Britain’s Prince Andrew is refusing to cooperate with the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation, despite saying he would cooperate fully with authorities, New York’s top federal prosecutor said Monday.
Geoffrey Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the FBI and prosecutors have reached out to the embattled royal, but he has provided “zero cooperation.”
Mr. Berman’s remarks came at a press conference outside the mansion formerly owned by Epstein, a billionaire sex offender who died in prison last year while awaiting federal charges he trafficked underage girls.
“It’s fair for people to know whether Prince Andrew has followed through with that public commitment,” Mr. Berman said. “To date Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation.”
Prince Andrew said in a November television interview he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Questions have mounted about Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein, who died in an apparent suicide in his New York prison cell.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre said in a 2015 court filing she had several sexual encounters with the prince and other prominent men at Epstein’s behest, starting when she was 17. She said the encounters with Prince Andrew occurred in New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and London.
Prince Andrew has denied the allegations. An attempt to explain his relationship with Epstein in a November British television interview was widely panned as a “disaster” by critics, and he has since shied away from public life.
Shortly after the much-criticized interview, Prince Andrew stepped back from his royal duties, adding he “unequivocally” regretted his relationship with Epstein.
Mr. Berman declined to discuss the Epstein investigation, but he hinted that authorities are looking at others in the probe.
“Jeffrey Epstein couldn’t have done what he did without the assistance of others, and I can assure you the investigation is moving forward,” he said.
Mr. Berman’s comments came at a press conference to promote a new state law designed to make it easier for child sex abuse victims to sue their attackers.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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