Rene Alexander Acosta (born January 16, 1969) is an American attorney, academic, and politician. Today, he serves as the 27th United States Secretary of Labor. He was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida between June 11, 2005 and June 5, 2009. During that time he committed to the most egregious sentencing deal in the history of American jurisprudence. Despite this with all the cringe inducing aspects to it, he maintains his position as Secretary of Labor.
As U.S. Attorney on an October morning in 2007, he had a breakfast appointment with a former colleague, Washington, D.C., attorney Jay Lefkowitz. Instead of meeting at his Miami headquarters. It is reported: “the two men — both with professional roots in the prestigious Washington law firm of Kirkland & Ellis — convened at the Marriott in West Palm Beach, about 70 miles away. For Lefkowitz, 44, . . . the meeting was critical.” Why is Acosta holding a secret meeting?
Here we have a U.S. attorney meeting secretly with a lawyer who represented “Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, 54, [who] was accused of assembling a large, cult-like network of underage girls — with the help of young female recruiters — to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion as often as three times a day, the Town of Palm Beach police found.” Epstein is involved in raping many, many young girls
Not only that, Epstein was “suspected of trafficking minor girls, often from overseas, for sex parties at his other homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and the Caribbean, . . . ” and was facing a 53 page federal indictment that if convicted he would have gone to prison for life. A grand jury heard the evidence and returned an indictment.
Leftkowitz was able to get Acosta to do the following (each one of which is unheard of in a usual case):
(1) shut down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein’s sex crimes, Why did the FBI not complain?
(2) agree to give Epstein and four of his accomplices named in the agreement immunity from all federal criminal charges. How do you give others immunity?
(3) grant immunity to “any potential co-conspirators’’ who were also involved in Epstein’s crimes. How do you give unknown people immunity?
(4) despite a federal law to the contrary, that the deal would be kept from the victims. Why keep it secret unless it is sordid?
(5) to help shield the deal from public scrutiny. “The case’s lead prosecutor, A. Marie Villafaña, wrote to Mr. Epstein’s lawyer at one point: “I can file the charge in district court in Miami which will hopefully cut the press coverage significantly. Do you want to check that out?” Isn’t this in itself an admission of a fix being in?
In exchange Epstein would plead guilty to two prostitution charges in state court. He would be sentenced to 18 months but do a year in jail. Six days a week for 12 hours a day he could leave to go to his home or office. Did the Sheriff get compensated for this?
This deal by the U.S. Attorney Acosta could best be described as villainous. It is one that is far, far beyond comprehension. I cannot shake the feeling that a lot of money had to have passed hands especially since Epstein is known to spend freely to protect himself. Has anyone looked into the assets of Attorney Acosta or how he received subsequent positions? Has anyone looked into the assets of any others involved?
Here is the Miami Herald article that broke open the true story and here is a good summary that brings things up to date. What has happened is beyond astonishing. How is it that Acosta could have secured the cooperation of other attorneys in his office to go along with a deal not to notify the victims, as as shown by the email to defense counsel by A. Marie Villafaña, the lead prosecutor, asking if the defendant approved of the way they planned to minimize the press coverage in the case.
It seems the case had been taken over by the defense lawyers the well-connected Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr and Jay Lefkowitz. Dershowitz, on left, himself accused of participating with Epstein in his sordid actions. Was he one of the ones who was interested in receiving the unheard of immunity from prosecution that Acosta gave to any potential co-conspirators?
Ken Starr had to leave his position as president of Baylor because of “fundamental failure” in the way the school responded to sexual assault allegations and lately accused of helping a student accused of sexual harassment. How could Starr, shown on the left, who went after Bill Clinton with such vehemence because he had a sexual relationship with an intern turn around and represent Epstein? What did he bring to the table? Why did he want to represent a sex predator?
A deal like this that smells like a pig sty means there is so much more involved than we can see. It would be nice to pull the lid off of it.
Al lacks all credibility. Is AOC a copy of Holly Golightly?
“Is AOC a copy of Holly Golightly?”
A question Tadzio would field beautifully.
Looks like Eppie has some time to think. He’d do OK in Gen Pop. Don’t ya agree? He would never be killed in lock up. They would keep him alive for years.
Saw another interview with Al, the Lawyer. Man, is he guilty. He said he got a message at Eppie’s place but he kept his underpants on the whole time and the person giving him the rub was an old, old Russian woman! Can’t make this shit up.
Wa-llahi! Epstein is an experienced black-mailer. Anyone who visited his mansion, flew on his plane, visited his island, etc., is in jeopardy. Dershowitz is screwed. Bill Clinton is in the mix, too.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely (Lord Acton). Down with the bourgeoisie. All praise to AOC and her comrades. All power to the dialectic!
Hi Matt:
I thought Acosta looked like a really pathetic figure as he stood by Trump near the Marine helicopter this morning. Becoming a prop in the Trump show was a final humiliation for the former Cabinet member. The president said Acosta was a great labor secretary, a great guy, a very smart guy and, get this, a Hispanic guy. Trump certainly didn’t sound like the man who had just thrown Acosta to the wolves. Oh well, no need to shed a tear.
This is a story that just keeps on giving. Yesterday we learned that Jeffrey Epstein was willing to post his Manhattan mansion/sex lair and his private jet (the “Lolita Express” one newspaper called it) as collateral to get him out of jail. The former billionaire would remain under house arrest at his mansion/lair with a tracking device attached to his leg. I can just see Epstein coming to an upper-story window in the mansion and waving to the masses below (if you can call passersby on Manhattan’s Upper East Side the masses.) Alas, Epstein remains jail. Today, the judge is permitted the sex offender to file a financial disclosure form under seal in a further effort to get sprung.
Stat tuned.
Is it fair to say that the deal EPSTEIN has with MUELLER is quite similar to the deal WHITEY BULGER had with MUELLER?
Acosta announces his retirement. Good!
Forget the politics. Forget whether Martorano getting 12 years for 20 murders was more outrageous. It too was outrageous.
Matt’s analysis is correct. Epstein’s crimes were horrendous. The deals Acosta and his fellows on the FEDs and State approved were HORRENDOUS.
All who sanctioned this deal should be fully investigated. FED PROSECUTORS, FBI BOSSES, STATE PROSECUTORS, JUDGES, ETCETERA.
All who received ‘IMMUNITY” should be fully investigated. If the deal only applied to the Florida District, then perhaps the immunity deals only should apply there.
Anyway investigate fully and report, whether or not others will be indicted or prosecuted, REPORT FULLY all involved in this HORRENDOUSLY SORDID AFFAIR, abusers, abettors, state and FED officials who went along, O.K. ed, remained silent, or otherwise participated in or green lighted this sordid deal or had the power to veto this sordid deal.
FULLY INVESTIGATE! PULL NO PUNCHES. LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED.
IF we don’t fully investigate and disclose, we will know that talks of justice is just talk.
2. Why has it taken 11 years for the national outrage to resurface? Kudos to the Miami Herald for digging into this and Kudos to the New York Prosecutors office for fully investigating the law, constitution and facts of this case, and having the courage to decide they can proceed against this Billionaire.
3. Think of the past victims and how fully investigating these crimes and the leniency the FEDs/State gave the Powerful will help protect current victims and help prevent future victims, we hope.
4. Justice for all, not separate justice for the rich and powerful.
The Flemmi and Martorano deals were probably worse.On the surface it looks like a bad deal. Too lenient. Not notifying the victims could cause the Court to negate it. However a plea was obtained where Epstein admitted to having sex with minors. This is evidence that could be used in the NYC case. Pattern evidence. It would corroborate all the NYC victims claims making a conviction much more likely. 2. It should be noted that the only two times Epstein was prosecuted was by Republican appointees. No action by the Obama DOJ. It was the Democrat Cy Vance that tried to reduce Epstein’s sex registration status. But you are correct the lid has to be pulled off this affair. Was Epstein an FBI informant?