🔴 THE NON-PROSECUTION AGREEMENT (NPA)
Source: EFTA00205232 · DOJ OPR Report · Crime Victims’ Rights Act Ruling
In 2007–2008, R. Alexander Acosta served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Under his authority, federal prosecutors negotiated the NPA with Jeffrey Epstein’s defense team — which included Alan Dershowitz, Ken Starr, Roy Black, and Gerald Lefkowitz.
The NPA gave Epstein:
- 13 months in county jail (not federal prison) with work release — allowing him to leave 6 days a week for up to 16 hours a day
- Blanket transactional immunity for all named and unnamed co-conspirators
- No federal charges filed despite FBI evidence of dozens of victims
- Victims were deliberately kept in the dark — never told of the deal’s existence
🔷 DOJ OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY (OPR) REPORT
Source: OPR Report on the Epstein NPA · extract-acosta-ds8
The OPR investigation identified Acosta, three former USAO supervisors, and a line prosecutor as subjects. Key findings:
Despite finding “poor judgment,” OPR stopped short of a formal finding of “professional misconduct.” The report noted that OPR “found no clear and unambiguous standard that required Acosta to indict” and that Acosta had “plenary authority” as U.S. Attorney.
🍅 THE BREAKFAST MEETING
Source: OPR Report · extract-acosta-raw
During NPA negotiations, Acosta met privately with Jay Lefkowitz — one of Epstein’s attorneys — for breakfast at the Marriott in West Palm Beach. This ex parte contact between the chief federal prosecutor and a defense attorney, without other prosecutors present, was highly unusual.
OPR noted they “did not find evidence establishing that Acosta’s breakfast meeting with one [of Epstein’s attorneys] was improper,” but acknowledged the optics were troubling. The meeting preceded key concessions in the final NPA.
📅 TIMELINE
💰 EPSTEIN’S DEFENSE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN
Source: Affidavit EFTA00179613 · legal-filings.html
The files reveal Epstein assembled one of the most expensive defense teams in American legal history to pressure Acosta’s office. The team included:
- Alan Dershowitz — Harvard Law professor (later accused by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre)
- Ken Starr — Former Independent Counsel (Whitewater/Clinton investigation)
- Roy Black — high-profile Miami defense attorney
- Jay Lefkowitz — who had the private breakfast with Acosta
- Gerald Lefcourt — prominent New York defense attorney
Evidence shows that Acosta “resisted defense requirements” on some points but ultimately approved a deal far more favorable than any comparable sex trafficking case in federal history.
💔 VICTIMS KEPT IN THE DARK
Source: OPR Report · CVRA Ruling
Perhaps the most damaging finding against Acosta is that victims were deliberately kept ignorant of the deal that ended federal prosecution of their abuser:
The CVRA requires federal prosecutors to consult with victims before entering plea agreements or non-prosecution agreements. Acosta’s office not only failed to consult victims — they actively concealed the NPA from them. Victims continued to cooperate with what they believed was an ongoing investigation, unaware it had already been shut down.
🏭 TRUMP–ACOSTA CONNECTION
Source: extract-trump-raw · Senate confirmation records
In 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Acosta to serve as Secretary of Labor. At his March 2017 confirmation hearing, Acosta was questioned “only briefly” about the Epstein NPA.
After the Miami Herald’s “Perversion of Justice” series brought renewed scrutiny, Congress increasingly focused on Acosta as the official responsible for the deal. Acosta held a televised press conference on July 10, 2019 — two days before resigning.
📊 IN THE FILES
Acosta appears in 109 documents across the Epstein file releases. His name is referenced 643 times in the raw extracts — more than Clinton, Dershowitz, or Prince Andrew.
Key file references:
- EFTA00205232 — NPA and victim notification records
- extract-acosta-ds8 — 55 lines of concentrated Acosta references (OPR report)
- extract-acosta-raw — 503 lines of raw references across all datasets
- extract-non-prosecution-raw — 2,078 lines documenting the NPA (24 Acosta mentions)
- extract-prosecution-raw — 4,126 lines on prosecution decisions (28 Acosta mentions)
- extract-immunity-raw — 748 lines on immunity provisions (3 Acosta mentions)
Tier classification: Tier 4 — Enabler (approved the NPA that shielded Epstein and co-conspirators from federal prosecution)