‘Lolita Express’ and the famous friends of Jeffrey Epstein, US billionaire charged with molesting dozens of girls
- Sex case sets the stage for another #MeToo-era trial fraught with questions of wealth and influence
- Jeffrey Epstein’s powerful friends over the years have included US President Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew
US prosecutors on Monday encouraged anyone with information about Epstein’s conduct to come forward, not just potential victims.
To the socialites, celebrities and politicians who attended lavish parties at Epstein’s homes in Manhattan or Palm Beach in the early 2000s – or hitched rides on his private jet nicknamed the “Lolita Express” by the tabloids – the request carried a clear message: come talk to us before we seek you out.
“You would much rather be visiting the Department of Justice and engaging a conversation about what you saw rather than making the DOJ find you,” said Jacob Frenkel, a former federal prosecutor now at Dickinson-Wright.
“There’s a much greater potential for influencing the parameters of an interview and the scope of cooperation by going in voluntarily than becoming a compulsory guest” of the government, he said.
Considering the dozens of alleged victims and hundreds of names on Epstein’s contact list, the Epstein affair could be far from over. Some of the alleged victims have claimed they were farmed out to other men.
