News Roundup

Published for NC Criminal Law on July 12, 2019.

The major national criminal law news of the week was the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein on federal sex-trafficking charges involving underage girls.  Epstein, who often is referred to as a billionaire financier though the extent and source of his wealth is largely shrouded in mystery, pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges in Florida state court as part of an unusually lenient plea agreement that allowed him to avoid serious federal sex crime charges and shielded any of his co-conspirators from prosecution.  That plea agreement was approved by current Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, who was the United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida at the time.  Over the years, Epstein has been connected to President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.  Keep reading for more news. Ticket Irregularities.  WNCN reports that two North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers are under investigation for “traffic ticket irregularities” in Harnett County, and that one of the troopers involved has been “separated” from the Highway Patrol.  The report says that investigators are looking into whether the troopers wrote citations without actually serving them on the person who was being cited, meaning that the person would be unaware of the charges until he or she went to court or tried to pay their fine.  Jason R. Benson was separated from the Highway Patrol and Christopher S. Carter is on administrative duty during the ongoing investigation. Officer Shot.  WRAL reports that multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating the non-fatal shooting of a Henderson [...]