Former U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Alex Acosta revealed to the House Oversight Committee why he offered a plea deal to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a press release.
Acosta, who previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, testified before the committee Friday on his part in Epstein’s plea deal. Under the 2007 deal Acosta negotiated, Epstein was granted immunity from federal prosecution in the case. The agreement allowed Epstein to plead guilty to two state charges in 2008, serve time in prison, register as a sex offender and provide compensation for his alleged victims.
Despite facing serious federal charges that carried the possibility of a life sentence, Epstein never went to a federal trial and served only 13 months in jail.
A Justice Department report concluded that Acosta demonstrated “poor judgment” in his handling of the Epstein case as a federal prosecutor, though it found no evidence of professional misconduct.
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