Judge calls Jeffrey Epstein ‘most infamous pedophile in American history’ as he releases transcripts
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — A Florida judge on Monday afternoon released transcripts of a 2006 grand jury investigation into human trafficking and rape allegations against the late millionaire financier. Jeffrey Epstein.
The judge’s release of the roughly 150 pages came as a surprise, as he had scheduled a hearing for next week on when and how to release them. Gov. Ron DeSantis had signed a bill in February allowing for their release on Monday or at some point thereafter, as ordered by Circuit Judge Luis Delgado.
“The details in the report will be scandalous to decent people,” Delgado wrote in his order. “The testimony heard by the grand jury relates to activities ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape — all of the conduct in question is sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal.”
Following the grand jury investigation, Epstein struck a deal with federal prosecutors in South Florida in 2008 that allowed him to avoid more serious federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of soliciting a person under 18 for prostitution and soliciting prostitution. He was sentenced to 1.5 years in the Palm Beach County Jail system, followed by a year of home confinement. He was required to register as a sex offender.
That deal has been widely criticized as too lenient. Epstein was charged with federal sex trafficking in 2018 crimes in new york — where he also had a mansion that was the scene of abuse — after the Miami Herald published a series of articles that renewed public attention to the case, including interviews with some of the victims who had filed civil lawsuits against him. Epstein was 66 then he committed suicide in a New York City jail cell in August 2019, federal officials said.
Delgado called Epstein “the most notorious pedophile in American history” in his order.
“For nearly 20 years, the story of how Jeffrey Epstein targeted some of Palm Beach County’s most vulnerable has generated outrage and at times undermined public perception of the criminal justice system,” Delgado wrote.
“Epstein is indeed notorious and infamous and is widely believed to have flaunted his wealth while consorting with politicians, billionaires and even British royalty,” he continued. “It is understandable that, given those reports, the public is very curious about what has been widely reported by news outlets as ‘special treatment’ in relation to his prosecution.”
The Associated Press is currently reviewing the transcripts.