Sen. Lauren Book, chosen to lead the Senate Democrats in upcoming legislative session, speaks in the Florida Senate Chamber on Nov. 21, 2022. Credit: screenshot/Florida Channel
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A Miami Herald reporter and sex abuse victims are to credit for Monday’s release of documents from the 2006 state grand jury investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, according to state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book.
The Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis OK’d the release of the Epstein court records — typically they would be shielded — this year by passing a narrowly tailored law. While signing of the measure in February, DeSantis said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
The court records have been sealed since they were created in 2006 when Palm Beach County prosecutors questioned women sexually abused by Epstein. According to the Herald, the prosecutors painted the witnesses as “prostitutes, drug addicts, thieves, and liars.”
Epstein served 13 months in the county jail with liberal work-release privileges and received treatment not typically available to a sex offender. He was rearrested on federal charges in 2019 before being found dead in his prison cell before a trial could be held.
Book, a Democrat representing part of Broward County, said in a prepared statement that the release of the records is “another step toward justice for victims who were silenced by a serial predator only to be re-victimized by the judicial system.”
Book, a survivor of child sex abuse, is founder of Lauren’s Kids, a nonprofit that raises awareness about the problem.
Tuesday, Book gave credit to Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, whose reporting kept the case in the public eye. Brown has spent years investigating Epstein and wrote a book about his victims and legal history.
“Reporter Julie Brown’s tenacity has been vital in uncovering the truth behind Epstein’s crimes, and her relentless dedication continues to expose the systemic failures that allowed such atrocities to persist,” Book said. “Through the efforts of people like Julie and the bravery of survivors, what was done in darkness has come to light.”
According to the Herald, the release of the records came after continued legal action from itself and the Palm Beach Post, CNN, and the New York Times.
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