Source: Florida-Based Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein Arrested And Accused Of Sex Trafficking Minor
MIAMI (CBSMiami/CNN) -- CBSMiami has learned that Florida-based billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested late Saturday afternoon after being indicted on new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors.
A source familiar with the case told CBSMiami, Epstein was arrested under a sealed indictment out of New York, charged with one count of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. A bond hearing is set for Monday in New York.
He was taken into custody by federal agents at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey after his private jet landed there from Paris, according to a CBSMiami source.
That source also told CBSMiami federal agents were at Epstein's New York home executing a search warrant.
Epstein previously evaded similar charges when he secured a non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors in Miami.
The charges, contained in a sealed indictment, involve alleged sex trafficking crimes committed between 2002 and 2005, according to law enforcement sources. The indictment alleged that the crimes occurred in both New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
A team of federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, along with some in the public corruption unit, have been assigned to the case.
In November, the Miami Herald reported that when Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta was a US attorney in Florida, he gave Epstein the "deal of a lifetime." In a sweeping review of the politically connected billionaire's case, the Herald explained how Acosta had made an agreement with Epstein to avoid major repercussions for the hedge fund manager, even though a federal investigation had identified 36 underage victims.
The report said Acosta had brokered a deal with one of Epstein's attorneys, where he pleaded in 2008 to two state prostitution charges, ultimately serving only 13 months and avoiding a federal trial. He also registered as a sex offender and paid restitution to the victims identified by the FBI.
The agreement, the Herald said, "essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe" and further granted immunity to "any potential co-conspirators" in the case.
Acosta told CNN in February that he welcomed an investigation by Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility into his handling of Epstein's plea agreement.
Acosta also denied any wrongdoing.
Two months earlier, Epstein settled a separate lawsuit that could have allowed for several of his accusers to tell their stories in open court.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
