Confidential Due Diligence Report PUBLICATIONS Copyright 2011 Palm Beach Post Palm Beach Daily News November 21, 2011 Monday SECTION: A SECTION; Pg. A.1 LENGTH: 597 words HEADLINE: Epstein must register as NY's highest level sex offender BYLINE: MICHELE DARGAN, MICHELE DARGAN Daily News Staff Writer BODY: Jeffrey Epstein must register in the state of New York as the highest and most dangerous level sex offender, despite efforts by the Palm Beach billionaire, his attorneys and even a New York prosecutor to lower it. A New York appeals court Thursday upheld a lower court's ruling that Epstein must register as a Level 3sex offender. A Level 3 status means "high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety exists,"according to the state's guidelines. Even though Epstein pleaded guilty to one count of sex crimes involving a minor girl in Palm Beach and one count of solicitation, there is plenty of evidence there were many more victims, according to the four-page ruling. Epstein's criminal convictions -- for which he served 13 months of an 18-month sentence with liberal work release hours — requires him to register as a sex offender in every state where he owns a home. One of those homes is in Manhattan. In siding with Epstein's request for the lowest status — Level 1 -- the New York prosecutor "mistakenly" disregarded crimes with other minor victims that Epstein was not charged with and considered only the one count he was charged with, the ruling says. "The strong evidence that the offense against the other victims did occur outweighs any inferences to be drawn from the manner in which this case was prosecuted in Florida' the ruling states. "The reasons for the actions taken by the Florida authorities remain unclear on this record." Epstein has settled more than two dozen lawsuits and claims against him by teen-agers who say they were lured to his Palm Beach mansion to give him sexually charged massages and/or sex in exchange for money