THE PALM BEACH POST • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9,2007 EPSTEIN HAS ONE LESS WORRY THESE DAYS There's good news, and some bad, for a Palm Beach billionaire accused of paying underage suburban girls. one as young as 14, for sex. The good: Jeffrey Epsteln's no longer looking at the possibility of a lengthy sentence. The FBI is off his back. The bad? The reclusive 54-year-old is still expected to spend up to 18 months behind bars and could be Epstein legally branded a sex of- fender "This case is absolutely going to end without a trial within the next two months," said the Wall Street prodigy's legal eagle in WPB, Jack Goldberger. Seems that Goldberger, and Epstein's dream team of lawyers that includes media darling Alan Denhowltz and former Bill Clin- ton prosecutor Ken Starr, have delivered for the politically connected Epstein. In September, Dershowitz commented that there were constitutional issues with the case, including the feds' involvement. The G-men came in after a livid Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter - whose crew spent 11 months in 2005.06 watching Epstein's house and sifting through sex toys in his garbage — requested their help. Reiter and State Attorney Barry Krlsober feuded over charges for Epstein, with Reiter accusing Krischer of going easy on Mr. Moneybags. Now, said a source close to Epstein who asked to remain nameless, federal au- thorities have agreed to allow Krischer to proceed solo. "The feds were overreaching the whole time," the source said. "I think they're now satisfied with the resolution we're about to reach in state court." That includes, according to the source, a guilty plea to one count of felony solicita- tion of prostitution. The case has dragged on in the court system for nearly 17 months. EFTA00214861