When Jeffrey Epstein was sentenced to serve his sentence in a Palm Beach County jail in 2008, he received extraordinary special treatment, including work release and home arrest that allowed the convicted sex offender to sexually abuse young women while still under supervision of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Several women subsequently sued Epstein and his estate, one of them even claiming that she was forced to have sex with him in Epstein’s West Palm Beach office while sheriff’s deputies were literally sitting right outside the door.
This is an outrage that has never been adequately investigated. It’s time that the state of Florida and federal authorities finally examine how and why this happened.
New information has come to light as a result of testimony before the House Oversight Committee, as well as evidence presented by survivors last month in a hearing in Palm Beach that point to possible bribes being paid by Epstein to at least one sheriff’s deputy.
Sarah Kellen, one of Epstein’s longest-serving assistants, told members of Congress last month that she not only stripped naked for Epstein via Skype for him while he was in jail, but she also said that Epstein paid cash and Disney tickets to one deputy who worked his jail detail.
Epstein hired a slew of Palm Beach sheriff’s deputies, paying the sheriff’s office more than $100,000 in overtime to use plain-clothed sheriff’s deputies to supervise him during the 10-12-hour shifts he was away from the jail.
Now, it seems that PBSO deputies may have not just been paid through the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office — they may have also received payoffs under the table from Epstein for other perks, possible sexual ones.
During work release, Epstein was picked up daily by his valet and driven to a downtown West Palm Beach high-rise office building, where he was allowed to spend 12 hours a day, six days a week. Records show he also spent an unusual number of hours in Home Depot and was also spotted walking along the road in Palm Beach where he was not authorized to be, although authorities decided not to yank his privileges.
Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost, in questioning Kellen before the Committee last month, asked her about the special treatment Epstein received in the Palm Beach County jail.
Kellen’s Oversight Committee transcript
The paralegal whom she mentioned was Story Cowles, who visited Epstein in jail more than 100 times and is mentioned even more times in the Epstein files. It’s clear that Epstein was using Cowles as an emissary to help him continue to conduct his business affairs while he was in jail.
The files also indicate that Cowles helped grease the wheels when it came to Epstein’s probation officer, who also gave Epstein free reign to leave his home while he was on house arrest in 2009.
Maybe the Oversight Committee should question Cowles about any other transactions he made on behalf of Esptein.
All these people enabled Epstein to sexually abuse and exploit more victims throughout his incarceration.