As we’ve said before, “if you’re charged with a crime and a jury finds you not guilty, the prosecution doesn’t get another shot”.
The bombshell that pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein has been charged with federal crimes in New York despite already having been adjudicated in Florida more than a decade ago has given rise to questions from news consumers who wonder if this is an example of double jeopardy. The answer? No. Read on for our explanation.
In 2008, Epstein received a plea deal that was considered extremely lenient by legal experts and downright atrocious by victim’s rights advocates. Despite evidence pointing to Epstein running a sex trafficking ring for the rich and powerful out of his Palm Beach mansion, Epstein served as little as one day per week in prison during a 13 month sentence for soliciting a 14-year-old girl for prostitution.
His potential co-conspirators were included in the deal’s non-prosecution agreement, making it difficult if not impossible for prosecutors to revisit the issues at the core of the case. Alex Acosta – named Labor Secretary by President Trump nine years after approving this deal as the prosecutor on the case – resigned last week under intense scrutiny over his role in the fiasco.
With double-jeopardy in mind, how has Epstein again been charged with sex crimes by the feds? Much like states being able to bring charges in conjunction with or in additional to federal crimes, different federal jurisdictions can bring charges. Epstein may have received a slap-on-the-wrist from the Southern District of Florida, but the Southern District of New York appears set on righting the wrongs that occurred prior to the “Me Too” revolution.
Epstein is not the only powerful man who is likely nervous or fearful about the implications of these new charges. Former and current presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump have both been linked to Epstein. Clinton’s has spent time at Epstein’s private island, while Trump maintained a personal and professional relationship with Epstein in the 2000s. He was quoted as saying Epstein loved beautiful women as much as he does, including those “on the younger side”. Do these ties only scratch the surface? Keep an eye on the Southern District of New York for more.