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'20A THE PALM BEACH POST • FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 16, 2007 The Palm Beach Post TOM GIUFERIDA Publisher JOHN RARTOSEK. Edaor CHARLES GERARDI, General Mintage, RILL ROSE. Managing Mao, RANDY SCHULTZ. Editor of the Editorial Page JAN TUCKWOOD, Associate Editor BARRY BERG, VP Circulation LARRY SIEDUK. VP& Thwarter JOHN KELLY. VPAdverb's* GALE HOWDEN, VP Corrumatity Regan and Mariam LINDA MURPHY. VP Mona' Resources BOB BALF£. VYOperation, LAURA DECK CUNNINGHAM. Director. Marine; Senlees DAN SHORTER General Masagn, PabuliraeliPostcom How will system judge Palm Beach predator? We soon will find out whether big money can buy from the crimi- nal justice system what everyone assumes that big money can buy. The penalty news reports say part-time Palm Beach resident Jeffrey Epstein is expected to face suggests that he wiD plead guilty to something more than one felony

count for solicitation of prostitution.

A Palm Beach County grand jury indicted the Manhattan money manager on that charge in July

2006. But a guilty plea that does not recognize the age of the girls whom police say the billionaire paid for sex would be a disservice to the girls, an insult to the investigators who pressed the case and, for good measure, a general outrage. Palm Beach police have said that Jeffrey Epstein. 54, paid underage girls, one as young as 14, to come to his 7,200-square-foot waterfront home for "massage" sessions. fblice said interviews with five alleged victims and 17 witnesses under oath, phone messages, a high school transcript and other items they found in Mr. Epstein's trash and home show that he knew how young the girls were. But after Mr Epstein's attorneys told prosecutors about the girls' MySpace pages, which mentioned marijuana and alcohol use, State Attorney Barry Krischer sent the case to a grand jury. instead of filing charges himself Blaming these victims, however, does not make them any more de- serving of what happened. And Mr. Krischer's unnecessary handoff to a

grand jury, after an 11-month police

investigation, more than reinforced Jeffrey Epstein case comes to turning point. the public understanding that the more money the accused has, the bigger the break he gets. Mc Epstein% legal team includes West Palm Beach defense attorney Jack Goldberger, Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz, who worked on the OJ. Simpson murder case, and Kenneth Starr, who once pursued a president based on his lies about sex with young women. Federal authorities also stepped in, which stalled the state% case for another year. On Nov. 9, citing an unnamed source close to Jeffrey Epstein, Jose Lambiet of The Post wrote that the federal investigation is over, and Mc Epstein is ex to serve up to 18 months an could be labeled a sex offender in crimi- nal records. The charge the grand jury returned more than a year ago carries a maximum five-year prison term and no "sex offender label. "This case," Mr. Goldberger told Mr. Lambiet, "is absolutely going to end without a trial within the next two months" State attorney spokes- man Michael Edmondson would not confirm any plea deal. But, he noted: 'The state attorney's hands are not tied by there being a single

grand jury charge. That does not

preclude additional charges" Jeffrey Epstein, like too many men in Florida. preyed on teenaged girls. The system should not let him buy his way out of that reality