Florida Gov Ron DeSantis signs law with big potential impact on Epstein case

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is approving a new law that allows secret grand jury testimony in cases that meet specific criteria to be made public — including evidence against Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.

The law is limited to cases in which the suspect is dead, and the crimes involve sexual misdeeds against minors. It will take effect on July 1.

"Justice delayed is justice denied, and I think in many respects, this whole ordeal has proven that to be true," DeSantis told reporters, flanked by Epstein accusers Haley Robson and Jena-Lisa Jones in a Palm Beach signing ceremony.

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"You had somebody that was very rich and well-connected and was able to engineer an outcome that the average citizen would likely never have been able to do. And that's wrong."

— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

The goal of the new bill is to provide answers for victims and the public in situations where they would have been kept secret under older laws.

"We're now sitting here decades later, and you've had Epstein and then [Ghislaine] Maxwell, who is actually in prison in Florida, and yet nothing else has ever happened with any of this," DeSantis said. "How is that possible, given the magnitude of what was going on?"

Secrecy has surrounded Epstein's initial criminal case for nearly two decades. He died in prison awaiting trial on stiffer federal charges after a shockingly lenient plea deal was exposed, while in recent years his victims have repeatedly been vindicated as evidence comes out in court.

Robson thanked the governor and Florida lawmakers for enacting the measures.

"I would really just want to know why was Jeffrey Epstein given such grace and mercy for his inhumane crimes, and why were we so outed in the media and treated so poorly?" she said. "Victim shaming in this high-profile case has damaged a lot of us."

Jones blamed secrecy surrounding Epstein's initial case for the subsequent victimization of dozens of girls and young women.

"Epstein was charged for his crimes in 2006, and we are finally going to learn why," she said. "We have been left in the dark for so long with no answers."

Separately, a group of Epstein accusers sued the FBI earlier this month, alleging the bureau failed to properly investigate allegations against the predatory financier as far back as 1996.

Citing police documents from Epstein's 2006 arrest in Palm Beach, it alleges that Epstein recruited girls between 14 and 16 as well as students at Palm Beach Community College for "sex-tinged sessions."

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Despite the allegations, Epstein got a sweetheart plea deal on federal charges in 2008 in connection with that case and was only charged with more serious crimes in 2019 after a series of Miami Herald reports unveiled the lenient terms of his initial punishment.

"Epstein served 13 months in jail, during which time he was allowed to leave for work release during the day," the lawsuit reads. "He continued to sexually abuse victims during his work release in close proximity to those who were supposed to be monitoring him."

DeSantis, who challenged President Biden to release federal files regarding Epstein during the news briefing, took issue with the sentence as well.

"Obviously the punishment was effectively a slap on the wrist given the severity of the crimes," he said, blaming the grand jury secrecy for stymying a thorough investigation and prosecution.

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Epstein died in a federal jail cell. Officially, his death was ruled a suicide. His brother and outside experts have rejected that conclusion.