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Attorneys Say Miami Prosecutors Violated Crime Victims’ Rights Act | Main Justice ITH THE DOJ: PTIMAL RESULTS - -Wed., April 13) IEGOTIA STRATEGIES _ FREE Wel About Got Tips? Login or Register JUSTICE THURSDAY, APRIL 07, 2011 ITICS, POLICY AND THE LAW iT ANTI-CORRUPTION orneys Say Miami Prosecutors Violated Crime Victims’ Rights Act tephanie Woodrow | March 22, 2011 11:52 am , : Printable Version ise attorneys for two girls who contend they were assaulted by billionaire and Rights/Reprints cted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein filed court papers on Monday claiming the i U.S. Attorney's office violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by signing a nonprosecution agreement with Epstein ut notifying them, the Palm Beach Daily News reported. Epstein served 13 months in jail from June 2008 to July 2009 for one state count of soliciting an underage girl for prostitution. As a result, he is required to register as a sex offender. While he wasn’t prosecuted for additional charges, more than 40 girls under the age of 18 say they came to his home and gave him massages. During the massages, they say, he masturbated and sexually assaulted them. Brad Edwards and Paul Cassell, attorneys representing two of his alleged victims, say in the filing that the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida of deliberately y Epstein (gov) misled the victims by telling them there was an ongoing investigation into their claims. However, they say, the office was concealing the fact that they already had signed a ‘osecution deal with Epstein. ‘ding to the motion, the U.S. Attorney's office in January 2008 and May 2008 sent “false notification” letters in to in’s alleged victims saying “(t)his case is currently under investigation.” However, the office had signed the agreement =pstein in September 2007. ittorneys want a court hearing during which they will ask that the agreement be invalidated because it violated the is’ rights. In the motion, the attorneys claim the agreement is illegal because the government did not protect the jressionally mandated rights of victims before it entered this agreement.” dge grants the request, Epstein could be charged by the U.S. Attorney's office. If he were charged and convicted on al charges, he could be sentenced to 10 years to life for each charge. ‘ding to the motion, “The only reason that the (U.S. Attorney's office) concealed the existence of the non-prosecution :ment from the victims was not to comply with some legal restriction, but rather to avoid a firestorm of public oversy that would have erupted if the sweetheart plea deal with a politically connected billionaire had been revealed.” 1 Valle, special counsel for the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Florida, in an email to the newspaper that the Attorney’s office will respond in court filings. ever, as we stated more than two years ago in July 2008 in our response to the plaintiffs’ then-emergency petition for cement of the Crime Victim Rights Act, the CVRA was not violated because no federal charges were ever filed in the iern District of Florida,” Valle said. “Because the matter remains pending in court, it would be inappropriate at this time wide additional comment on the merits of the current motion.” ATEN DNCcTe:- MAIN JUSTICE BRACEWELL & GIULIANI Search 4/7/11 1:38 PM Lawyers with DOJ Experience J Email or Username U.S. ATTORNEYS CHART ck leadership changes in the 93 U.S. Attorney tens with Bush holdovers and Obama candidates. (Interactive) Providing clients with proven experience and innovative solutions to complex compliance and enforcement issues inside the Beltway and around the globe. Miller & Chevalier Chartered millerchevalier.com COVINGTON COVINGTON & BURLING LLP Recognized for its Leading White Collar Crime and Anti-Corruption Practices by Chambers and Legal 500 Decisions about who, where and how to prosecute have always been--and must remain--the responsibility of the executive branch." - Attorney General Eric Holder discussing pressure from members of Congress to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed before a military commission rather than in http://www. mainjustice.com/2011/03/22/attorneys-say-miami-prosecutors-violated-crime-victims’-rights-act/ 1S OG [co] " jusSTJOBS Page 1 of 2 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_013406