Billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein never once checked in with police in New York City despite a court order requiring him to do so every 90 days, according to a report Thursday.
The New York Post said as a registered sex offender, Mr. Epstein was required to verify his address in person 34 times, but he never did. Failure to report as a sex offender is a state felony punishable up to four years in prison for a first offense.
A controversial 2008 plea agreement that Mr. Epstein struck in Florida amid allegations he abused scores of underage girls at his Palm Beach mansion also required him to register in New York, where he owns a $77 million townhouse, the Post said.
That deal has drawn intense scrutiny since Mr. Epstein was arrested on Monday on charges of child sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty.
Law enforcement sources told the Post that if Mr. Epstein violated the order, then he should have been arrested.
The NYPD told the Post that Mr. Epstein wasn’t required to register with the police because he claimed his primary residence is in the Virgin Islands. But the Post said that argument was made by Mr. Epstein’s lawyers and rejected by New York judges in January 2011.
A police officer assigned to monitor Mr. Epstein’s reporting repeatedly complained to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. that the billionaire financier never reported.
The District Attorney’s Office told the Post that the NYPD assured them Mr. Epstein was complying with the law.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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