PALM BEACH RESIDENT FACES SOLICITATION CHARGE - Sun Sentinel

PALM BEACH RESIDENT FACES SOLICITATION CHARGE - Sun Sentinel Page 1 of 4 PALM BEACH RESIDENT FACES SOLICITATION CHARGE By Chrystian Tejedor Staff WriterStaff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL JULY 26, 2006 A wealthy Palm Beach resident charged with soliciting prostitution is out of jail, but police now want the FBI to investigate him. "I do not feel that justice has been sufficiently served by the indictment that has been issued," Palm Beach Police Chief wrote to the parents of one alleged victim. Police accused Jeffrey Epstein, a self-made man who works as a money manager and owns a fleet of aircraft, of fondling and -- in one cage -- having sex with underage girls whom he paid for massages. At the end of a 13-month investigation, detectives recommended that Epstein, 53, be charged with four counts of committing an unlawful sex act on a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. Epstein's attorney, however, said the grand jury acted responsibly when it set aside the department's recommendations. "Those charges refer to false accusations that were not charged because the state attorney questioned [witness testimony]," Jack Goldberger said. Goldberger also said police failed to turn up corroborating evidence and Epstein passed a lie detector test regarding the accusations. The case centers on interviews with the girls who were 14 to i6 years old at the time they came to "work" for Epstein, according to a police report. Epstein, who turned himself in at the Palm Beach County Jail Sunday, allegedly paid the girls $200 to $1,000, depending on the type of sexual activity they performed, according to police. A recruiter a girl who is now 20 years old and would find girls from her school --would earn $200 for each girl she would find. $1 FOR 4 MONTHS SAVE NOW ) Hurry, this sale ends 5/1 Exhibit 7 htto://www.sun-sentinel.cominews/fl-xum-2006-07-26-0607260021-storv.html mI t) EFTA00176892 PALM BEACH RESIDENT FACES SOLICITATION CHARGE - Sun Sentinel Page 2 of 4 "The more you do, the more you get paid," the recruiter told one girl during a call that was taped by police. Generally, Epstein's assistant would tell the recruiter when Epstein would be in town and the recruiter would drive a girl to Epstein's five-bedroom, 71/2 bath home on El Brillo Way, according to a police report. The home is valued at $6.9 million, property records show. Epstein's assistant would then escort the girl to a bedroom with a massage table and oils. Epstein would walk in wearing only a towel and would ask the girl to give him a back and chest massage, according to police. Epstein would touch himself during some massages and would try to fondle the girls with sex toys, police said. In one case, investigators interviewed a girl who was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession and offered details of her experience at Epstein's home. As in the other cases, her encounter started at age 16 when the recruiter brought her to Epstein's home, she told police. Things escalated over time and she told authorities that she became Epstein's "number one girl." The girl told police Epstein paid her to have sex with a woman and would then perform a sex act on them. One time, Epstein briefly had sex with the girl although they previously agreed to not have sex, according to police. When searching Epstein's home, investigators also found nude pictures of what appeared to be some of the alleged victims, according to a police report. Police also scoured his garbage, finding the names of potential witnesses and victims on discarded messages. Despite witness testimony, the grand jury charged Epstein only with soliciting prostitution, which upset S the Palm Beach police chief. While police were disappointed with that decision, the State Attorney's Office said police could have bypassed the grand jury by arresting Epstein based on the evidence detectives collected. "They elected to make a warrant request ... and the State Attorney's Office then has to meet a constitutional standard of proof above and beyond a reasonable doubt," said spokesman for the State Attorney's Office. $1 FOR 4 MONTHS SAVE NOW > Hurry, this sale ends 5/1 a httn•Ilumnr con-centinpl etnminewc/fl-imm-70116117-26-0607260021-storv.htrn1 4/22/2019 EFTA00176893 PALM BEACH RESIDENT FACES SOLICITATION CHARGE - Sun Sentinel Page 3 of 4 l aid information is routinely forwarded to a grand jury if there are questions about which charges should be filed. Epstein, according to a Vanity Fair magazine profile, manages money for billionaire clients. He has yet to file a plea, but was freed after posting $3,000 bond early Monday. Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report. Chrystian Tejedor can be reached at Copyright O 2019, Sun Sentinel This 'attr(data-c-typename)' is related to: Prostitution, Crime, FBI S1 FOR 4 MONTHS Hurry, this sale ends 5/1 SAVE NOW ) Lath. Inn, nant:n.I ^tin. /man re /41 nal _r) AAK_A7_14_11497',499") 1 -etnru hfrn1 tt/TMA 1 9 EFTA00176894 PALM BEACH RESIDENT FACES SOLICITATION CHARGE :Sun Sentinel Page 4 of 4 ...•:nal r;_n(,n7-mori7 I ..etnry html 4/22/2019 EFTA00176895