Epstein Victim wants Supreme Court to Look at Whether Victims’ Rights were Violated

Jeffrey Epstein victim, Courtney Wild, is calling for the Supreme Court to rule on whether or not prosecutors have to confer with victims before arranging a non-prosecution agreement.

Jeffrey Epstein avoided a plethora of criminal charges by taking a “sweetheart-deal” deal and pleaded guilty to only two of the many charges against him, soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. This resulted in a 13-month work-release prison stay instead of the 14-17 year sentence many feel he deserved.

Epstein was out of the prison cell for around 16 hours a day, the work release allowing him to continue his daytime activities at his West Palm Beach office as per usual.

Wild demanded information from federal prosecutors about their investigation of Epstein, previously suing the U.S. Justice Department in 2008.

Her legal action compelled the government to reveal that the United States Attorney’s Office in Miami had already negotiated a confidential agreement with Epstein several months before without alerting the alleged victims.

“Courtney’s rights were intentionally violated by our government, and we are now asking our United States Supreme Court to take this important case and finally bring the justice Courtney has been seeking, which will forever forbid the government from working in secret against victims, no matter how wealthy and powerful the criminal might be,” said Brad Edwards, an attorney for wild.

Wild’s lawyers, including Jay Howell and Paul Cassell, filed a petition on Tuesday that claims the agreement was struck in secret, which violates victims’ rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA).

The documents state, “In the case below, a child sex trafficker—Jeffrey Epstein—was able to negotiate a secret, pre-indictment non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with federal prosecutors. Even after the agreement was consummated, Government lawyers did not confer with Epstein’s child sex abuse victims about it and misled them about the agreement’s existence.”

The case has already been rejected by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, 7-4. They expressed sympathy but confirmed that their hands are tied because the government never filed charges against Epstein, meaning that Wild’s rights under the CVRA weren’t violated.

Prosecutors had drafted a 53-page indictment but never filed it because Epstein took the NPA.

In the court’s majority opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom wrote, “Because the [federal] government never filed charges against Epstein, there was no pre-existing proceeding in which Ms. Wild could have moved for relief under the CVRA, and the Act does not sanction her stand-alone suit.”

Wild’s attorneys won’t take no for an answer and say that the “Justice Department’s practice of covertly and deceptively arranging non-prosecution deals” is illegitimate.

They also argue, “to dispense with victims’ rights and orchestrate clandestine deals without affording victims any rights under the CVRA.”

Wild’s goal in this is simple, “All we have ever wanted is to make sure that there are basic rights for victims like myself. My final hope in this fight is with the United States Supreme Court, who I hope and pray will take my case and right the wrong that was done. ”

 

Follow Riiver Nihil:  Gettr   Instagram

Follow Tatum Report:  Gettr   Instagram   Twitter   Facebook

Join The Discussion

Related Posts
Total
19
Share