Unsealed: Manhattan DA tried -- and failed -- to protect Epstein from justice during sex offender registration hearing ( pizzagate )

submitted by Vindicator

Manhattan prosecutor 'IGNORED graphic, verified evidence of Jeffrey Epstein's pedophile activity' when arguing for leniency during the billionaire's 2011 sex offender registry hearing

  • An appellate brief from the Manhattan District Attorney's office has revealed details about Jeffery Epstein's 2011 sex offender in hearing
  • It claims that then-Deputy Chief of Sex Crimes Jennifer Gaffney, was given a state assessment which deemed him to be highly dangerous
  • The assessment indicated that Epstein should be labeled as level three offender, the most restrictive category meant for the most dangerous individuals
  • Gaffney argued for him to be classified as level one offender, the least restrictive
  • Epstein ultimately received a level three designation after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ruth Pickholz deviated from Gaffney's recommendation
  • At least 40 women have alleged that they were abused by Epstein, who is friends with President Trump and has donated millions to the Clintons

The Manhattan District Attorney's office was allegedly aware of graphic and detailed evidence against Florida financier and accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein when a prosecutor argued for leniency during his 2011 sex offender registry hearing.

A newly-unsealed brief obtained by The New York Post on Thursday revealed that prior to that hearing, then-deputy chief of Sex Crimes, Jennifer Gaffney, was provided with a confidential state assessment which deemed Epstein to be highly dangerous and likely to continue preying on young girls.

Even though the assessment indicated that Epstein should be labeled as a level three offender, the most restrictive category meant for the most dangerous individuals, Gaffney argued for him to be classified as a level one offender, the least restrictive.

The DA's office reportedly admitted as much eight months after the hearing in its own appellate brief, which The Post sued to unseal.

More, here

▼ FatPanda

I think Epstein frequented the Mar-a-Lago but was kicked out after Trump learned Epstein was up to no good with underaged girls. Calling them friends would be a stretch.

▼ think-

She got an award. That's what her colleagues wrote about her: smh

May 3, 2016

Big congratulations to Jennifer Gaffney for a well deserved recognition!

As an Assistant District Attorney, Deputy Unit Chief of Sex Crimes Bureau she has won a Lydia Martinez Award in Prosecutor category.

This is what her colleague said about her: "She is always interacting with victims of sexual violence and makes sure that their voices are heard even in the most difficult cases.

It's because she truly cares about this work and about victims affected by sexual violence. Her impact on the field of sexual violence is tremendous."

https://www.facebook.com/nycalliance/photos/big-congratulations-to-jennifer-gaffney-for-a-well-deserved-recognition-as-an-as/1171498446215268/

▼ think-

Here's some more info:

Manhattan DA sided with pedophile billionaire after botching investigation

The Manhattan DA’s office once went to bat for billionaire pervert Jeffrey Epstein, after botching a review of his sex crimes and swallowing his lawyers’ claim that “there are no real victims here,” records obtained by the Post show.

Assistant DA Jennifer Gaffney, then-deputy chief of Cyrus Vance Jr.’s sex-crimes unit, in January 2011 asked a Manhattan judge to downgrade Epstein’s status in the New York sex-offender registry from the most-dangerous Level 3 to least-restrictive Level 1.

The judge was stunned.

“I have never seen the prosecutor’s office do anything like this,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ruth Pickholz told Gaffney. “I have done many [cases] much less troubling than this one where [prosecutors] would never make a downward argument like this.”

Pressed by the judge, Gaffney admitted that she never spoke to the Florida U.S. Attorney who handled a sprawling sex-crime investigation into the financier.

“I don’t think you did much of an investigation here,” Pickholz said. “I am shocked.”

Vance’s mishandling of the Epstein hearing has come under new scrutiny after a Miami Herald report last week revealed a secret “non-prosecution agreement” in Florida that buried evidence Epstein had allegedly pimped out 80 girls and young women to his rich and powerful pals.

The DA’s office insists Vance “was not aware” of the hearing until years later and had nothing to do with it. “Our prosecutor made a mistake,” Vance spokesman Danny Frost said of Gaffney.

Gaffney, a prosecutor working in the Harvey Weinstein probe, left the DA’s office in September. She declined to comment. A DA insider said the office was unaware of Epstein’s secret plea deal in Florida, and never investigated his sexcapades in NYC.

Some law enforcement sources don’t believe Vance had no clue that his office had a sex-offender case involving a Manhattan mogul with close ties to Democrats.

“This is very unusual,” one said. “There is no way Vance didn’t know. The question is why — and who asked for the favor.”

The FBI found Epstein recruited girls as young as 13, many runaways, from Florida, New Mexico, the Caribbean and New York, and paid them for nude massages that often led to sex, the Herald reported. Some girls worked for a Manhattan modeling agency and lived in a nearby apartment owned by Epstein.

But Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta — now President Trump’s labor secretary — sealed a 53-page federal indictment that could have sent Epstein to prison for life, the Herald reported.

Instead, Acosta let Epstein plead guilty to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. Sentenced to 18 months, he served just 13 — most of it in his tony Palm Beach office.

Epstein was required to register as a sex offender in New York because one of his many homes is in Manhattan. In the Jan. 18, 2011 hearing, Gaffney argued the evidence didn’t justify the harshest status.

“There is only an indictment for one victim,,” she said. “If an offender is not indicted for an offense, it is strong evidence that the offense did not occur.”

Pickholz rejected Gaffney’s arguments and gave Epstein the highest sex-offender status – Level 3. When Epstein appealed, Vance’s office admitted it had misread the law.

The appellate court upheld Pickholz , saying Epstein “committed multiple offenses against a series of underage girls,” and that the victim in his indictment “was only one of defendant’s many victims.”

http://archive.fo/o7pI5

▼ think-

Jennifer Gaffney was involved in the Weinstein team as well:

http://archive.fo/GwzIY

Her husband is a NYPD cop the article says.

▼ YogSoggoth

One thing about couples is they usually are in cahoots. I learned that when I was a teenager. I wonder who the NYPD officer is.