FTA:
What happens to Jeffrey Epstein’s money and homes now? Can feds seize everything?
By Sarah Blaskey
FTA:
Now, that trial won’t happen and without a final guilty verdict, a criminal forfeiture of his assets in that case is not possible.
“When someone passes away in the middle of a case — even if convicted — there is no final judgment until after the appeal process,” Piñera-Vazquez said.
Without a forfeiture of assets, Piñera-Vazquez said the only alternative would be to sue Epstien’s estate in civil court.
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Federal authorities could still file a civil forfeiture case in an effort to confiscate Epstein’s properties even without a criminal conviction, according to Marcus.
There is precedent for such a move. In 2007, the Department of Justice brought a civil forfeiture action against the estate of the founder of Enron Corporation, CEO Kenneth Lay, who died of a heart attack while facing charges of engineering a massive fraud.
Federal authorities could still file a civil forfeiture case in an effort to confiscate Epstein’s properties even without a criminal conviction, according to Marcus.
There is precedent for such a move. In 2007, the Department of Justice brought a civil forfeiture action against the estate of the founder of Enron Corporation, CEO Kenneth Lay, who died of a heart attack while facing charges of engineering a massive fraud.
Marcus said he thinks it’s likely that federal prosecutors will do the same in this case due to the number of victims and the vast extent of the estate.
“I think a lot of this is they’re trying to bring redress for victims,” Marcus said.
If a civil forfeiture is filed, a federal judge in civil court would rule on the crimes laid out in the prosecution’s case using the standard of a “preponderance of evidence,” a lower threshold than that used to determine guilt in criminal cases.
Prosecutors would have to present compelling evidence that each asset to be seized was connected to criminal activity. No matter what, Epstein himself won’t be found guilty of the crime, but his estate could still be made to provide restitution to his victims.
I wonder if the cost of appeals, court, incarceration etc. for the rest of Epstein’s life would have been more or less money than would have been seized with the EO?