The 56-year-old money manager has quietly settled with Jane Doe 102, an unnamed woman who alleged in federal court in Florida that Epstein had induced her to "serve his every sexual whim" from the time she was 15 until she was 19. The woman also claimed Epstein had flown her around the world, paying her "to be sexually exploited by [his friends] ... including royalty, politicians, academicians [and] businessmen."
Epstein flatly denied those charges. But a source close to the financier confirms "the matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties." The woman's lawyer, Robert Josefsberg, wouldn't say how much she's getting. Epstein had in the past offered accusers a minimum of $150,000.
Epstein has settled at least two other civil suits but still faces more than a dozen from women who claim he sexually abused them as minors at his Palm Beach mansion.
Bradley Edwards, an attorney for three of those women, recently questioned Epstein's pilot, Larry Visoski, about plane passengers who might have witnessed Epstein in the company of young girls. Mentioned in the deposition were Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, former Colombian President Andrés Pastrana Arango, Obama economic adviser Lawrence Summers, billionaire Ron Burkle, and actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker. (While none of them has been accused of wrongdoing, any could be subpoenaed.)
Visoski corroborated that minors from other countries traveled on Epstein's plane but insisted he never suspected his boss of having sex with them.
With the first civil cases due to come to trial next month, Edwards has also accused Epstein of moving his money overseas. Meanwhile, former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter has testified that Epstein used political connections to try to sway his investigation.
Epstein's defenders say the women's lawyers are dragging his famous friends into the mud as part of a shakedown. "Some of [these women] are prostitutes who simply want to get paid again," says an Epstein friend.
Epstein has filed a suit charging that Edwards took part in a Ponzi scheme in which his former law partner, Scott Rothstein, gulled investors by falsely telling them Epstein had agreed to a $200 million settlement. Edwards argues that he himself is a victim of Rothstein.
Epstein pleaded guilty in June 2008 to state crimes involving the procurement of minors for prostitution. The once-secret deal was brokered in part by Epstein lawyer Kenneth Starr, the Whitewater prosecutor. Critics have called it a "sweetheart deal," noting that Epstein served just 13 months of an 18-month sentence - spending nights only in the Palm Beach County Stockade.
An Epstein friend, though, calls the sentence "harsh," saying that had he committed the same acts in New York, where he owns Manhattan's largest private residence, "[Jeffrey] would have been fined $100 - similar to jaywalking."
Epstein may not be out of the woods. Sources tell us that authorities have him under close surveillance during his probation. Epstein lawyer Jack Goldberger argues, "There is zero evidence of any ongoing investigation."
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