Emily Smith

Emily Smith

Celebrity News

Accusers bid to reopen Epstein sex abuse case

Two women who claim they were sexually abused by investor Jeffrey Epstein when they were just 13 and 14 years old are pushing to reopen his infamous sex abuse case.

The unnamed women have won a precedent-setting appeals court ruling to allow them to see the details of plea bargain discussions between Epstein and federal prosecutors.

Nearly a decade ago, the financial guru — who made hundreds of millions of dollars managing funds for rich clients — came under FBI investigation, suspected of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls at his Palm Beach mansion. But the probe was dropped, and Epstein, now 61, pleaded guilty to a single state charge of soliciting prostitution in 2008. He served just over a year in jail and now lives in NYC, Paris, New Mexico and the Caribbean.

The two women believe Epstein got special treatment because of his wealth and connections. Now they’ve won a South Florida appeals court ruling entitling them to see all the documents from the plea bargain discussions between Epstein’s lawyers and prosecutors. According to the Associated Press, the women hope to use those files to reopen the case and subject Epstein to more charges, which would be up to the feds to bring.

“Our complaint alleges that, prodded by Epstein, the federal prosecutors deliberately concealed the sweetheart plea deal they made with him to avoid public criticism,” said Paul Cassell, who is representing the two women.

“I hope the case will ultimately set an important precedent that federal prosecutors can’t keep victims in the dark about the plea deals that they reach,” he added. Epstein has since settled lawsuits with numerous women who claimed they were underage when they were paid for sex.

His attorney, Roy Black, did not comment Tuesday night, but in a May court filing he said there was no conspiracy between prosecutors and Epstein. He said the agreement contained provisions they opposed, such as registering as a sex offender. “This was no sweetheart deal by any stretch of the imagination,” Black said.