Judge denies Epstein bail

A federal judge on Thursday denied bail for financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex-trafficking charges after prosecutors argued he was a danger to the public and could try to flee the country. Epstein will remain in prison while contesting charges that he exploited dozens of girls as young as 14 in New York and Florida in the early 2000s. Epstein’s lawyers had asked for house arrest with a pledge of $559 million in assets as collateral. “I doubt that any bail package can overcome danger to the community,” U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said.

Alex Acosta resigned as U.S. labor secretary on Friday after coming under fire for his involvement in a 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution for molesting numerous teenage girls and spend only 13 months in jail on charges of soliciting prostitution.