A New Epstein Accuser Says He Abused Her During his Jail Sentence

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One of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers has come forward to say he abused her while he was out of his cell on work release from the soft plea deal he got in 2007.

Brad Edwards, an attorney representing several of Epstein’s accusers, said Tuesday that at least one woman came forward to claim she was abused by Epstein while he was out on work release through the deal, which allowed him to go to work all day for six days a week..

At the time, he had pleaded guilty to state solicitation charges rather than face stricter human trafficking charges on allegations that he had sexually abused dozens of young girls at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate. He was sentenced to a little more than a year in jail in 2008 and made to register as a sex offender, but he often left jail on work-release to sit behind his desk at an office in Palm Beach. (Edwards said it’s not clear what kind of work he was actually doing.) During that time, Edwards said, Epstein was allowed to have visitors.

Edwards was vague on the details of the new allegations, citing ongoing litigation. He didn’t peg the accusations to any year, and said the victim was younger than 21 and might not have been a minor.

“All I can say is more than one person visited him,” Edwards said, according to the Daily Beast. “They believed they were going there for something other than a sexual purpose.”

If true, the allegations would deal a substantial blow to Epstein’s legal team, which has repeatedly argued he’s been on perfect behavior since pleading guilty to prior crimes, and innocent of new allegations. Epstein was arrested on new charges — human trafficking and solicitation — earlier this month and is currently in a Manhattan prison awaiting his next court date. He’s pleaded not guilty.

All of the allegations mentioned in the indictment, brought by the Southern District of New York, allegedly took place between 2002-2005 at his Manhattan and Palm Beach estates.

A federal judge is set to determine whether Epstein, now 66, is able to make bail Thursday. Epstein’s lawyers have argued he deserves to wait out his trial from his massive Manhattan townhouse — where he allegedly abused many victims.

Cover: Attorneys David Boies, left, and Brad Edwards speak to reporters outside the courthouse in New York, Monday, July 15, 2019. Financier Jeffrey Epstein will remain behind bars for now as a federal judge mulls whether to grant bail on charges he sexually abused underage girls. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)