Federal Prosecutors Accuse Epstein Of Witness Tampering

Federal prosecutors accused alleged sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein of witness tampering in a court filing Friday asking that the financier be denied bail as he awaits trial.

The United States attorney’s office in Manhattan said Epstein wired $350,000 to two possible co-conspirators within five days of the Miami Herald’s November 28 expose on former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta’s sweetheart deal with Epstein in 2007.

“As in the past, within recent months, [Epstein] paid significant amounts of money to influence individuals who were close to him during the time period charged in this case and who might be witnesses against him at trial,” prosecutors wrote to U.S. District Judge Richard Berman.

The accusations were first reported by The New York Times.

Epstein wired $100,000 from a trust account under his control to an individual named as a possible co-conspirator in his 2007 non-prosecution agreement just two days after publication of the Miami Herald’s story, prosecutors said.

Three days after that, Epstein wired $250,000 from the same trust account to another possible co-conspirator, who is also identified as one of the financier’s employees, prosecutors said.

“This course of action, and in particular its timing, suggests the defendant was attempting to further influence co-conspirators who might provide information against him in light of the recently re-emerging allegations,” prosecutors wrote.

Child sex-trafficking charges against Epstein were unsealed Monday following his arrest Saturday after flying into New Jersey from Paris.

Epstein pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday.