Jeffrey Epstein Facing Sex Trafficking Charges

NEW YORK (AP) – Federal prosecutors announced sex trafficking and conspiracy charges against wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Court documents unsealed Monday show Epstein is charged with creating and maintaining a network that allowed him to sexually exploit and abuse dozens of underage girls.

The alleged victims were as young as 14 at the time.

Epstein was taken into custody on Saturday.

Authorities say he paid underage girls for massages and then molested them at his homes in Florida and New York in the early 2000s.

Epstein is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court later Monday.

Messages were sent to his defense attorney seeking comment.

Eleven years after letting Jeffrey Epstein off lightly with a once-secret plea deal, the U.S. government is taking another run at putting the wealthy sex offender behind bars.

Law enforcement officials say Epstein was arrested over the weekend on new sex-trafficking charges and is expected to make his first court appearance in New York City on Monday.

Prosecutors are likely to argue that he is a flight risk and should remain in jail instead of being released on bail pending trial.

One law enforcement official told The Associated Press the case deals with allegations that Epstein paid underage girls for massages and molested them at his homes in Florida and New York in the early 2000s.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case.