Seventeen years ago, the deceased financier allegedly sexually abused tens of girls. A former Florida state attorney ruled that he had no authority to release records regarding Epstein’s sex crimes from a 2006 inquiry.
Now, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals says that was a mistake, and it has sent the case to a circuit judge to decide on releasing the records. Judge Donald W. Hafele is tasked with determining whether the documents may be released because grand jury records are usually kept secret.
Scott Ponce, in the Miami office of Holland & Knight, said of the potential release of the records, “It’s nearly impossible to get them. This is one of those rare cases where it can happen.”
The director of public access initiatives at the Florida Center for Government Accountability, Michael Barfield, said, “It is a very significant advancement for access to records in Florida and in this case in particular.”
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The release of the grand jury’s records would be a big win for victims who have said, in conjunction with police officers, that Epstein’s high-powered lawyers overwhelmed then-state attorney Barry Krischer’s team. Epstein’s team included former U. S. Solicitor General Kenneth Starr and Alan Dershowitz.
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Officers from the Palm Beach Police Department have investigated multiple cases where Epstein recruited girls and women to perform massages that later resulted in sexual acts. Epstein’s law team successfully negotiated a plea deal for the multimillionaire to which he pled guilty in 2008. He was sentenced to the Palm Beach County jail in a private area and allowed to leave for several hours each day.
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A Palm Beach lawyer representing some of Epstein’s victims said the release of the records is important, even now. Spencer Kuvin admitted there was a significant amount of secrecy regarding the trial and said, “A full accounting of what happened and how it occurred is significant to the victims because they don’t want it to happen to anyone ever again.”
Under certain circumstances, Florida law permits grand jury records to be released by the court. According to the American Military News, one of those particular circumstances includes the goal of “furthering justice.”
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