The Non-Prosecution Agreement: Anatomy of a Cover-Up

The Deal That Shielded a Network

In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein received what victims' attorneys have called "the sweetheart deal of the century" — a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) negotiated by his defense team and approved by then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta. The deal allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a single state charge of soliciting prostitution, serve just 13 months in a county jail with work-release privileges, and — most controversially — granted immunity to unnamed "co-conspirators."

The Key Players

• Alexander Acosta negotiated the deal as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, later claiming he was told to "leave it alone" because Epstein "belonged to intelligence."
• Alan Dershowitz was part of Epstein's legal dream team, which also included Kenneth Starr and Jay Lefkowitz.
• Bradley Edwards represented victims and fought for years to have the NPA overturned under the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA).
• Paul Cassell (law professor and former federal judge) argued the landmark CVRA case that ultimately found the government violated victims' rights.

What the NPA Concealed

The agreement was negotiated in secret, without notifying over 30 identified victims as required by federal law. It effectively shut down an FBI investigation that had identified dozens of underage victims and multiple co-conspirators. The full scope of the conspiracy was hidden from public view for over a decade.

The Unraveling

In 2019, a federal judge ruled the NPA violated the CVRA. That same year, SDNY prosecutors charged Epstein with sex trafficking. Acosta resigned as Secretary of Labor after the NPA became a political firestorm.