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Former U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta writes letter about Jeffrey Epstein deal and Roy Black responds

Wow, this is getting ugly.

The Daily Beast broke the story here.

And one of Epstein's lawyers, Roy Black, has responded to Acosta's letter (page 1, and page 2, and page 3 here) in the Palm Beach Daily News.

Both letters are truly remarkable, and I've never seen anything like it. From the PBDN:

Attorney Roy Black is disputing claims that he, and other attorneys representing Jeffrey Epstein, pried into federal prosecutors? personal lives in attempting to disqualify them from investigating the billionaire sex offender. Black also denies Epstein?s attorneys ?negotiated in bad faith,? while attempting to reach an agreement with federal prosecutors. *** According to Acosta, now dean of the Florida International University College of Law, federal prosecutors and agents met with Black in the summer of 2007. The prosecutors presented Epstein a choice: plead guilty to state felony charges resulting in two years imprisonment, registration as a sex offender and restitution for the victims or prepare for a federal felony trial. What followed, Acosta said, was that Epstein?s defense team launched ?a yearlong assault on the prosecution and the prosecutors. ?I use the word assault intentionally, as the defense in this case was more aggressive than any which I, or the prosecutors in my office, had previously encountered,? Acosta said in his letter. Among the ?legal superstars? on Epstein?s defense team: Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr, Jay Lefkowitz and several others, including prosecutors who had formally worked in the U.S. Attorney?s Office and in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department. Acosta said that one member of the defense team warned him ?the office?s excess zeal in forcing a good man to serve time in jail might be the subject of a book if we continued to proceed with this matter.? Black said he?s never heard anyone mention writing a book about the Epstein case. ?Mr. Acosta claims we negotiated in bad faith by appealing to the Department of Justice in Washington,? Black said. ?Any person under investigation by a United States attorney, meaning any of the 94 such offices in the country, has the right to seek review by the Department of Justice and it is so provided for in their manual. Thus I cannot imagine invoking this right could be construed as bad faith. ?In our system of justice, people are given the right of appeal and there should be no implication of wrong doing by exercising it. ?Finally Mr. Acosta mentions we looked for personal peccadilloes of prosecutors,? Black said. ?I am not sure what he refers to but this never happened. We did point out misconduct and over-reaching by certain people involved in the investigation. Not only is there nothing wrong with this but it is a necessary part of the process. There will always be people who abuse the great power of the government and we can not stand by silently when it occurs.?

Full post as published by Southern District of Florida on March 30, 2011 (boomark / email).