EPSTEIN
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Reluctantly, the woman, who, like most of the others filed a civil suit using a pseudonym, admitted the abortions were
worse.
A controversial non-prosecution agreement Epstein signed to avoid federal charges was to protect the women from such
intrusive questioning.
"You have a number of girls who were very hesitant about even speaking to authorities about this because of the trauma
that they have suffered and about the embarrassment," Assistant U.S. Attorney
, who crafted the deal,
told a federal judge. "So we did through the non-prosecution agreement tried to protect their rights while also protecting
their privacy."
'Hyper-sexualized' women
After the feds promised to stop their investigation, Epstein agreed to plead guilty to two state charges: procuring a minor
for prostitution and soliciting prostitution. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail in July after serving 13
months of an 18-month sentence. As part of the deal, he agreed not to contest the accusations in the civil lawsuits. But, he
can argue that the women don't deserve the millions they are seeking.
That gave Critton the opening to question the women about the beatings some suffered at the hands of their fathers,
stepfathers and boyfriends, their drug use, arrests, academic failures and their sex lives.
For some, the questions were too much. Four of the 17 women who filed lawsuits have settled for undisclosed amounts.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/v ictims-seeki ng-sex-offender-s-mi II ions-see-painful-192988.ht... 1/24/2010
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Victims seeking sex offender's millions see painful pasts used against them
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Adam Horowitz, who represents six of the women, said it's not surprising that some would become strippers or prostitutes
after their experiences with Epstein. "These women were hyper-sexualized at very young ages," he said. That they came
from troubled, or even violent, homes only made them more vulnerable, he said.
In a deposition, a woman identified as M. said she began working as a call girl and stripper after her experience with
Epstein, whom she met at age 15. She said she left the "bunny ranch" business in June when she was 21.
"I've been seeing psychiatrists and kind of realized that this life isn't for me," she said.
If she was so traumatized by Epstein, Critton questions why she went to his house more than 100 times and solicited
more than 50 other girls for him. Also, in a statement to police, she described Epstein as "an awesome man" who sent
gifts to her baby shower.
However, not all of the women have sordid pasts, according to court records. In her lawsuit, one "Jane Doe" said she was
working a $9-an-hour job at Mar-a-Lago when she was recruited at ag
four years, Epstein used her as his sex
slave, taking her around the world on his private jet before she fled to
where she now lives, says the lawsuit filed
by Miami attorney Robert Josefsberg.
Before she escaped, she, along with young girls from various foreign countries, were forced to service Epstein. She was
also sexually exploited by his friends, including "royalty, politicians, scientists and businessmen," says the suit. It was
settled last month.
Epstein pleads the Fifth
During depositions, Epstein has refused to answer questions about such allegations, claiming his Fifth Amendment right
against self-incrimination. He has refused to talk about his holdings — a 51,000-square-foot mansion in Manhattan, a
7,500-acre ranch in New Mexico and a 70-acre island in the Virgin Islands. He is mum about his background as a high
school math teacher who worked for Bear Stearns before starting his own financial management company. He is equally
taciturn about trips he took with former President Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and actors Kevin Spacey and Chris
Tucker.
Deposition exchanges have been nasty.
"Would you agree with the description that you are a pervert?" asked attorney Spencer Kuvin. Epstein took the Fifth.
"Do you believe you're a sexual deviant?" Kuvin asked. Epstein said no.
In most cases, Critton has instructed Epstein not to answer. At the same time, attorneys representing the victims have
instructed their clients not to speak about some matters.
Although a magistrate who is overseeing the federal cases warned Critton not to be abusive, she said Epstein has a right
to probe the women's backgrounds. Critton said such questioning is only fair.
" (Their) damages will be substantially reduced due to several preexisting and diagnosed conditions for which they now
attempt to pawn off on Epstein in an effort to increase their damages."
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