Jeffrey Epstein is looking for a sweet deal once again.
The multimillionaire was arrested Sunday and accused of running a sex trafficking ring involving dozens of minors, and has since been held in a New York City prison. Yet his lawyers are now arguing that he should wait for trial in his massive Upper East Side townhouse instead, and they've drawn up some pretty disturbing reasoning for the request.
In the pretrial release request Epstein's lawyers filed Thursday, they argue he should be released to his townhouse on a $77 million bond package — a value that matches the estimated cost of Epstein's home, CNBC notes. Prosecutors have said they oppose bail for Epstein because he poses an "extraordinary risk of flight," per Reuters. To combat that, Epstein's lawyers say he'll "deregister" his private jet and vehicles. Meanwhile, a GPS tracker and "privately funded security guards will virtually guarantee" he stays inside, the lawyers say.
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Epstein deserves this preferential treatment because, as his lawyers claim, this isn't exactly a "sex trafficking case" like the government claims. Epstein's allegations occurred within a maximum of "two residences," and there aren't any insinuations he "trafficked anybody for commercial profit," the lawyers say — as if that somehow makes the alleged conduct better. Kathryn Krawczyk
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