Jeffrey Epstein Accused Of Abusing Young Girls In Palm Beach

NEW YORK — Florida billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, who has ties to President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, was formally accused Monday of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls at his Palm Beach estate and his New York mansion over a three-year period.

Federal prosecutors said the 66-year-0ld Epstein allegedly paid the girls "hundreds" of dollars to have sex with him and asked his victims to recruit other young girls.

"Epstein exploited girls who were vulnerable to abuse, enticed them with cash payments, and escalated his conduct to include sex acts," said New York prosecutors. The indictment against Epstein was unsealed in Manhattan Federal Court on Monday.

Epstein is listed on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website as a sex offender stemming from a June 30, 2008 conviction for procuring a person under age of 18 for prostitution, according to the website. FDLE records said Epstein last registered at his Palm Beach estate on May 31.

"It means a great deal to the alleged victims here that they have their day in court, and we want to make sure they have their day in court by bringing these charges," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said at a news conference in New York.

Epstein allegedly lured girls as young as 14 to his homes in the 300 block of El Brillo Way in Palm Beach and on East 71st Street in New York for sexual encounters from at least 2002 to 2005, according to the indictment charging him with sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy.

"When a victim would recruit another underage girl for Epstein, he paid both the victim-recruiter and the new victim hundreds of dollars in cash," according to federal prosecutors in New York. "Through these victim-recruiters, Epstein maintained a steady supply of new victims to exploit and gained access to dozens of additional underage girls to abuse."

Epstein sought out girls who were minors and knew some of them were underage because they told him how old they were, the indictment says.

"Once minor victims were recruited, Epstein or his employees or associates would contact victims to schedule appointments for 'massages.' As a result, many victims were abused by Epstein on multiple subsequent occasions," prosecutors explained.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office unveiled the charges against Epstein following his arrest on Saturday aboard his private plane at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. He faces 45 years behind bars if he is convicted of the crimes, Berman said.

Authorities also found nude photographs of girls who appeared underage at Epstein's Manhattan mansion, according to Berman. Prosecutors want Epstein jailed while he awaits trial because they think he may flee the area if he is not locked up, Berman said.

"We think he has every incentive to try and flee the jurisdiction," Berman said. "When you have two planes and you live much of the year abroad, we think that's a very real risk."

The incidents of abuse started with the girls giving Epstein massages that he would escalate into sex acts, the indictment says.

Epstein similarly abused girls at his other residence in Palm Beach and had an assistant in New York schedule such encounters there ahead of his arrival, prosecutors allege. Other employees and associates of Epstein's helped facilitate the abuse or paid off the girls, according to the charges.

Epstein reportedly faced similar accusations involving girls who told the police they were brought to his mansion in South Florida and assaulted. But The Daily Beast says he was shielded from federal charges in a secret plea deal partly negotiated by Alexander Acosta, the former United States attorney in the Southern District of Florida who now serves as Trump's labor secretary. The Miami Herald first reported the details of that arrangement last year.

The deal was a non-prosecution agreement that forced Epstein to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges but shut down a federal investigation into whether others participated in his sex crimes and whether more victims were involved, according to the Herald.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office is not bound by the agreement because it was made only between Epstein and prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, Berman said.

Epstein's wealth reportedly afforded him connections to powerful figures around the world. Clinton praised him as "a committed philanthropist" in a 2002 New York Magazine profile, while Trump called him a "(t)errific guy" in the same story.

"He's a lot of fun to be with," Trump told the magazine then. "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."

Federal prosecutors want to seize the Upper East Side townhouse where Epstein allegedly abused the girls, the indictment says. The opulent home just off Fifth Avenue spans at least 21,000 square feet and was previously owned by Leslie H. Wexner, the retail magnate to whom Epstein served as a financial adviser, according to news reports on the house.

Berman appeared to credit the Herald's reporting on Epstein, saying prosecutors were "assisted from some excellent investigative journalism." He urged anyone whom Epstein abused to come forward to help federal authorities prosecute him.

"If you believe you are a victim of this man, Jeffrey Epstein, or you have evidence or information relating to the conduct alleged in the indictment unsealed today, we want to hear from you," Berman said, pointing at a photo of Epstein's face.

Epstein was expected to appear in Manhattan federal court Monday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry B. Pitman. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Rossmiller, Alison Moe, and Maurene Comey are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from the Office’s Human Trafficking Co-Coordinator, Abigail Kurland. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the New York Police Department with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The FBI urged other victims to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

“We are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Jeffrey Epstein, or anyone who may have information about his alleged criminal behavior, to please call us," said FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. "We want to hear from you, regardless of the age you are now, or whatever age you were then, no matter where the incident took place. The bravery it takes to call us might empower others to speak out about the crimes committed against them."

Patch editors Noah Manskar in New York and Tom Davis in New Jersey contributed to this report.