Draft Epstein indictment accused him of crimes against more than a dozen girls

Washington: A draft indictment against Jeffrey Epstein prepared by federal prosecutors in 2007 listed a series of sex crimes he was accused of committing against more than a dozen teenage girls over six years, saying he told one 16-year-old victim that bad things could happen to her if she reported what had transpired at his house.

The draft, which was never filed but was released Friday by the Justice Department, had been one of the most sought-after documents in the Epstein files, because it showed how much federal investigators knew about the extent of his crimes.

The 32-count, 56-page indictment laid out extensive charges against Epstein and two of his employees for sex trafficking and enticement of minors. But it was shelved in 2008 when federal prosecutors agreed to let Epstein cut a deal with state prosecutors for solicitation of a minor for prostitution.

Instead of facing the prospect of decades in prison, Epstein instead spent about 13 months in a local jail in Palm Beach, Florida, which he was allowed to leave during the day so he could work from his home office.

The draft indictment detailed the many crimes that authorities decided not to prosecute in order to strike a lenient plea deal with Epstein in state court. It described a "conspiracy to procure females under the age of 18" to go to Epstein's house in Palm Beach, so he could "engage in lewd conduct with those minor females" and satisfy his "prurient interests" in exchange for money.

Some of those victims were asked by Epstein and his employees "to recruit other minor females to engage in lewd conduct," the draft indictment said.

Eleven of the victims attended the same school -- presumably high school -- in Palm Beach County, the draft indictment said.

The document laid out a pattern of interactions Epstein had with teenagers as far back as 2001. He would call a girl and arrange for her to come to his house, then lead her upstairs to the bedroom. He often had two girls with him at the same time. Afterward, he would pay them several hundred dollars.

One girl was first victimized in 2001 when she was 14, then again when she was 15 and 16. That victim, identified only as Jane Doe #2, was also asked to bring younger girls to Epstein, according to the draft indictment.

In July 2004, Epstein told a 16-year-old girl that if she reported what had occurred at his home, "bad things could happen to her," the draft said. The document did not state how she responded.

The draft indictment also recounted how much logistical work went into procuring Epstein's victims, from phone calls and messages about the girls' after-school schedules, to flights for Epstein to his home in Florida to make appointments with his victims.

The document was left unsigned at the time by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida: R. Alexander Acosta, who later stepped down from his post as labor secretary in the first Trump administration amid an outcry over his handling of the case. At the time, Acosta said he supported the deal with state prosecutors because taking Epstein to trial to seek a more severe sentence would have been "a roll of the dice."