Victims of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who have waged a decade-long fight for justice, on Monday pressed a federal judge to finally take action on their motion to throw out a controversial plea agreement that gave the politically connected multimillionaire immunity from federal prosecution.
Lawyers for Epstein’s victims filed the request in the Southern District of Florida, asking judge Kenneth Marra to either make a decision or set a date for a hearing on the motion to vacate the deal. That request, which many legal experts consider a long shot, has been awaiting his ruling for more than a year.
Epstein, 65, was given what victims’ advocates consider one of the most lenient plea deals for a serial sex offender in history. The New York hedge fund manager faced a possible life sentence for molesting dozens — and perhaps hundreds — of underage girls at his Palm Beach mansion from 2001 to 2006, according to federal court documents.