Democrats on a congressional committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein will hold a hearing in West Palm Beach on Tuesday to continue their inquiry and are expected to hear direct testimony from survivors of the wealthy convicted sex offender.
The hearing, led by ranking Democratic member U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, is taking place where the Epstein investigation first began nearly 20 years ago.
In 2008 and 2009, Epstein served jail time in Florida after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. At the time, investigators had gathered evidence that Epstein had sexually abused underage girls at his Palm Beach home.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed not to prosecute him in exchange for his guilty plea to lesser state charges.
Epstein later killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.
Tuesday's hearing will also review the role of Epstein's confidant and one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxell in the crimes.
In 2021, a federal jury in New York convicted Maxwell, a British socialite, of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of Epstein's underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
READ MORE: A judge unsealed Epstein's purported 2019 suicide note. More documents could follow
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