Epstein accusers get their day in court

New York, Aug 27 (efe-epa).- More than two-dozen women who accused the late Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse told their stories inside a federal court here Tuesday, though the disgraced financier's Aug. 10 death - ruled a suicide - has denied them the chance for justice.

"He is a coward," accuser Courtney Wild, who said previously that Epstein sexually abused her when she was 14, told US District Judge Richard Berman, referring to the deceased defendant. "Justice has never been served in this case."

Federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, insisted that the investigation of Epstein's alleged sex-trafficking operation would continue despite his death.

"He robbed me of my dreams, of my chance to pursue a career I adored," another purported victim, Jennifer Araoz, said of Epstein, who she says raped her when she was 15.

"The fact I will never have a chance to face my predator in court eats away at me," she added. "They let this man kill himself and kill the chance for justice for so many others."

Epstein, 66, was found hanged inside his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, where the multi-millionaire hedge fund manager had been held since his July 6 arrest.

New York City's chief medical examiner ruled on Aug. 16, six days later, that the death was a suicide.

"After careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings, the determination on the death of Jeffrey Epstein" is that he took his own life by hanging, Dr. Barbara Sampson said.

The purpose of Tuesday's hearing was to dismiss the charges against Epstein, but the judge decided to give the accusers a platform to tell their stories.

At the same time, he allowed Epstein's attorneys to challenge the coroner's finding.

One of Epstein's lawyers, Martin Weinberg, said that an expert consulted by the defense team found the fatal injuries were "more consistent ... with homicide" than suicide.

A prosecutor called questions surrounding Epstein's death as "completely irrelevant to the purpose of today's proceeding."

Berman, however, said that it was fair "for defense counsel to raise its concerns."

The judge began the hearing by describing Epstein's suicide as a "rather stunning turn of events."

Epstein, who was known for friendships with high-profile figures such as US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, faced up to 45 years if convicted.

The nature of the charges against Epstein and his connections to prominent people gave rise to suspicions about the circumstances of his death, which is now under investigation by both the Department of Justice and Congress.

Epstein, who pleaded not guilty to one count each of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, was found unconscious in his cell in Manhattan on July 23 with marks on his neck.

MCC administrators put the prisoner on suicide watch following that incident, but the watch was discontinued.

Authorities disclosed that the two guards who were supposed to check on Epstein periodically during the night of Aug. 9-10 fell asleep and then falsified reports to conceal their negligence.

The defendant's death came a day after a New York federal appeals court judge ordered the unsealing of hundreds of pages of court documents containing new details of the sexual abuse allegations.

Those documents were from a 2015 defamation suit that one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, brought against Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime female friend of the financier.

Giuffre and others say that Maxwell, the daughter of disgraced British media magnate and politician Robert Maxwell (1923-1991), procured underage girls to be sexually exploited by Epstein and his associates.

The documents include accusations that Epstein instructed the then-underage Giuffre to have sex with Prince Andrew, with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and with George Mitchell, who led the Democrats in the US Senate from 1989-1995.

All three men denied the allegations.

Epstein first faced charges of sexually exploiting minors more than a decade ago, but that prosecution ended in 2008 with an agreement that saw him serve a 13-month sentence in a jail in Palm Beach County, Florida, after pleading guilty to state charges.

The deal was approved by the-then US attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta.

Epstein's accusers, who were kept in the dark about the agreement, reacted angrily when they learned the details of the arrangement, thanks mainly to investigative reporting by The Miami Herald.

The decision by the US attorney in New York to revive the case and order the July 6 arrest of Epstein brought renewed attention to the 2008 deal, and the resulting public outrage forced Acosta to resign last month as labor secretary in the Trump administration.

EFE

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