Multiple teenagers told investigators that Jeffrey Epstein raped them in the early 2000s, but authorities still gave him a sweetheart plea deal, anyway, according to grand jury transcripts released Monday.
The girls, some as young as 14, testified in front of a Palm Beach County grand jury in 2006. They told police and prosecutors they had been sexually assaulted at Epstein’s mansion in the county and were instructed to recruit other girls.
“He told [one victim], ‘The younger, the better,’” a detective testified.
News organizations fought for years for access to the documents, with the Palm Beach Post first suing in 2019. In February, Gov. Ron DeSantis ruled that Circuit Judge Luis Delgado could release them as soon as July 1. Delgado followed through on Monday.
“The testimony taken by the Grand Jury concerns activity ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape – all of the conduct at issue is sexually deviant, disgusting and criminal,” Delgado wrote in his order. “The details in the record will be outrageous to decent people.”
One of Epstein’s victims testified in front of the grand jury that she had sex with Epstein one day before her 18th birthday and he paid her $300, then never contacted her again.
Despite the extensive evidence against Epstein — more than 60 women and girls eventually said they were victims of Epstein’s abuse — former U.S. Attorney for South Florida Alex Acosta cut a light plea deal with Epstein. He served 13 months in prison on a state solicitation charge, while the feds decided not to pursue potential sex trafficking and rape counts.
In November 2018, the Miami Herald published an extensive investigation into Epstein and the deal, titled “Perversion of Justice.” In July 2019, Epstein was arrested in New York on numerous sex trafficking charges. He died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell a month later.
Suspicion swirled around Epstein’s death, as he was connected to powerful figures such as Prince Andrew and former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. However, investigators blamed his death on jail staff incompetence.
With News Wire Services
