Bipartisan Bill Would Bolster Crime Victims’ Rights Protections, Prevent Secret Plea Deals

Washington, January 17, 2020 If federal prosecutors re-victimize innocent victims – as Epstein’s horrific plea deal did – they must be held accountable, in a timely fashion. This legislation would give our justice system vital tools to prevent such gross miscarriages of injustice from being repeated. His victims deserve to know that no one will suffer the way they have again.

Washington D.C. – Prosecutors would face more severe sanctions and judges could better protect crime victims’ rights under a new bipartisan bill filed today which would prevent any other gross injustice like the one that allowed serial pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to elude true punishment for more than a decade.

The Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2020 was filed today by U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and James Sensenbrenner (WI-5), two of the most prominent victim advocates in Congress. Wasserman Schultz has led the call for accountability and investigation into the egregious Epstein plea deal, and Sensenbrenner was the chief architect of landmark legislation that significantly expanded the rights of federal crime victims.

This legislation would install reforms to prevent any recurrence of a plea agreement like the one made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida which allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a lesser state court charge resulting in a lenient 13-month jail sentence for a single prostitution charge. However, the reality was that dozens of victims had been identified at that time, and the deal was withheld from them.

“If federal prosecutors re-victimize innocent victims – as Epstein’s horrific plea deal did – they must be held accountable, in a timely fashion,” Wasserman Schultz said. “This legislation would give our justice system vital tools to prevent such gross miscarriages of injustice from being repeated. His victims deserve to know that no one will suffer the way they have again.”

“This bipartisan bill strengthens our criminal justice system by ensuring that crime victims are not mistreated by bad-intentioned prosecutors,” Sensenbrenner said. “It also increases accountability and provides a better avenue for the Justice Department to identify and root out abuse and corruption.”

The newly-filed Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2020 (CVRA) would:

  • Amend the original CVRA to add specific notice requirements that ensures victims are made aware of their rights by the prosecutors handling the case. Judges will be able to remove or sanction prosecutors if they fail to do so.
  • Establish within the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) the Office of Crime Victims’ Rights. This new entity will be led by the Crime Victims’ Rights Coordinator and will receive, investigate, and adjudicate complaints of a CVRA violation.
    • The Office of Crime Victims’ Rights will submit a final order on CVRA violation allegation within 180 days of receiving a complaint, and a victim can request a hearing.
    • If the Coordinator determines a federal attorney knowingly violated the rights of a crime victim, the Coordinator can impose disciplinary action that can include:
      • Suspension or termination of employment
      • Referral to each state bar association in which the attorney is a member
      • Suspension from practicing law on behalf of the United States
      • Referral to the U.S. attorney if there is evidence of criminal misconduct
    • Both the victim and attorney will have the right to be represented by legal counsel, and victims will be provided a pro bono attorney.
  • Require a yearly report to Congress which includes the number of complaints filed with the Office of Crime Victims’ Rights, how many are investigated or referred to a bar association, and among other information, a list of attorneys who have received more than five complaints.