Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire financier and registered sex offender, will make his first court appearance today after being arrested this weekend on sex-trafficking charges.
Epstein, 66, stands accused of soliciting and abusing dozens of underage girls, as young as 14, in his Florida and New York homes. According to law enforcement officials, the charges stem from accusations dating back to the early 2000s.
The first victims came forward about 12 years ago and accused Epstein of paying them for “massages” and then molesting them. Since then, his victims have spent the last decade seeking justice against the man who wronged them, while he faced little more than a slap on the wrist, escaping jail time and federal charges.
But today, Epstein finally faces the court, where he will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, which could put him away for up to 45 years, the Daily Beast reported.
Epstein’s case is disturbing for many reasons, but particularly because he’s faced few repercussions. if any, despite the multitude of credible accusations against him. Lawyer David Boies told the Washington Post that “dozens” of women have been silenced by Epstein in secret settlements and nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs. Boies represents two of these alleged victims, both of whom are bound by NDAs.
Up to now, Epstein has seemingly evaded the justice system. How is this? Some argue he can afford to buy silence. And clearly, he can. He has successfully gagged his accusers with hefty settlements and wormed his way into cushy relationships with federal prosecutors. Men accused of lesser crimes rot in prison while Epstein travels on his private jet from mansion to mansion.
Another important factor is Epstein’s close friendships with rich, powerful, and famous people — some of whom are suspected to have used his services. Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, who has pursued this story for years, told MSNBC that Epstein’s “rogues gallery” protected him, but now the “rogues” are “sweating a little bit.”
“We don’t know how much, how deep this went, how far-reaching it went in government, but there have been a lot of names that I could see on these message pads [listing clients] on a regular basis as part of the evidence,” Brown said. “These message pads where they would call and leave Epstein messages, such as, ‘I’m at this hotel.’ Why do you do that, unless you’re expecting him to send you a girl to visit you at your hotel? So there are probably quite a few important people, powerful people, who are sweating it out right now.”
If the allegations against Epstein prove true, his case will have demonstrated a serious lapse of justice. Credible accusations against Epstein have existed for more than a decade, and many of his victims have sat on the sidelines, bound in silence by a wealthy and powerful man who allegedly exploited and used them. NDAs, which essentially serve as gag orders, should hold no power in the court of law. Unshackle his alleged victims and let them speak.
Epstein is yet another example of the serious rot spreading in the criminal justice and legal systems: all men, regardless of wealth or position, should be held to account. Let’s hope today is the first step of many toward rectifying this negligence. Justice may have been delayed for Epstein’s accusers, but it cannot be denied for much longer.
