The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami has recused itself from renewed litigation against financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused by more than 30 girls of sexual abuse, the Miami Herald reported Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors notified the victims of their recusal in a letter Monday, and the Justice Department has reassigned the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta, according to the Herald.
{mosads}The case will now be overseen by Byung J. Pak, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia who was appointed by President Trump in 2017.
A U.S. district judge in Palm Beach County, Florida, last month reportedly ruled that Miami prosecutors, under former U.S. attorney and current Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, illegally hid Epstein’s plea agreement from his victims. The judge, Kenneth A. Marra, did not void the agreement.
The case garnered national attention following a Miami Herald investigation that found Epstein, a friend of both Trump and former President Clinton, pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges and was sentenced to 13 months in jail. Potential co-conspirators were given immunity under the deal.
Attorneys for the women have requested that the Justice Department discard Epstein’s agreement and reopen the criminal case against him.