Jeffrey Epstein’s lawyer has blamed the judicial system and media for the billionaire death on Saturday.
After the women accusing him of sex crimes expressed their angry at never being able to get the justice they deserve, Marc Fernich said he was ‘outraged’ and said there was ‘plenty of blame to go around for this unthinkable tragedy’.
‘Overzealous prosecutors bent on locking up a presumptively innocent man posing no real danger or flight risk,’ was first on Fernich’s list, according to Fox News.
Epstein died by suicide and was found unresponsive in his cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center in a reported hanging.
The attorney’s statement continued: ‘Pandering politicians who wrote the restrictive bail laws that empower them to do it.’
Marc Fernich said there’s ‘plenty of blame to go around for this unthinkable tragedy’ after Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide on Saturday in his New York cell
Fernich accused judges and jailers of putting Epstein’s life in danger as well as ‘pandering politicians who wrote the restrictive bail laws’
He added criticism about: ‘Compliant judges who let them get away with it while paying lip service to the presumption of innocence.’
Fernich expressed that his statement did not represent the views of everyone on Epstein’s defense team.
Epstein was arrested July 6 and was subsequently denied bail.
Fernich continued by blaming figures who made sure his client stayed locked up.
‘Compliant judges who let them get away with it while paying lip service to the presumption of innocence,’ the lawyer went on in the statement to Fox News.
‘Jailers who appear to have recklessly put Mr. Epstein in harm’s way, heedlessly placing his life at risk and failing to protect him.
‘An hysterical press corps clamoring to recharge Mr. Epstein with dated crimes for which he’d long since paid his debt to society under an arm’s length plea deal — just because he had the misfortune to be a wealthy man in the #metoo era whose former prosecutor happened to take a job with President Trump.’
One accuser, Virginia Giuffre, was working at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort at the time she met Ghislaine Maxwell, who then went on to introduce her to Epstein.
Epstein is known for his previous friendships with President Trump but Giuffre has denied ever having sexual relationships with the Commander-in-chief.
Fernich expressed that his statement did not represent the views of everyone on Epstein’s defense team. In this courtroom artist’s sketch, defendant Jeffrey Epstein, center, sits with attorneys Martin Weinberg, left, and Marc Fernich during his arraignment in New York on July 8
In June 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges and was sentenced to 18 months in a low-security prison in exchange for prosecutors ending their investigation into his sex acts with minors. The deal also gave him immunity from future prosecution related to those charges.
In reality, Epstein was able to work from his office six days a week while supposedly incarcerated.
But last July, The Miami Herald published investigative journalist Julie K. Brown’s exposé on Epstein’s long history of alleged sexual abuse and news of the ‘deal of a lifetime’ after Miami’s top federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta was made Labor Secretary for Trump.
The justice department opened an internal review into Epstein’s plea deal this February.
On July 7 federal agents discovered hundreds of naked images of minors and he was jailed.
Days later, more than a dozen women, not previously known to law enforcement, came forward to accuse him of sex abuse.
Fernich also blamed ‘breathless reporters’. Last July, The Miami Herald published investigative journalist Julie K. Brown’s exposé on Epstein’s long history of alleged sexual abuse. Brown appears at his bail hearing July 15
‘Greedy plaintiff’s lawyers who instigated and exploited the media frenzy to line their own pockets,’ were called out by Fernich on Saturday.
‘Breathless reporters excavating every corner of Mr. Epstein’s life to pile on, tear him down and kick him at his lowest — while still presumed innocent, before he’d had his day in court.
‘All these actors appear to bear some responsibility for this calamity. All seem to have a share of Mr. Epstein’s blood on their hands. All should be ashamed of their behavior.’
Brad Edwards, who represents Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Courtney Wild, told Fox News: ‘The fact that Jeffrey Epstein was able to commit the selfish act of taking his own life as his world of abuse, exploitation, and corruption unraveled in both unfortunate and predictable.
‘While we engaged in contentious legal battles for more than a decade, this is not the ending anyone was looking for.’
Epstein’s attorney claimed in his statement that ‘greedy plaintiff’s lawyers’ instigated sex trafficking allegations for financial gain. Lisa Bloom (left) represents three Epstein accusers. Spencer Kuvin (right) claimed recently Epstein would be murdered before his trial
Lawyers David Boies and Bradley Edwards appear in front Epstein accusers Annie Farmer (L- black dress) and Courtney Wild (R- white shirt/black pants) on July 15. Boies warned Friday that those who hadn’t been named in the case were not in the clear as ‘it’s all going to come out’
Lawyer David Boies had said on Friday, before Epstein’s death, that those who hadn’t been named in the Epstein case were far from in the clear as 2,000 records were unsealed.
He predicted: ‘It’s all going to come out.’
Conspiracy theorists have asked how Epstein managed to kill himself after having just being taken off suicide watch following an alleged first attempt two weeks ago.
‘How does someone who is this high profile commit suicide? They had to have cameras on him! Someone must have been paid to look the other way,’ Eva Ford, mother of Epstein victim Courtney Wild, told The Miami Herald.
Plaintiff’s lawyer Spencer Kuvin claimed recently Epstein would be murdered before his trial.
Attorney General William Barr has now vowed to look into the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.
Barr said ‘it raises serious questions that must be answered’.
Fernich ended his statement: ‘I call for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Epstein’s death. The public needs to know exactly what happened and why — and how his custodians could have let it occur.’
Barr said he was ‘appalled’ to hear of the death and had instructed the Department of Justice’s inspector general to probe its circumstances. The FBI is also investigating the Epstein’s death