Before being found injured in his New York jail cell, law enforcement officers served Jeffrey Epstein with legal papers connected to a lawsuit that accuses him raping a woman when she was an underage teen, according to court records.
Epstein, 66, is a convicted sex offender with ties to Palm Beach. A wealthy financier, he faces charges in federal court of one count of sex trafficking and one count sex trafficking conspiracy, and has pleaded not guilty to both counts.
NBC News and New York affiliate WNBC reported on July 24 that Epstein was found in a fetal position with marks on his neck in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. There are conflicting reports on how he was injured.
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According to the recently filed affidavit, the New York County Sheriff's Office served Epstein with legal papers on July 22. The papers were in connection to a draft lawsuit from Jennifer Araoz, though it's unclear what papers were specifically served.
In the draft lawsuit, Araoz alleges that Epstein "committed repeated sexual assaults and battery" against her when she was 14 to 15 years old. According to NBC News, the case can't be officially filed for two more weeks.
A status conference is set in the federal case against Epstein for July 31 at 11 a.m. He is being held without bail while awaiting trial.
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