Posted on 04/14/2020 2:01:35 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled that prosecutors did not break the law in negotiating a plea agreement with Jeffrey Epstein while keeping his victims in the dark more than a decade ago.
A three-judge panel on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that federal prosecutors, led at the time by former Trump administration Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, did not violate victims' rights laws in negotiating a lenient and secretive plea agreement for the late financier.
But the ruling tore into the prosecutors for their handling of Epstein's case, which the judges called a "national disgrace.
"Despite our sympathy for Ms. Wild and others like her, who suffered unspeakable horror at Epstein’s hands, only to be left in the dark—and, so it seems, affirmatively misled—by government lawyers, we find ourselves constrained to deny her petition," the court ruled, referring to Courtney Wild, a victim of Epstein's who brought the case against the prosecutors.
"Because the government never filed charges or otherwise commenced criminal proceedings against Epstein, the [Crime Victims' Right Act (CVRA)] was never triggered," the opinion reads. "It’s not a result we like, but it’s the result we think the law requires."
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
The AG found Epstein’s death to be a suicide.
The Congress found Obama to be a natural born citizen.
The Bill Clinton-appointed judge was the only dissenter. The majority opinion was by a Trump appointee, and the concurrence was by Ford appointee.
Epstein didn't kill himself, but the slimy weasels of the legal system are killing the letter, spirit, and rule of law.
The law is just full of loopholes designed for getting the elite out of trouble. And even if there was no criminal violation then there was still an ethical one. And those prosecutors should be punished for it.
Are federal courts of turned into a protection racket for crooked prosecutors, criminal politicians, and the extremely rich.
Is it time to burn down the house?
I meant to say:
Our federal courts have turned into a protection racket for crooked prosecutors, criminal politicians, and the extremely rich.
Is it time to burn down the house?
Frank Hull dissent:
Given the undisputed facts that the U.S. Attorney’s Office completed its investigation, drafted a 53-page indictment, and negotiated for days with Epstein’s defense team, the Office egregiously violated federal law and the victims’ rights by
(1) not conferring one minute with them (or their counsel) before striking the final NPA deal granting federal immunity to Epstein and his co-conspirators,
(2) intentionally and unfairly concealing the NPA from the victims, as well as how the upcoming State Court plea hearing would directly affect them, and
(3) affirmatively misrepresenting the status of the case to the victims after the NPA was executed.
I would remand for the District Court [Southern District of Florida] to fashion a remedy.
For all of these reasons, I respectfully dissent from the Majority’s (1) decision that the crime victims of Epstein and his co-conspirators had no statutory rights whatsoever under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, and (2) denial of the victims’ petition in this case as a matter of law.
The Atlantic Ocean is made out of grapefruit juice.
‘Violating the law’ is a high standard when they have a lot of discretion. It’s part of why you want to be diligent about keeping scum or incompetents out of the positions.
There is reason to trust the federal gubmint.
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