What to Know
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the Jeffrey Epstein case in Palm Beach County.
- "Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation," DeSantis said in a statement.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the Jeffrey Epstein case in Palm Beach County.
DeSantis sent a request Tuesday to FDLE to investigate "irregularities surrounding the prior state investigation and the ultimate plea agreement," his office said in a statement.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution-related charges involving underage girls. Under a plea deal, Epstein was allowed to spend most days at his West Palm Beach office. Reports show Epstein also was able to visit his Palm Beach mansion, despite restrictions on home visits.
The 66-year-old Epstein faces new federal sex trafficking charges in New York and has pleaded not guilty.
DeSantis said he's also reassigning the case from Palm Beach County to the State Attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Florida. The moves come after DeSantis said he received a letter from Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
"Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation," DeSantis said in a statement. "Following my review of Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s letter, I am requesting the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take over his criminal investigation pertaining to the Jeffrey Epstein matter. In addition, FDLE will conduct a preliminary inquiry into matters beyond the work release and into other irregularities concerning the case’s disposition. I have also re-assigned the case to the State Attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit."
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Bradshaw released a statement last week saying that he's requested the county's independent Criminal Justice Commission to review the work release program that Epstein spent 13 months in.
