EFTA00212954.pdf

THE PALM BEACH POST • MONDAY. JUNE 15.2009 The Palm Beach Post ALEX TAYLOR Publisher TIM BURKE, Executive Editor RANDY SCHULTZ, Editor elite Editorial Page Unseal the Epstein deal A rich, middle-aged Palm Beacher Palm Beach sex offender who preyed on girls almost 40 years younger already has received too deserves no more breaks. many breaks from the system. He doesn't deserve another. In July 2008, at the age of 55 and of course, want it kept secret. Last after paying the equiva- week, a Palm Beach County judge lent of a small country's set a hearing for June 25. gross domestic product Epstein attorney Jack Goldberger in legal fees, Jeffrey claims that the file should stay sealed Epstein escaped federal to protect the "orderly administration charges and pleaded of Justice" and "protect a compelling guilty in state court to government interest." Oh, and third Epstein a pair of charges related parties might get hurt. The compel- to his luring five girls ling interest is Epstein%, and there — ages 14 to 17 — to is no privacy issue since the victims his house. The girls undressed and themselves are making the request. massaged him in return for $200 to Palm Beach police spent 11 S300. He's serving only 18 months months investigating Epstein, only in the Palm Beach County Jail, and to see then-State Attorney Barry he's serving only nights. And now he Krischer kick the case to a grand wants just one more favor jury. Mr. Krischer backed off when When Epstein entered his state one of Epstein's gold-plated attor- plea, the terms of his federal deal neys, Alan Dershowitz, announced were sealed from the public. That that some of the victims had posted violated normal procedures. Attor- MySpace comments about their alco- neys for some of the victims, who hol and marijuana use. have filed civil lawsuits, want that Epstein's "best" defense has been plea deal unsealed, probably because that he didn't know the girls were the details would help their cases. underage. "How he verified that," But given the nature of this case, Mr. Goldberger said. "I don't know." there's also a public interest. One con- Investigators found a high school ditionof the federal plea, for example, transcript in Epstein's house. He was that he take the state deal. That's didn't know? The public should know why The Post also is seeking to have what Jeffrey Epstein did, and what the file unsealed. Epstein's lawyers, the system did for him. EFTA00212954