FDLE should investigate Epstein’s time at Palm Beach County jail

The Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office should not have the last word on the 13 months Jeffrey Epstein spent at the bed and breakfast otherwise known as the county jail.

There has been justified outrage at the horribly lenient deal negotiated by former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta and former Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer. It allowed Epstein, who had faced life in prison on federal sex trafficking charges, to plead guilty to state felony charges and get 18 months in jail. Felons usually go to state prison.

Outside scrutiny is now needed on how Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw allowed Epstein to serve that time. Such scrutiny should come not from Bradshaw himself, but from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Sheriff ’s deputies allowed this sexual predator out for 12 hours, six days a week, to “work” at a foundation he shut down following his early release after just 13 months. The Washington Post reported that deputies usually left Epstein’s cell door unlocked.

Epstein visited his Palm Beach mansion at least nine times – once on his own for four hours. He paid $128,136 for deputies to accompany him. Those deputies, according to records the Post obtained from the sheriff ’s office, wore suits and generally described Epstein as “the client” or “Mr. Epstein.”

Now an attorney for some of Epstein’s victims alleges that women had sex with Epstein while he was on work release.

“There was more than one person who visited him,” Bradley Edwards said. “I don’t know if any of them were under the age of 18. They believed they were going there for something other than a sexual purpose and while they were there, surprisingly to them, the situation turned sexual.”

Since this cozy arrangement became public in December 2008, Bradshaw’s response has been to stonewall. Last week, with pressure building, he finally ordered an internal investigation. On Thursday, he said his office also will look at potential criminal charges.

But no one will trust an investigation the sheriff conducts of his own operations. State Sen. Lauren Book of Plantation was right this week to call for the FDLE to conduct an independent probe. After Thursday’s meeting of the Florida Cabinet, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would “certainly consider” granting her request.

The governor must absolutely do so. The public deserves a second opinion about Epstein’s cushy treatment. The issue is bigger than a rich pervert given kid-glove treatment. It’s about the sheriff ’s oversight of people sentenced to jail.

The sheriff ’s office has every reason to sanitize the investigation, for Bradshaw has filed to run for a fifth term next year. Epstein could obviously be a potent issue.

The overarching issue is why the sheriff allowed Epstein to serve his sentence by visiting jail from time to time.

The Palm Beach Post reported that Epstein got work release even though Bradshaw has a policy that excludes sex offenders from the program. According to the sheriff ’s spokeswoman, it happened because Epstein didn’t have to register as a sex offender until he completed his sentence, getting out early for good behavior. We note the irony.

Yet according to the story, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Deborah Dale Pucillo made no such distinction when she accepted Epstein’s plea. Under Florida law, a person becomes a sex offender upon conviction. The registration is only so the FDLE can notify neighbors when the offender gets out and has an address.

Bradshaw’s explanation defies credulity. Think about it. How could he exclude sex offenders from work release if he doesn’t know who they are until after they’ve completed their sentences?

Here’s another issue. The Washington Post reported that a federal prosecutor told the sheriff ’s office in December 2008 of “inaccuracies and omissions” by Epstein. His Florida Science Foundation and his 12-hour schedule, A. Marie Villafana said, were “created on the eve of Mr. Epstein’s incarceration in order to provide him with a basis of seeking work-release.”

Epstein’s secretary kept a record of visitors to the foundation. Yet the log has been destroyed, even though it was public property. The sheriff ’s spokeswoman said it happened as part of “records retention” protocol.

Bradshaw never has commented publicly on Epstein’s time at the jail. The spokeswoman said, “Sheriff Bradshaw takes these matters very seriously and wants to determine if any actions taken by the deputies assigned to monitor Epstein during his work release program violated any agency rules and regulations.” “Deputies.” Please. This investigation must examine the chain of command, starting with Bradshaw and including Mike Gauger, his chief deputy. He has defended the office’s handling of Epstein and called him a “model prisoner.”

Epstein finally may face justice and do much harsher time than he did in Palm Beach County. The public, however, still deserves to know as much as possible about Sheriff Bradshaw and Epstein’s treatment. Only the governor can make that happen.