Epstein death anger soars, conspiracy theories swirl

NEW YORK - Outrage and intrigue over the apparent suicide in prison of well-connected accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein soared Sunday as US lawmakers pushed for answers, including whether "criminal acts" played a role in his death.

Epstein, a convicted pedophile who hobnobbed with countless politicians and celebrities over the years, was found dead in his cell Saturday while awaiting trial on federal charges he trafficked underage girls for sex.

The discovery came a day after a court released documents in which one of Epstein's alleged victims claimed she was forced to have sex with well-known American political and business personalities. They have all denied the allegations.

Epstein's death in a high-security New York jail, an apparent suicide that came just weeks after an earlier possible attempt on his own life, meant he should have been under close watch and has fueled anger and a conspiracy theory frenzy.

"These survivors deserved a day in court. They deserved justice," Democratic Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said Sunday.

"It is a shame that he committed suicide," she told CBS's "Face the Nation."

New York's chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson said Sunday that an autopsy had been completed, but the determination of cause of death was "pending further information at this time."

The procedure was observed by an outside pathologist at the request of Epstein's representatives, she added.

CELLMATE REPORTEDLY MOVED

US Attorney General Bill Barr has instructed the Justice Department's inspector general to probe Epstein's death, saying it "raises serious questions that must be answered."

The FBI is also investigating.

The New York Times reported Sunday that guards were supposed to check Epstein every half hour but that procedure was not followed the night before he was found, citing an unnamed law enforcement official.

The jail had also transferred his cellmate, leaving him alone, the Times said, citing two officials.

Epstein, 66, had been charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. 

Prosecutors said Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage teens, some as young as 14, at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005.

The young women were paid hundreds of dollars in cash to massage him, perform sexual acts and to recruit other girls, prosecutors alleged.

Epstein denied the charges and faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted. 

Last month, Epstein was found unconscious with marks on his neck after a possible suicide attempt. 

He was put on suicide watch for six days before being returned to his cell in a high-security section of the prison, the Times has reported.

"Pedophiles facing federal criminal charges are at high risk for suicide," tweeted Rod Rosenstein, the former US deputy attorney general.

"Detained pedophiles require special attention. Stopping people from harming themselves is difficult."

'UNFOUNDED CONSPIRACY THEORIES'

Epstein -- whose friends included Donald Trump, former president Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew -- had been convicted in 2008 in a Florida state court of paying young girls for sexual massages at his Palm Beach mansion.

Those men have all denied knowing anything about Epstein's alleged crimes.

The two thousand pages of previously sealed court documents released Friday focused on testimony by a woman who claimed she was Epstein's "sex slave."

Virginia Giuffre detailed new allegations against Epstein and his high-profile acquaintances. 

"Some of wealthiest people in the world committed a horrible crime. If they think for a second that they got away with it because Jeffrey Epstein is dead, they're dead WRONG," tweeted New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, as prosecutors pledged to pursue the indictment.

Trump weighed in on Saturday, retweeting a conspiracy theory alleging -- without any evidence whatsoever -- that Bill Clinton may be connected to Epstein's death.

"This is another example of our president using this position of public trust to attack his political enemies with unfounded conspiracy theories," Beto O'Rourke, another Democrat running for president, told CNN.

Senator Cory Booker, also in the 2020 race, described Trump's retweet as "more recklessness" and "dangerous."

Trump aide Kellyanne Conway, asked on "Fox News Sunday" about her boss's retweet, said that "the president just wants everything to be investigated."

Epstein avoided a lengthy jail sentence when facing the charges in Florida over a decade ago. 

He served just 13 months under a secret plea deal struck with the then federal prosecutor in the state, Alex Acosta, who was forced to resign as US labor secretary last month over the issue.

Alleged victims were hoping for more justice this time around.

"I really wanted him to... be put in jail and have to sit there and think about what it is he exactly did to so many people," one accuser, Michelle Licata, told ABC's "This Week."

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source:  news.abs-cbn.com

German couple jailed after selling son for sex on the internet

A German court on Tuesday handed down lengthy jail sentences to a couple for repeatedly sexually abusing their now 10-year old son.

The mother of the boy, identified only as Berrin T. under German law, was jailed for 12-and-a-half years while her partner, indentified as Christian L., received a 12-year sentence followed by preventive detention in a case that shocked the country and raised serious questions about child protection services in Germany.

The court found that the couple had sexually assaulted and raped the boy for years, and sold him on the so-called dark net to pedophiles between May 2015 and August 2017.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Elon Musk apologizes to British caver for ‘pedo’ slur

Elon Musk has apologized for calling a British caver who helped rescue 12 Thai boys from a cave a "pedo", retracting a comment that had drawn widespread outrage and briefly sent shares in Tesla tumbling.

Tesla CEO Musk issued the apology on Wednesday to Vernon Unsworth, who worked on the rescue of the "Wild Boars" football team and had ridiculed Musk's plan to recover the trapped group using a miniature submarine. 

"(H)is actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr. Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader," Musk wrote on Twitter. "The fault is mine and mine alone."

"Pedo" is short for pedophile.

Musk's extraordinary tirade against Unsworth was widely condemned, raising concerns over the entrepreneur's leadership following a series of previous social media attacks on Wall Street analysts, journalists and employees.

His row with Unsworth began after the British caving expert dismissed Musk's plan to rescue the Thai football team from the Tham Luang cave as a "PR stunt".

Unsworth had said the plan to use the device to extract the boys through a narrow series of twisting, flooded tunnels would have had "absolutely no chance of working".

He added that Musk could "stick his submarine where it hurts".

Writing on Twitter on Wednesday, Musk said his words against Unsworth had been "spoken in anger after Mr. Unsworth said several untruths & suggested I engage in a sexual act with the mini-sub".

The submarine "had been built as an act of kindness & according to specifications from the dive team leader", Musk said, before apologizing to Unsworth.

Unsworth, who lives part of the year in Thailand, took part in the gargantuan 18-day effort to retrieve the 12 boys and their coach, a mission that ended on July 10 when the last five members were extracted.

The boys are all in good health and were released from hospital Wednesday, telling a packed press conference their rescue was a "miracle". 

Musk's "pedo" tweet caused Tesla's shares to fall Monday, although they have since recovered the losses.

Unsworth earlier told AFP he may take legal action against Musk over the offensive tweet, which was sent to more than 20 million followers of the entrepreneur's official account.

He declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Wednesday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pope 'doubts' sex abuse case vs Australian cardinal

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE - Pope Francis said Sunday there were "doubts" over the case being made against Vatican finance chief George Pell, Australia's most senior Roman Catholic, for alleged child abuse.

"There are doubts. 'In dubio pro reo'," he said using a Latin expression meaning that a defendant may not be convicted by the court when doubts about his or her guilt remain.

"We must avoid a media verdict, a verdict based on gossip," he told journalists aboard the papal plane during the return trip from Poland, where he had headlined a Catholic youth festival.

Explosive allegations emerged against the Australian cardinal last week with two men now in their 40s saying Pell had groped them during the 1970s.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation which aired their claims also alleged Pell was naked in front of three young boys, believed to be aged eight to 10, in a Torquay surf club changing room in summer 1986-87.

Pell, 75, has denied the allegations and suggested there was a conspiracy against him.

The allegations come just months after Pell admitted he "mucked up" in dealing with paedophile priests in Victoria in the 1970s, while giving evidence to a national inquiry into institutional responses to child sex abuse.

He was accused of historic sex abuse claims when he was the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney in 2002, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Pell was ordained in Rome in 1966 before returning to Australia in 1971 and rising to become the nation's top Catholic official.

He left for the Vatican in 2014 after being hand-picked by Pope Francis to make the Church's finances more transparent, although his powers were reined in earlier this month.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com