Epstein Strikes 'Sweetheart' Plea Deal, Avoids Federal Charges

Despite the FBI identifying 36 underage victims, U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta approved a secret non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges instead of facing federal sex trafficking indictments. Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in a county jail with generous work-release privileges, and the deal controversially granted immunity to unnamed co-conspirators while being kept hidden from victims.