Tuesday, 23 Apr 2024

What We Know About the Jeffrey Epstein Charges

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It’s Tuesday.

Weather: Sunny most of the day, with a high near 89. Temperatures will drop to 71 by tonight.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until Aug. 11.

Some of the nude and partly nude images were found inside a locked safe. There were also CDs with labels like “Girl pics nude.”

These were among the “vast trove” of images of young women, some of whom appeared to be underage, prosecutors said, that were found during a search of the Manhattan townhouse of Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy financier. A decade earlier, he had avoided federal prosecution on similar allegations that he had sexually exploited dozens of vulnerable minors.

[Read our latest coverage of the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein.]

Mr. Epstein’s case has drawn intense interest partly because of his extensive ties to celebrities, socialites and powerful figures, including United States presidents, past and current.

On Monday, prosecutors unsealed new charges of sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy and argued that Mr. Epstein be held without bail.

Federal prosecutors said in court documents that the lewd photos showed Mr. Epstein “is not reformed, he is not chastened, he is not repentant.”

Here’s what we know:

Years of accusations

Mr. Epstein, 66, has been accused for years in civil court cases and in police complaints of preying on girls at his New York City mansion and his Palm Beach, Fla., estate.

[The $56 million mansion where Mr. Epstein is charged with abusing girls.]

An investigation was opened in 2005 after the parents of an accuser in Florida reported him to the police. But in 2008, prosecutors in Miami made a secret deal with Mr. Epstein that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution. Instead, he spent about a year in a Palm Beach jail, where he was allowed to leave six days a week for work.

President Trump’s secretary of labor, Alexander Acosta, then a United States attorney in Southern Florida, oversaw the 2008 plea deal that was widely criticized as letting the financier off the hook.

Presidents and royalty

It might be an understatement to say that Mr. Epstein has rubbed elbows with rich and prominent people. His high-profile connections have included former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Britain and Mr. Trump, among others.

In 2002, Mr. Trump told New York magazine that Mr. Epstein was a “terrific guy,” adding: “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

If convicted …

Even though Mr. Epstein made a deal in Florida in 2008, Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States attorney in Manhattan, said that his office was not bound by it.

If convicted, Mr. Epstein, who was arrested on Saturday, could face a combined maximum sentence of up to 45 years in prison.

Prosecutors are also looking for the forfeiture of his Upper East Side mansion, valued at $56 million, on East 71st Street. He is accused of abusing underage girls there.

From The Times

Governor Cuomo signed a bill that requires tax officials to disclose Mr. Trump’s state tax returns if requested for any “specified and legitimate legislative purpose.”

Following a Times investigation, city leaders have taken steps to go after those who persuaded thousands of cabdrivers to take on huge loans. But there’s one thing they still cannot agree on: if the city should forgive the drivers’ overwhelming debt.

In other transit news, last week more than 60 New Jersey Transit trains were canceled during peak hours. Who’s to blame? New Jersey Transit gave a familiar explanation, saying it doesn’t have enough trains and train operators.

[Want more news from New York and around the region? Check out our full coverage.]

The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

A pride flag outside a Harlem L.G.B.T.Q. bar was set on fire, again. [NY1]

Who has the keys to the park on West 148th Street? Only a select few, neighbors say. [The City]

School principals can skip district meetings in September. The city’s Education Department wants to give them more time inside schools. [The Daily News]

Coming up today

A panel of artists and experts comes together to discuss how Muslim communities have influenced hip-hop at “Islam and the Soul of Hip Hop” at the Brooklyn Historical Society. 6:30 p.m. [$5]

Join a walking tour of synagogues in lower-central Harlem, including some “architectural gems.” 6:30 p.m. [$20]

The director Ari Aster will discuss his new film, “Midsommar,” about a festival in a remote Swedish village, at Lincoln Center. 7 p.m. [Free]

Consider animal consciousness and its implications for human consciousness and morality at a talk with a primatologist and an animal psychologist at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. 7 p.m. [By donation]

— Vivian Ewing

Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.

Metropolitan Diary: Filling balloons

Dear Diary:

It was June 17, my friend Shaima’s birthday. She and I worked in the same office, and I was the designated “balloon person” for her birthday surprise.

The night before, I tried blowing up enough gold balloons to fill her cubicle, but I got lightheaded after just a few. I planned to get more ready in the morning, but my lungs still felt tired when I woke up.

I carried a big industrial-size trash bag barely half-full of inflated balloons to the A train stop at Nostrand Avenue. I took the train to Hoyt-Schermerhorn, where I transferred to the G to finish the trip to work.

While I waited for the G, I saw two teenage boys on the platform looking bored. I approached them.

“Can you help me with these balloons?” I asked. “It’s my co-worker’s birthday today.”

They looked at me indifferently but they did not object, so I handed them some balloons. When they finished blowing up one, I would hand them another.

They were soon sharing irritated looks, but still no objections. I wondered if I was a bully. By the time the train arrived, the bag was full. When we got on, they rushed into a different car.

— Miju Hong

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Andrea Salcedo is a reporter on the Metro desk. She was selected as one of the fellows for the Times inaugural class. She graduated from Columbia University and Columbia College Chicago.  @@salcedonews

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