Martin Dillon After paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was given a mere slap on the wrist for crimes against underage girls in Florida, the official who reviewed the case reportedly said he had been told to lay off it because the financier “belonged to intelligence” and was “ above his pay grade “. This official, Alex Acosta, was at the time US attorney for the Southern District of Florida – a position he held from 2005 to 2009 before later becoming a close associate of Donald Trump .