If Jeffrey Epstein gets nailed, will he bring any of his powerful friends down with him?

Jeffrey Epstein.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, File)

Federal agents arrested billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when his private jet landed in New Jersey from Paris on Saturday evening, and an hour later, the FBI raided his home in Manhattan, the Miami Herald and The New York Times report. Epstein, 66, reportedly faces charges including sex trafficking of minors between 2002 and 2005. He served 13 months in a Florida jail under a heavily criticized 2008 plea deal signed by Labor Secretary Alex Acosta when Acosta was U.S. attorney in Miami.

This new Epstein case is being prosecuted by the Southern District of New York's Public Corruption Unit, assisted by investigators with the sex trafficking division, and "there are indications that others involved in his crimes could be charged or named as cooperating witnesses," the Miami Herald reports. The most likely targets are Epstein's alleged sex trafficking accomplices, but since his circle of powerful friends includes former President Bill Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and President Trump, there's a lot of interest in where this case might lead.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.