Prosecutors knew Epstein raped teenagers two years before deal, transcript shows

Jeffrey Epstein died aged 66 in 2019 (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)

Florida prosecutors heard graphic testimony about how the late millionaire and financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually assaulted teenage girls two years before they agreed a plea deal, according to transcripts released on Monday of the 2006 grand jury investigation.

The transcripts were at the centre of a court battle for about a decade after media investigations into how Epstein’s ties to the rich and the powerful seem to have allowed him to continue to rape and sex traffic underage girls without serving a serious jail term.