Palm Beach County Judge Luis Delgado ordered the unsealing of grand jury records related to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein case on Monday.
Earlier this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that could have released grand jury documents related to the 2006 investigation into sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.
For context, in July 2006, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began an investigation against Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier, under the code name “Operation Leap Year”. depth of Epstein’s alleged sex crimes involving minors.
However, Alexander Acosta, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida at the time, brokered a deal. This agreement, negotiated with the assistance of attorney Alan Dershowitz, effectively gave Epstein immunity from all federal criminal charges, along with four named co-conspirators and any unnamed potential accomplices.
The Miami Herald reported that the non-prosecution agreement “essentially shuts down the FBI’s ongoing investigation” into possible victims and powerful individuals involved in Epstein’s crimes. The deal, which was hidden from the victims in violation of federal law, ended further investigations and sealed the indictment.
Acosta later justified the flexibility of the deal by claiming that he had been informed that it was Epstein “For intelligence” and that problem is above “salary,” reported the Daily Beast.
On Monday, Palm Beach County Judge Luis Delgado released the long-contested grand jury records after an ongoing legal effort by the Palm Beach Post, along with other major media outlets such as the Miami Herald.
Court documents reveal that Epstein, who is in his 40s, allegedly raped the 14-year-old girls at his Palm Beach home. The victim also testified that he was also compensated to recruit additional girls for him.
The Miami Herald reported:
The records contain nearly 200 pages, including testimony from two girls who were abused by Epstein, the New York financier who abused hundreds of young girls in his Palm Beach mansion between 1996 and 2008. Epstein escaped serious charges, in part because of Palm Beach Prosecutors at that time, Barry Krischer, chose to charge him with minor prostitution and solicitation instead of bringing a case of sexual assault crime.
Krischer and the lead prosecutor in the case, Lanna Belohlavek, told Palm Beach police they did not want to prosecute Epstein because they believed the girls were prostitutes. But Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter and lead detective Joe Recarey both disputed the decision, saying the victims were as young as 14 and that Epstein, who is in his 50s, had used deception and coercion to lure the girls. . home under the pretense that they will pay to give a massage.
The notes released Monday are transcripts of audio recordings of testimony given before a grand jury was convened in 2006. Although grand juries are usually convened in murder cases, Krischer took the unusual step of presenting the case to a grand jury because he refused to allow it. Palm Beach Police to arrest and file charges against Epstein is powerful and political.
The actual audio recording of the proceedings was not released to the public Monday. The Miami Herald requested the records, but was told they were not available. The transcript also appears to be missing important elements that are normally part of the jury process. For example, there is no record of Belohlavek introducing himself to the panel, explaining the matter or telling the jury what to do. There is no closing statement summarizing the case or any documentation of what the jury decided.
What is clear is that Belohlavek paints an unsympathetic portrait of the girls, both of whom come from broken families. One of the girls and her sister had been passed back and forth between their parents and taken to a school for troubled children. The girl ran away several times before meeting a group of older children, one of whom took her to Epstein’s mansion.
According to the transcript, Palm Beach Police Detective Joe Recarey testified in July 2006 about the initial investigation into Epstein. The investigation began in March 2005 when a woman reported her high school-age stepson had received $300 for “sexual activity with a man in Palm Beach,” First Coast News reported.
Another teenager, whose name was written on the transcript, told detectives she was 17 when she was offered $200 for a massage at Epstein’s home. Once there, he was asked by Epstein to undress. When Epstein made unwanted advances, she expressed her discomfort. However, Epstein then offered to pay her to bring other girls to his house. He explained that he prefers to be younger.
The teenager brought six friends from high school to Epstein’s home, including a 14-year-old girl. They received $200 each for bringing a friend and were also given a rental car paid for by Epstein.
Judge Delgado’s order highlighted public anger and frustration over the Epstein case. “For nearly 20 years, the story of Jeffrey Epstein’s victimization of some of Palm Beach County’s most vulnerable people has been the subject of outrage and at times diminished public perception of the criminal justice system,” Delgado wrote.
Read the jury testimony below:
