Jail For Billionaire In Sex Case

Teen massage enthusiast Jeffrey Epstein gets 18 months in the can

JUNE 30--Billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein today pleaded guilty to hiring underage girls for erotic massages and sex and will spend 18 months in a Florida county jail on the felony convictions. The 55-year-old financier, pictured below in a mug shot snapped today at the Palm Beach County jail, will also have to register as a sex offender and spend a year under house arrest following his release from custody. According to a graphic Palm Beach Police Department probable cause affidavit, a towel-clad Epstein fondled young girls (sometimes with sex toys) while reclining on a massage table in his Florida mansion. The underage masseuses were recruited by a young female aide who paid them about $200 a session, according to investigators. As part of his Circuit Court plea deal, Epstein copped to felony counts of solicitation of prostitution and procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution. A related federal probe will be dropped, per Epstein's deal with state prosecutors. As a registered sex offender, Epstein will not be allowed unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 and will face restrictions when it comes to possessing pornographic material. (23 pages)