Federal Prosecutors Say There's No Legal Basis to Invalidate Jeffrey Epstein's Sweetheart Deal

[DonViejo]

by Jerry Lambe | 12:14 pm, June 25th, 2019

The Department of Justice on Monday rejected efforts by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein to get a sweetheart non-prosecution deal thrown out so that Epstein can be prosecuted for alleged abuse of dozens of underage girls.

In a 35-page motion first reported by the Miami Herald, federal prosecutors claimed that Epstein’s victims have no legal basis to invalidate the non-prosecution agreement — the same agreement the judge in the case previously said broke the law. Many of Epstein’s victims were middle school and high school girls between the ages of 13-16 who were recruited from the local south Florida area.

According to prosecutors, despite a judge’s earlier ruling that the plea deal violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA), Epstein’s victims cannot demand that the government take any additional action because the CVRA did not enumerate any mandatory criminal penalties at the time of its passing.

In Monday’s DOJ filing by U.S. Attorney Byung Pak, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, the government admits that the victims were treated unfairly but says that prosecutors were within their rights to do so:

In the filing, federal prosecutors did concede that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida failed to treat Epstein’s victims — most of whom where 13 to 16 years old when they — fairly, but they said that the law gives prosecutors discretion in deciding how to dispose of a case. Victims have a right to confer with prosecutors, but no rights beyond that.

more
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/federal-prosecutors-say-theres-no-legal-basis-to-invalidate-jeffrey-epsteins-sweetheart-deal/

[Vinca]

1. Probably more of a cover-up of Trump than anything else.

He wasn't palsy walsy with Epstein because they had a mutual interest in gardening.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Attorneys that make statements like that should lose their law license. IMO

[Bettie]

3. This literally nauseates me

but, I guess it is too much to expect that our system would be in favor of justice right now.

We've got a rapist in the White House and criminals of every possible stripe running our government.