Overview
R. Alexander Acosta served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 2005 to 2009, during which time he negotiated the 2008 non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein. In April 2017, he was confirmed as Secretary of Labor under President Trump. He resigned in July 2019 following Epstein’s rearrest and a federal court finding that the NPA had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.
Nomination and Confirmation
Acosta was nominated for Labor Secretary after Trump’s first choice, Andrew Puzder, withdrew. During Acosta’s Senate confirmation hearings, the 2008 plea deal was discussed but did not derail his confirmation. Senators from both parties questioned him about the NPA, and Acosta defended the deal as appropriate given the evidence available at the time.
He was confirmed 60-38, with some bipartisan support.
Renewed Scrutiny After Miami Herald Investigation
The Miami Herald’s “Perversion of Justice” series, published in November 2018, provided the most detailed public accounting of how the NPA was negotiated and the extent to which victims were kept ignorant of its terms. The reporting renewed calls for an investigation of the deal and focused public attention on Acosta’s role.
Acosta continued to defend the NPA publicly, arguing that it achieved the only available federal prosecution path in 2008.
Epstein’s 2019 Arrest and Acosta’s Resignation
When SDNY arrested Epstein on July 6, 2019, the public and congressional pressure on Acosta became intense. The existence of a Labor Secretary who had given Epstein a lenient plea deal was politically untenable.
On July 12, 2019, Acosta announced his resignation at a joint press conference with President Trump. Acosta stated that the media attention around the Epstein case had become a distraction for the Department of Labor and its mission. Trump praised Acosta while accepting the resignation.
Federal Court Finding
A federal district court had previously found (in 2019, in the CVRA case brought by Epstein’s victims) that the NPA violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act because victims were not properly notified of its terms. This judicial finding directly undercut Acosta’s defense of the deal.
The district court’s ruling was later complicated by the Eleventh Circuit appeals process, and the ultimate practical effect was limited by Epstein’s death, but the finding remained a significant institutional repudiation of the NPA’s negotiation.
Post-Resignation
Acosta returned to private practice after leaving government. No charges have been filed against him. His role in the NPA is documented, criticized by a federal court in the CVRA finding, and contested — he maintains the deal was the appropriate outcome given 2008 circumstances.
Sources
Senate confirmation hearing records, federal court CVRA ruling, Acosta’s press conference transcript (July 12, 2019), Miami Herald reporting, and Department of Labor records.