President Donald Trump pictured last year with Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who has attracted attention for his role in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. Credit:AP That detail was mentioned by federal prosecutors on Monday as they unsealed an indictment charging Epstein with sex trafficking and made an appeal to other women who may have been abused by him to come forward. The 66-year-old hedge fund manager is accused of engaging in sex acts with dozens of vulnerable minors, some as young as 14, during naked massage sessions, then paying them hundreds of dollars in cash. He also asked some of the girls to recruit other underage girls, the indictment said. "In this way, Epstein created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach," the indictment said. "They deserve their day in court and we are proud to stand up for them by bringing this indictment," said Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney in Manhattan.

Wearing dark blue jail scrubs in a Manhattan court, Epstein entered a not guilty plea to one count of sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking conspiracy. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted. The charges are also putting new scrutiny on Trump's labour secretary, Alexander Acosta, who, as US attorney for the Southern District of Florida, was involved in a 2008 secret plea deal that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges and a possible life sentence for the case involving at least 40 teenage girls. Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges and served 13 months in jail, during which he was allowed to leave the facility and work from his office six days a week. That deal has been examined in a series of reports in The Miami Herald and is being challenged in court. A federal judge ruled earlier this year that Epstein's accusers should have been consulted about the deal before it was signed. The White House has not responded to repeated questions about when Trump was last in contact with Epstein or if he had witnessed Epstein engage in illegal activity with underage girls.

It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. Donald Trump in 2002 In his most extensive known public comments about Epstein, Trump told New York magazine in 2002 that he'd known the financier for 15 years and praised him as a "terrific guy". "He's a lot of fun to be with," Trump was quoted as saying. "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it - Jeffrey enjoys his social life." Former president Bill Clinton was a frequent passenger on board Epstein's private jet. Credit:AP Trump Organisation lawyer Alan Garten has since distanced Trump from Epstein, telling Politico in 2017 that Trump "had no relationship with Epstein and had no knowledge whatsoever of his conduct".

Asked about the charges on the weekend, Trump said, "I don't know about it." Epstein was also an associate of Clinton's, repeatedly lending the former president his jet to travel overseas. Flight logs obtained by Fox News showed the former president took at least 26 trips aboard Epstein's Boeing 727, nicknamed the "Lolita Express", from 2001 to 2003. That "included extended junkets around the world with Epstein and fellow passengers identified on manifests by their initials or first names, including 'Tatiana", the outlet found. "Jeffrey is both a highly successful financier and a committed philanthropist with a keen sense of global markets and an in-depth knowledge of 21st-century science," Clinton told New York magazine through a spokesman for that same 2002 story. "I especially appreciated his insights and generosity during the recent trip to Africa to work on democratisation, empowering the poor, citizen service, and combatting HIV/AIDS." A courtroom artist's sketch, of defendant Jeffrey Epstein, with attorneys Martin Weinberg, left, and Marc Fernich during his arraignment in New York federal court on Monday. Credit:AP Representatives for Clinton did not respond on Monday to questions about Epstein and the former president's relationship with him.

"I want real justice for these underage survivors - and Acosta to finally answer for his weak plea agreement," tweeted Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was among a number of congressional Democrats who had asked the Justice Department to reopen the case. The White House did not respond to questions on Monday about Acosta's future. The Department of Labour referred questions to the Department of Justice, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Michelle Licata, left, and Courtney Wild, alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein, outside the federal court in New York on Monday. Credit:Bloomberg Then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters in February that the White House was looking into Acosta's handling of the case, but she never offered further details. Trump said in February that he didn't know much about the case but volunteered that Acosta had done "a great job" as secretary. As for the Epstein case, Trump added, "That seems like a long time ago." Acosta has previously called the deal appropriate.