Prosecutors ding Prince Andrew for not helping feds in Epstein case
The lead prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation says the case is moving forward but has had no cooperation from the British royal; Bryan Llenas reports.
Prince Andrew is still refusing to cooperate with federal investigators in an investigation concerning his pal, late financer and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Contrary to Prince Andrew’s very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epstein’s co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation,” Geoffrey Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Monday morning, as reported by New York Post.
“Our office is considering its options,” he added.
According to the outlet the royal, who is accused of raping one of Epstein’s victims, has reportedly hired Britain’s “most formidable” extradition lawyer to defend him against the federal probe.
In November 2019, the 60-year-old issued a press release stating he was “willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations.”
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Britain's Prince Andrew (Reuters/Neil Hall)
In January, Berman told reporters at a news conference outside Epstein’s former Upper East Side residence that federal prosecutors reached out to Andrew and have been struggling to get the prince to agree to sit down with them.
At the time, Berman told the press outside the mansion: “The Southern District of New York and the FBI have contacted Prince Andrew’s attorneys and requested to interview Prince Andrew, and to date, Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation.”
Berman said he elected to share Andrew’s reluctance to cooperate simply because the prince “publicly offered, indeed in a press release, to cooperate with law enforcement investigating the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators.”
A royal insider told the Post in an e-mail, “This issue is being dealt with by the Duke of York’s legal team. Buckingham Palace will not be commenting further on this particular matter.”
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ASCOT, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 22: Royal Ascot Race Meeting Thursday - Ladies Day. Prince Andrew, The Duke Of York and Jeffrey Epstein (far right) At Ascot. With them are Edward (far left) and Caroline Stanley (in pink), the Earl and Countess of Derby. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Andrew has vehemently denied any claims of wrongdoing.
Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City in August. Life-saving measures were initiated immediately by staff. He was then transported to New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival, officials said at the time.
Despite the fact the financier died behind bars awaiting trial for sex trafficking, the top prosecutor said the feds’ investigation into his sex abuse network will continue because “Jeffrey Epstein couldn’t have done what he did without the assistance of others.”
“And I can assure you that the investigation is moving forward,” Berman added.
The Duke of York was issued his walking papers and was ordered to move his offices out of Buckingham Palace in November after a nuclear interview he gave to the BBC in which he defended his friendship with Epstein. In the interview, Andrew also denied ever having sex with one of Epstein’s main accusers, Virginia Roberts Guiffre, after she claimed she had sex with Andrew three times, including when she was 17.
Photo from 2001 that was included in court files released last week shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the waist of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre who says Jeffrey Epstein paid her to have sex with the prince. Andrew has denied the charges. In the background is Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. (Florida Southern District Court) (U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals)
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During the interview, Andrew attempted to establish an alibi for a key New York trip in the Epstein scandal, in which Andrew claimed he had stayed with former diplomat Sir Thomas Harris, the consul-general in New York at the time. Allegations made against him by Giuffre were impossible, Andrew said in the sit-down conversation with BBC, the New York Post previously reported.
Andrew also stated during the interview that he has "no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever."
However, Giuffre maintained in court filings that Epstein forced her to have sex with Andrew at least three times, recalling the prince “sweating all over me” on a London dance floor. Andrew, denying the claim, pointed to his “stay” with the consul-general and claims that he cannot sweat as a consequence of a war injury.
“I have a peculiar medical condition,” Andrew told the BBC’s Emily Maitlis. “Which is that I don’t sweat, or I didn’t sweat at the time … because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at.”
Prince Andrew (right) is dealing with backlash from critics and media personalities over an interview about his relationship with now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the numerous sexual assault allegations against the British royal. (Getty)
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“And I simply — it was, it was almost impossible for me to sweat," added Andrew.
Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report.
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