Federal sex-crimes prosecutor Marie Villafaña repeatedly urged her boss, Alexander Acosta, then U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, to pursue a 60-count indictment against Jeffrey Epstein in 2007, but Acosta dismissed her requests.
Acosta’s chief criminal prosecutor, Matthew Menchel, questioned the urgency, stating Acosta wanted time to consider proceeding.
Villafaña grew frustrated with what she described as inappropriate handling of the investigation. When she criticized their approach in a July 4, 2007, email, Menchel responded that her tone was “totally inappropriate” and questioned her judgment.
Villafaña countered that she faced a “glass ceiling” preventing investigation progress and that evidence showed Epstein continued criminal behavior. Acosta ultimately offered Epstein an unprecedented plea deal: guilty to state-level solicitation charges with 12-hour jail releases, broad immunity for co-conspirators, and minimal consequences despite FBI identifying at least 40 minor victims.
In a 2019 account, Villafaña described feeling pressured and intimidated nearly 20 times during the investigation.
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