Mega Edition: The Southern District Of Florida And The Epstein NPA (1/22/26)

As U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 2008, Alex Acosta negotiated and approved a non-prosecution agreement that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to avoid federal prosecution on sweeping sex trafficking allegations, instead pleading guilty to two state prostitution charges and serving roughly 13 months with extensive work-release privileges — a disposition that prosecutors and judges later called “a national disgrace.” The deal effectively shut down an ongoing federal investigation that included dozens of underage victims and potential evidence of a broader trafficking network, and it was negotiated in secret without timely notice to the victims, which violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act acco...