 |
| Jeffrey Epstein |
Billionaire stock broker turned investor Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Monday after pleading guilty to his involvement in a teen sex scandal.
The 55-year-old financial advisor and philanthropist plead guilty to solicitation and an additional charge of procuring a minor for prostitution. According to the Associated Press, Epstein still faces charges of sexually assaulting high-school students as young as 15 years old.
Palm Beach police began investigating Epstein in 2005, when a woman contacted the police department claiming her 15-year-old step daughter had been molested by a wealthy man. The girl told police she had been paid $300 to give Epstein a massage in his Palm Beach mansion.
She claimed during their encounter, Epstein masturbated and used a vibrator or the girl.
Police subsequently began a lengthy undercover investigation of Epstein, resulting in charges that the financier had repeatedly hired underage girls to come to his home to massage him and, on occasion, have sex with him.
A former friend of President Bill Clinton, in 2002, Epstein flew the former president and actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker to Africa on his private jet to promote anti-AIDS efforts.
Epstein was sentenced to spend 18 months at a Palm Beach county jail, according to Trans World News. After his release, Epstein will spend one year under house arrest. He will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, the AP reported.
