NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein has died by suicide in his Manhattan jail early Saturday morning, three law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Emergency responders received a 911 call around 6:40 a.m. at Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was being held without bail, awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a judge said he wouldn’t face trial before June 2020.
Epstein’s accused of arranging to have sex with girls as young as age 14 in the early 2000s at his residences in Manhattan and Florida.
The 66-year-old was also hospitalized in July after he was found unresponsive in what appeared to be a possible suicide attempt.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe urged a June trial date, saying there is “a public interest in bringing this case to trial as swiftly as possible.” But Epstein’s lawyer, Martin Weinberg, said the case is far from “ordinary,” adding the defense team won’t be ready before Labor Day 2020.
His charges carry the potential for up to 45 years in prison.
He was denied bail, as U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said he is a danger to the community and a flight risk, and prosecutors fear he might try to influence a growing number of witnesses who support charges.
