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2.65 MB
Extraction Summary
8
People
5
Organizations
2
Locations
3
Events
3
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
News article / media clipping (contained within house oversight committee records)
File Size:
2.65 MB
Summary
This document, stamped by the House Oversight Committee, details the criticism directed at former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta and prosecutor Marie Villafaña regarding the Jeffrey Epstein plea deal. It highlights judicial orders from Judges Zloch and Marra admonishing the prosecutors for withholding information from both the court and the victims, violating the Crime Victims' Rights Act. The text notes that at the time of writing, Acosta (then Secretary of Labor) was facing scrutiny and a DOJ probe into professional misconduct.
People (8)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| William J. Zloch | Senior U.S. District Court Judge |
Criticized the U.S. Attorney's office for withholding information from the court in a prior order.
|
| Alexander Acosta | Former U.S. Attorney / U.S. Secretary of Labor |
Architect of the Epstein plea deal; under scrutiny for withholding information from victims and the court.
|
| A. Marie Villafaña | Lead Federal Prosecutor (Assistant U.S. Attorney) |
Worked with Acosta on the Epstein plea bargain; criticized for handling of the prosecution.
|
| Jeffrey Epstein | Defendant / Sex Offender |
Multimillionaire money manager who sexually abused nearly three dozen teenage girls; received a plea deal.
|
| Kenneth A. Marra | U.S. District Court Judge |
Ruled that the plea deal was intentionally kept from victims in violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.
|
| Sarah Huckabee Sanders | White House Press Secretary |
Declined to confirm if President Trump had confidence in Acosta.
|
| Donald Trump | President of the United States |
Mentioned in context of whether he maintains confidence in Acosta.
|
| Francey Hakes | Former DOJ Official (Crimes Against Children unit) |
Commented on the severity of Judge Zloch's allegations against the prosecutors.
|
Organizations (5)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. District Court |
Judicial body issuing orders criticizing prosecutors.
|
|
| Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida |
Office responsible for the prosecution and plea deal.
|
|
| Justice Department (DOJ) |
Launched a probe into professional misconduct by prosecutors.
|
|
| White House |
Addressed inquiries regarding Acosta's standing.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Source of the document (indicated by footer).
|
Timeline (3 events)
2007-2008 (Implied)
January 2019
Justice Department launched probe into prosecutor misconduct
Washington D.C.
June/July 2019 (referenced as 'last month')
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location of Epstein's mansion where abuse occurred.
|
|
|
Jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney's office.
|
Relationships (3)
Worked together to put together the plea bargain for Epstein.
Acosta negotiated a plea deal with Epstein.
Acosta serves as Secretary of Labor under Trump; confidence is under review.
Key Quotes (5)
"The court is at a total loss as to why the Office of the United States Attorney ... found it appropriate to intentionally withhold ... information from the court."Source
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Quote #1
"When the Government gives information to victims, it cannot be misleading."Source
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Quote #2
"While the Government spent untold hours negotiating the terms and implications of the [agreement] with Epstein’s attorneys, scant information was shared with victims."Source
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Quote #3
"Acosta’s involvement in the Epstein case is 'currently under review.'"Source
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Quote #4
"That allegation is like dropping a bomb in the legal community"Source
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Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,586 characters)
write a treatise for the judge in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade him to soften the stinging language in his order.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge William J. Zloch copied Acosta on his order, noting, “The court is at a total loss as to why the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, as well as the Assistant United States Attorney assigned to the above-styled cause, found it appropriate to intentionally withhold ... information from the court.”
A. Marie Villafaña was the lead federal prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein sex case. The U.S. attorney’s office’s handling of the prosecution, which led to a plea to minor charges in state court, has been harshly criticized.
Later that year, Acosta and Villafaña put together a plea bargain for Epstein, a multimillionaire money manager who sexually abused nearly three dozen teenage girls at his mansion in Palm Beach. The deal, a federal judge ruled last month, was intentionally kept from his victims in violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.
While the two cases are unrelated, it shows that both Acosta and Villafaña had been warned about the importance of victim disclosure in sex crimes cases before the Epstein agreement. They nevertheless forged ahead with a pact with Epstein that violated the law.
U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra wrote: “When the Government gives information to victims, it cannot be misleading. While the Government spent untold hours negotiating the terms and implications of the [agreement] with Epstein’s attorneys, scant information was shared with victims.”
This comes as Acosta, who is now the U.S. secretary of labor, is facing mounting scrutiny for his oversight of the Epstein case. On Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to say whether President Trump has full confidence in Acosta, noting that Acosta’s involvement in the Epstein case is “currently under review.”
The Justice Department launched a probe in January into whether Acosta, Villafaña and other prosecutors committed professional misconduct.
Francey Hakes, who worked in the Justice Department’s Crimes Against Children unit, said Zloch’s comments were so brutal that it should have deterred Acosta and Villafaña from keeping the deal secret.
“It is highly unusual for a court to allege an assistant U.S. attorney has intentionally withheld information. That allegation is like dropping a bomb in the legal community,” she said.
The story behind a Palm Beach sex offender’s remarkable deal
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