Financier Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead in his prison cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, US media report.<\/p>\n
His body was discovered at 07:30 local time (11:30 GMT) on Saturday at the facility in New York.<\/p>\n
He was reportedly on suicide watch following an earlier incident in which he was found injured in his cell.<\/p>\n
Epstein, 66, had pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was being held without bail.<\/p>\n
Last month, shortly after he was denied bail, he was found semi-conscious in his cell with injuries to his neck. He was treated at a nearby hospital, reports say, before being returned to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.<\/p>\n
The facility is widely considered to be one of the most secure in the country.<\/p>\n
Epstein was accused of paying girls under the age of 18 to perform sex acts at his Manhattan and Florida mansions between 2002 and 2005.<\/p>\n
He was arrested on 6 July after landing in New Jersey on his private jet. He avoided similar charges in a controversial secret plea deal in 2008, and instead pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.<\/p>\n
That plea deal was closely scrutinised in recent weeks and, last month,\u00a0US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned over his role in it.<\/a><\/p>\n Prosecutors also accused Epstein of paying large amounts of money to two potential witnesses ahead of the scheduled trial.<\/p>\n He faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n New York-born Epstein worked as a teacher before moving into finance.<\/p>\n Prior to the criminal cases against him, he was best known for his wealth and high-profile connections.<\/p>\n He was often seen socialising with the rich and powerful, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and the UK’s Prince Andrew.<\/p>\n In a 2002 profile in New York Magazine,\u00a0Mr Trump referred to Epstein as a “terrific guy”<\/a>.<\/p>\n But he later said the pair fell out “12 or 15 years ago” and reiterated last month that he was “not a fan of Jeffrey Epstein”.<\/p>\n Reports of Epstein’s wealth vary, with his Virgin Islands-based firm generating no public records.<\/p>\n 2002:<\/strong>\u00a0The earliest allegations of abuse covered by the recent case take place.<\/p>\n October 2002:\u00a0<\/strong>Donald Trump tells New York magazine he has known Epstein for 15 years<\/a>, and that he is a “terrific guy…. it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side”.<\/p>\n 2005:<\/strong>\u00a0One of Epstein’s alleged victims, aged 14, reports him to the police in Palm Beach – sparking the first investigation.<\/p>\n May 2006:\u00a0<\/strong>Epstein is charged with unlawful sex acts with a minor. Later in the year, the case is referred to the FBI.<\/p>\n 2007:<\/strong>\u00a0A plea deal is struck with Alex Acosta, the US attorney in Florida. Instead of facing federal sex-trafficking charges, he pleads guilty to two charges of soliciting prostitution, including with a minor.<\/p>\n June 2008:<\/strong>\u00a0Epstein is sentenced to 13 months in prison – a private wing of a county jail. He is also allowed to leave for work – up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. He does, however, have to register as a sex offender.<\/p>\n April 2017:\u00a0<\/strong>Alex Acosta is appointed labor secretary by now-President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n November 2018:\u00a0<\/strong>The Miami Herald publishes its explosive investigation into Epstein<\/a>, the plea deal, and the dozens of women alleging abuse.<\/p>\n July 2019:\u00a0<\/strong>Epstein is arrested\u00a0<\/a>on new sex-trafficking charges, which he denied.\u00a0Alex Acosta resigns<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who was Jeffrey Epstein?<\/h2>\n
History of the allegations<\/h2>\n