Following a newly unsealed indictment in the Southern District of New York, lawyers for multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein argued that the new charges are an unwarranted “redo” of a case that had been settled years ago with federal prosecutors in Miami. Although the law gives federal prosecutors the freedom to bring such prosecutions, it rarely occurs.
According to Robert Mintz, McCarter’s Newark managing partner and a former federal prosecutor, it is common for criminal investigations to examine conduct in multiple federal districts, “but it’s highly unusual for one US attorney’s office to take a look at similar conduct that has already been reviewed and adjudicated by a US attorney’s office in another district.”
Mintz stated that the new case conveys to federal prosecutors in Florida as well as Justice Department headquarters that this case warranted closer scrutiny.