The Federal Bureau of Investigation prepares to unleash new findings on Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday as a part of investigation into those linked to the late financier, the Mirror revealed in an exclusive.
The details are expected to be shared with Epstein’s alleged victims by US lawyers ahead of a congressional committee hearing and public announcement that will take place next week.
They will also reportedly include information on Prince Andrew, who is said to have either met or had contact with “at least six” of the financier’s close circle of friends, who had enabled his abuse of minors.
The FBI revealed over the summer that it had built criminal cases against these individuals and new arrests are soon to be expected.
The lawyer of the alleged victims, Jack Scarola, confirmed the news that the documents are about to be shared with his clients.
“I am aware the Attorney’s Office is meeting Epstein survivors to announce results,” the attorney said, as quoted by the Mirror. “The process has been painfully slow but clearly is progressing, so my attitude is one of cautious optimism.”
The Role of the British Royal in the Epstein Saga
Prince Andrew is accused of having sex with one of Epstein’s most outspoken victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, on at least three occasions back in 2001 while she was still underage. The 60-year-old royal has denied these claims but invited reproach when he defended his friendship with the convicted sex offender during his bombshell interview to BBC’s Newsnight last November.
This recorded conversation has earned him the ire of the British public, as the 60-year-old royal has controversially denied his acquaintance with Giuffre, despite the existence of photo featuring them together. The Duke of York suggested that the image could have been doctored.
He soon found himself compelled to step down from his public duties, in the wake of the strong backlash his interview had caused.
Buckingham Palace stood by the royal, maintaining that “it is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
According to the FBI and federal prosecutors in New York, Prince Andrew was not really cooperative while carrying out a probe against Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking crimes, something the Duke’s lawyers have denied, saying that he had actually reached out to agents on three occasions.
US attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman, however, maintained that Prince Andrew “sought to falsely portray himself to the public as eager and willing to cooperate with an ongoing federal investigation into sex trafficking” of Epstein.
Dozens of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims are currently suing the financier’s estate, which includes properties in Florida and New York, for compensation. A fund has been set up to satisfy the complaints of the billionaire’s alleged victims, who have either openly or anonymously accused Epstein of sex offences and trafficking in the past. It has been reported that over 70 women could apply for compensation.
Epstein himself died in a prison cell last August, while awaiting trial on sex charges, with his death being ruled as a suicide.
Maxwell is Behind Bars
Epstein’s close associate and alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was also arrested in July over charges of grooming and sex trafficking minors back in 1994-97 to be sexually abused by her friend. She is also accused of lying about these crimes two decades afterwards.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre maintains that it was Maxwell who had trafficked her to Prince Andrew, while the British socialite calls the woman an “awful fantasist" instead. The publishing heiress has denied all the accusations brought against her as she expects a trial to be held next year.
However, a number of women have now publicly spoken against Maxwell, claiming that she was actually the mastermind behind Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and an abuser herself.
