Jeffrey Epstein: US billionnaire 'charged with sex trafficking'

In 2008, Epstein was convicted of soliciting an underage girl for prostitution, for which he served 13 months in 'custody with work release'.
AP

A billionnaire financier who once counted Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew as friends has been arrested on sex-trafficking charges.

Jeffrey Epstein, 66, was arrested in New York in connection with allegations from the early 2000s, according to reports.

The hedge fund manager and registered sex offender was taken into custody and is due to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday.

Law enforcement officials have not been authorised to discuss the case but several have spoken to US media outlets on condition of anonymity.

Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 for sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
AP

One source told the Associated Press that Mr Epstein is accused of paying underage girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.

The arrest, first reported by The Daily Beast, comes amid scrutiny of a plea deal he reached in 2008 to end a federal investigation against him.

That deal, which is being challenged in Florida federal court, allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.

He avoided a possible life sentence and instead was sentenced to 13 months in jail.

The deal also required that he reach financial settlements with dozens of his once-teenage victims and register as a sex offender.

While serving as US Attorney, Alexander Acosta oversaw a 2008 plea deal which led to Epsetein receiving a lighter sentence.
Gage Skidmore

His deal was overseen by former Miami US Attorney Alexander Acosta, who is now president Donald Trump's labour secretary.

Mr Acosta has defended the plea deal as appropriate under the circumstances.

But earlier this year, a Florida judge ruled that federal prosecutors broke the law by not informing Epstein's victims of the plea deal at the time.

Following the ruling, the White House said it was also "looking into" Mr Acosta’s handling of the deal.

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