epstein could also argue that his right to a speedy trial has been violated because the feds had this information in 2008 and, arguably, one decade worth of delay as introduced prejudice into the process.

New Victims & Charges?

The prosecution may also decide to bring forth new victims, which could change the current prosecution if the judge decides that the crimes for which Epstein was just arrested for overlap with crimes that the 2007 agreement covers. Depending upon what these new allegations involve, they could provide the basis for new charges.

Prosecutors could also try to bring child pornography charges against Epstein as, reportedly, many photographs of potential victims – some of which appear to be underage girls – were found in his possession.  While some have brought up the option of Epstein potentially trying to strike a deal with the feds – potentially offering up clients and friends involved – others have expressed doubt that the current prosecution would be interested in this.

Contact Our Florida Criminal Defense Attorney to Find Out More

If you are facing any criminal charges in Florida – whether state and/or federal-based – you should work with an aggressive criminal defense attorney. Contact our skilled West Palm Beach federal cases attorney at the office of William Wallshein, P.A. today to find out about how we can help.

Resources:

npr.org/2019/07/12/741326915/new-accusations-for-epstein-as-some-in-south-florida-say-good-riddance-to-acosta

thecut.com/2019/07/could-jeffrey-epstein-avoid-life-in-prison.html