Eleven years after Jeffrey Epstein was given a very lenient plea deal following being charged with sexually abusing teenage girls in Florida, federal law enforcement officers arrested him this past weekend on new sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Law enforcement officials told reporters the new case is related to allegations that Epstein paid underage girls for massages and sexually assaulted and abused them at his homes in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.
Epstein was indicted in the Southern District of New York. Court documents released Monday show Epstein is charged with creating and maintaining a network that allowed him to sexually exploit and assault dozens of minor females as young as 14 years old at the time. As reported by various news sources, during the investigation of Epstein’s Manhattan home, federal agents reportedly found “nude photographs of what appeared to be underage girls.” Some of the photographs that agents found were on CDs labeled, “Misc nudes 1,” “Girl pics nude” and the names of specific victims.
An investigation by the Miami Herald identified over 60 of Epstein’s victims, though there are likely far more than that. Prosecutors noted Epstein faces up to 45 years in prison on the new charges.
We need to be ever vigilant to protect our children from sexual abuse. Sex trafficking of young girls and boys is an international problem.