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Attorneys want Jeffrey Epstein agreement thrown out NEWS Religion Archives ProfilePalmBeach Madoff Special Reports Town Council Feral Cats Plaza Reach 8 Health http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/attorneys-want-jeffrey-epstein-agreement-thrown-out-1338111.html SOCIETY Insider Social Calendar FASHION OPINION Local Voices Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter Doe 1 and 2, who were 14 and 13, respectively, at the time of the incidents, received monetary settlements in civil cases. They are among more than two-dozen underage girls who filed lawsuits or settled claims against Epstein, alleging they were lured to his Palm Beach mansion to give him sexually charged massages and/or sex in exchange for money. The motion filed Monday says the agreement is illegal because the government did not protect the “Congressionally mandated rights of victims before it entered this agreement.” Alicia Valle, special counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida, said in an e-mail that the U.S. Attorney's Office will respond in court filings. “However, as we stated more than two years ago in July 2008 in our response to the plaintiffs’ then-emergency petition for enforcement of the Crime Victim Rights Act, the CVRA was not violated because no federal charges were ever filed in the Southern District of Florida,” Valle said. “Because the matter remains pending in court, it would be inappropriate at this time to provide additional comment on the merits of the current motion.” The attorneys reference e-mails and letters from the federal office to Epstein’s lawyers acknowledging the government’s legal obligation to inform victims about the pact. The e-mails are redacted in the motion because they are under seal. The attorneys filed a separate motion Monday to unseal the correspondence. “The reasonable inference from the evidence is that the U.S. Attorney's Office wanted to keep the agreement a secret to avoid intense criticism that would surely ensued had the victims and the public learned that a billionaire sex offender with political connections had arranged to avoid federal prosecution for numerous felony sex offenses against minor girls,” the motion says. “As part of this pattern of deception, the U.S. Attorney’s Office discussed victim notification with the defendant sex offender and, after he raised objections, stopped making notifications.” Epstein sought “a higher level of review” within the Department of Justice, the motion says. “A reasonable inference from the evidence is that Epstein used his significant political and social connections to lobby the Justice Department to avoid significant federal prosecution,” the motion states. Share this article: COMMENTS Comments are closed WEATHER ARTS ADVERTISE SPECIAL SECTIONS SPORTS Arts Calendar SERVICES Palm Beach Life Home & Loggia Automotive & Yacht Showcase Fashion Calendar BUSINESS Visitors’ Guide Season in Review Hurricane Guide 2010 Chamber of Commerce Newsletter Polo OBITUARIES Subscriber Services WEF LIFESTYLES Help:& FAG Locations Announcements Reprints BLOGS Food Staff Worth Avenue Privacy Policy EOLUMBISIIS Pets About Us Visitor Agreement Subscribe REAL ESTATE 4/7/11 1:37 PM More »| Page 2 of 3 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013409