Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Mr. Epstein on Monday with sex trafficking, dealing an implicit rebuke to that plea agreement, which was overseen by Alexander Acosta, then the United States attorney in Miami and now President Trump’s labor secretary.

The indictment in Manhattan could prompt a moment of reckoning for the Justice Department, which for years has wrestled with accusations that it mishandled the earlier case and has faced a barrage of litigation from Mr. Epstein’s accusers. In February, the Justice Department opened its own internal review into the matter.

Attorney General William P. Barr said on Monday during a trip to South Carolina that he had recused himself from the case because Mr. Barr’s former law firm, Kirkland & Ellis, had represented Mr. Epstein.

Kevin Spacey’s accuser in a sexual assault case out of Nantucket pleaded the Fifth Amendment after he testified before a judge. Monday’s hearing focused on a cell phone containing text messages that could provide key evidence.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian told a judge the accuser was unable to locate a cell phone, so the accuser, his mother, former Boston TV anchor Heather Unruh, and his father were forced to testify about the phone’s contents, where it may be, and the authenticity of screenshots retrieved from it.


Legal Expert: Prosecution In Kevin Spacey Case Needs The Cell Phone To Continue

In June, a judge ordered the cell phone be turned over to State Police to give the actor’s attorneys the opportunity to recover text messages they said would support Spacey’s claims of innocence. Spacey is accused of groping a then 18-year-old at a Nantucket bar three years ago.

Spacey was not present in court Monday. His attorney called for the case to be dismissed.