Jeffrey Epstein, the American billionaire accused of running a pedophile plot for years to sexually exploit children, has committed suicide in his cell in a New York jail.
Just two weeks ago, Epstein, 66, was found unconscious when he tried to take his own life, a purpose he has accomplished this Saturday. According to Fox News, Epstein, who faced a penalty of up to 45 years in jail, was found at 7.30 in the morning “hanged”.
The New York financier was admitted to the same high-security prison where Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, was held for more than two years. According to Fox News, Epstein was under special surveillance for suicide risk. During a recent court hearing, Epstein’s lawyers warned the judge overseeing the case that his client had received threats and feared for his safety. The magistrate denied bail until the trial was held. As he argued, Epstein represented a danger to the community, in addition to the high flight risk.
Epstein was friends with US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, but at the time the billionaire was accused of recruiting girls for sexual acts, both political leaders tried to get away from him.
Trump, who years ago referred to him as “a great guy”, now claimed that he “was not an admirer” of the accused. Clinton, meanwhile, who used Epstein’s plane twenty times in connection with the Clinton Foundation work, decoupled in a statement from the millionaire.
In the mansion that Epstein had on 9 East 71st Street in New York allegedly the abuses were committed, is the house in which the millionaire once organized a dinner attended by Clinton and Trump, in addition to businessman Leslie Wexner, owner of the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret, and millionaires like Mort Zuckerman and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
In the mansion there are photos of Epstein with other influential people such as film director Woody Allen or Saudi prince Mohammed bin Salman. Epstein used to boast the “collection” of famous friends he had.
