Palm Beach County judge releases sealed Jeffrey Epstein documents following new state law
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Joseph Abruzzo released sealed grand jury documents Monday related to the Jeffrey Epstein case under the jurisdiction of 15th Judicial Circuit Judge Louis Delgado.
The landmark decision follows the approval of HB 117, which was sponsored by Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach. Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the bill provides opening to the Jeffrey Epstein files sealed in Palm Beach County.
“The public has the right to know why Epstein was set free after a meager jail time of 13 months on the county stockade,” Gossett-Seidman said in a release. “Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter had discovered more than 200 counts of human trafficking and lewd and lascivious behavior, rifling through Epstein’s garbage, conducting months of undercover work and tracking down victims, including girls as young as 12. Yet only one victim testified.”
Following proceedings in 2006, Epstein was convicted of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and felony solicitation of a prostitute. After reaching a plea deal, he was sentence to 18 months in prison and 12 months of house arrest.
“Finally, we will know the heinous behavior that occurred here in Palm Beach County, long before the Epstein name became globally abhorrent. I and thousands of residents followed this case and worried for our own children,” Gossett-Seidman said.
A convicted sex offender, Epstein’s criminal penalty was scrutinized for its leniency. While in custody, he was allowed to say in an isolated cell, roam freely and watch television.
A presumption also was made that Epstein’s wealth and political connections garnered him special treatment. Although, a report by state investigators in 2021 indicated it was to protect Epstein from other inmates and capitalizing on his wealth.
Despite his custody, Epstein reportedly professed to be running his financial consulting business and foundation as part of a work-release program. He also reportedly spent six days a week and 18 hours in office with minimal oversight from law enforcement.
“I hope the Epstein documents will provide relief to the 200 or more victims who suffered as young teens, many from Lake Worth Middle School and Royal Palm High School. Sadly, two victims have committed suicide in recent years,” Gossett-Seidman said. “Also, Palm Beach Police Chief Investigator Joseph Recarey, passed at age 50 without knowing the outcome. For their families and other victims, I hope they may find consolation that truth and justice prevailed.”
In a separate case, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking of minors in Manhattan Federal Court in July 2019. One month later, Epstein killed himself in his New York City federal prison cell awaiting trial.
At the time of his suicide, Epstein was accused of paying underage girls hundreds of dollars for massages at his home in Florida and New York before molesting them. His cause of death has become the subject of theories on whether if it was a murder, coining the phrase “Epstein didn’t kill himself.”
In theory, Epstein’s murder prevented him from revealing any compromising information. His connections, furthermore, are rumored to be in flight logs from his home in Palm Beach County to his getaway in the Caribbean.
Referred to as “Epstein Island,” the location was just off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“This debacle should never again be allowed to occur in our court system. Law School professors throughout the country have lectured on this case as an example of miscarriage of justice and abuse of our system,” Gossett-Sediman said. “Officials confirmed that referring a criminal trial to a grand jury never occurred in any of the other 49 states.”
