Did legal deal protect the duke? Paedophile billionaire’s plea bargain halted police investigation

An ‘army of legal superstars’ persuaded prosecutors to sign a controversial agreement which may have given Prince Andrew protection from prosecution, it is claimed.

Highly-paid lawyers for Jeffrey Epstein – some of whom had links to the White House – secured an extraordinary deal which guaranteed ‘potential co-conspirators’ would not face criminal charges relating to his activities.

They had spent months delving into the private lives of state prosecutors to establish if they had any ‘personal peccadilloes’, in a desperate bid to defend Epstein against claims of abusing scores of under-age girls at his Florida mansion.

The aggressive tactics culminated in an extraordinary ‘non-prosecution agreement’ being struck between Epstein and prosecutors in September 2007. This halted any prospect of Andrew being asked to answer questions on oath about his paedophile friend’s antics. The agreement states: ‘The United States agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to Sarah Kellen, Adriana Ross, Lesley Groff or Nadia Marcinkova.’

Many serious charges against Epstein and any ‘co-conspirators’ were wiped out, in return for the billionaire pleading guilty to the relatively minor charge of soliciting an under-age girl for prostitution. After the accord had been signed, his lawyers fought to ensure it remained secret.