14 The Virgin Islands Daily News TERN' ERSION OF JUSTICE Wednesday, February 27, 2019 How a future Trump Cabinet member gave a serial sex abuser the deal of a lifetime By JULIE K. 610 WN MIAMI — On a muggy October morning in 2007, Miami, top federal prosecutor. Alexan- der Acosta, had a breakfast a,intmeri with a former colleague, Washington, D.C., attorney Jay Lethowitz. It was an unusual meeting for the then-38- year-okl prosecutox a rising Republican star who had grwd in somml White House posts before being named U.S. attorney in Miami by President George W. Bush. Instead of meeting at the pros.utor's Mithni headquarters, the two mai — both with profes- sional roots in the prestigious Washington law finn of Kirldand . Ellis — convened at the Marrien in WeSt Palm Beach, about 70 miles away. For Lethowia, a U.S. special envoy to North Korea and corporate lawyer, the meeting was critical. His clic, Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein. 54, wis accused of assembling a lazie. cuhlthe nenvork of underage gids — with the help of young female r.nriters — to coerce into having sac acts behind the walls of his opulert waterfiont massion as often as three times a day, the Town of Palm Beach police found. The eccentric hedge find manager, whose hien. included former Presi.nt Bill Clinton, Donald Trumpaaidprince.Andr, was al, m =, trs all ipca%negs na iTsr = Manhattan, New Mexico and the Virgin law.. FBI and court merards show. Facing a 53-page federal indictment. Epgein could have ended up in federal prison for the leg of his life. But on the morning oft. breakthst ing, a deal was struuck eicti;:ealid=lea Ogesnst=,thaertine' ntrtheeraiumber of people imnIved. Not only would Epgein sent just 13 months in dse county jail, but the deal — .11. a non- prosecut ion agreement — ...ally shut down an aligning FI31 probe into cs.ther t.re were more victims and other powerful pegic win took part in Epstein's sex crimes, accordng to a