American financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was detained in New York earlier this month on sex-trafficking charges. The 66-year-old pleaded "not guilty" last week, appeared in court on Monday over his request to stay on house arrest while awaiting trial, and has seen many individuals come forth against him since his arrest.
During a search of Epstein's home in Manhattan last week, authorities discovered a "locked safe" filled with diamonds, cash, and an expired passport with his photo but under a different name. The passport, reportedly from the early 1980s, was from a foreign country with Saudi Arabia as Epstein's country of residence.
According to The New York Times, the walls of the Manhattan townhouse are decorated with photos of Bill Clinton, Woody Allen ... and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Epstein has been accused of engaging in sex acts with minors in that very same home.
At a bail hearing on Monday, assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Rossmiller argued that Epstein "poses a significant flight risk," according to Vice. Rossmiller argued that the 66-year-old owns at least one private jet as well as several mansions.
The judge on the case - Richard Berman - delayed the bail decision until more evidence is reviewed. He said he is not "satisfied with the financial information Epstein filed under seal, which amounted to 'less than a page'," reported The Daily Beast. The decision will most probably take place on Thursday. Epstein is currently being held at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan despite his request to be put on house arrest.
During the hearing on Monday, several of Epstein's alleged victims were sitting in the court room.
"I was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein starting at age 14," one victim told the court, according to The Daily Beast.
"I would just like the court to not to grant him bond, just for the safety of any other girls out there. He is a scary person to have walking the streets," Courtney Wild added.
The financier is accused of sexually abusing dozens of minor girls - some as young as 14 - in a sex trafficking ring between 2002 and 2005. Other victims have come forth since his arrest.
More than a decade ago, authorities in Florida investigated Epstein on very similar charges. At the time, the judge signed off a deal that allowed the sex offender to plead guilty to state prostitution charge, serving 13 months (of an 18-month sentence) in jail. He was also allowed to leave on work release for several hours a day.