Ben Wieder

Jeffrey Epstein, center, is shown in a Palm Beach County courtroom on July 30, 2008, where he pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges. (Uma Sanghvi/The Palm Beach Post)

As Epstein’s cushy jail sentence raised concerns, his lawyers went on charm offensive

December 24, 2025 at 5:10 p.m.

Documents released as part of the so-called Epstein Files show how his attorneys continued to try to influence federal prosecutors even after his deal was finalized in Palm Beach County.

A jet is seen on the tarmac outside Alligator Alcatraz in Ochopee, Florida on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald)

‘Psychological warfare’: Internal data shows true nature of Alligator Alcatraz

August 21, 2025 at 7:00 a.m.

While Alligator Alcatraz was promoted as a place where migrants with heinous criminal histories would be detained and quickly deported, records show it was largely used during its first month...

David Mourer has his photo taken in front of the sign at Alligator Alcatraz at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport on Tamiami Trail E, Ochopee, on Saturday, June 12, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Exclusive: Hundreds at Alligator Alcatraz have no criminal charges, Miami Herald learns

July 13, 2025 at 10:50 a.m.

Hundreds of immigrants with no criminal charges in the United States are being held at Alligator Alcatraz, a detention facility state and federal officials have characterized as a place where...

LifeWallet executives John Ruiz (center) and Diana Diaz at their first NIL signing with Miami defensive back Gilbert Frierson. Ruiz has been one of the more vocal people when it comes to promoting his client's NIL deals.

UM mega-booster John Ruiz’s company LifeWallet admits ‘substantial doubt’ about its future

August 16, 2024 at 5:06 p.m.

In the SEC filing, Ruiz said that LifeWallet, a large-scale medical claims company, had made $7.7 million in revenue last year and suffered a net loss of $211 million.

Annie Farmer, one of the four accusers who testified against Ghislaine Maxwell at trial, speaks outside federal court on June 28, 2022, in New York. Maxwell was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for helping the wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. (John Minchillo/AP)

Now hold Epstein and Maxwell’s powerful friends accountable, says sex trafficking victim

June 29, 2022 at 4:41 p.m.

At her New York sentencing Tuesday, Ghislaine Maxwell addressed victims who had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and herself, telling them she hoped her conviction would...

FILE — Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her alleged role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein, July 2, 2020, in New York. Maxwell should spend at least 30 years in prison for her role in the sexual abuse of teenage girls over a 10-year period by her onetime boyfriend, financier Jeffrey Epstein, prosecutors said Wednesday, June 23, 2022, in written arguments. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Feds call for Ghislaine Maxwell to be sentenced to 30 to 55 years for ‘monstrous crimes’

June 23, 2022 at 2:07 p.m.

Federal prosecutors recommended that Ghislaine Maxwell be sentenced to 30 to 55 years in prison, which would effectively be a life sentence for the 60-year-old former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein....

La peluquera Vicki LeMaster, que no ha podido obtener la condonación de sus préstamos PPP a través del prestamista en línea Kabbage, se encuentra entre muchos propietarios de microempresas que esperan la condonación del PPP dos años después, en un salón en Miami el 1 de marzo de 2022.

‘Actúan como si hubiera pedido un préstamo para comprar el Taj Mahal’

March 4, 2022 at 5:37 p.m.

Después de que los cierres por COVID-19 dejaran sin trabajo a la peluquera de Miami, Vicki LeMaster, un amigo le recomendó que solicitara un préstamo del Programa de Protección de...

Tilman Fertitta, propietario de los Houston Rockets, hace comentarios hacia el presidente Donald Trump durante una mesa redonda con ejecutivos de restaurantes y líderes de la industria en el Comedor Estatal de la Casa Blanca el 18 de mayo de 2020 en Washington, DC.

Partidarios de Trump y grandes empresas se adelantaron para obtener préstamos PPP. Luego los devolvieron

March 18, 2021 at 4:02 p.m.

Los 349 mil millones de dólares que el Congreso destinó la primera vez a ayudar a las pequeñas empresas a través del Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) se evaporaron casi inmediatamente...

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