In this July 30, 2008, file photo, Jeffrey Epstein, center, appears in court in West Palm Beach, Fla. Under a 2008 plea deal, Epstein was allowed to spend most of his days at the office of his now-defunct Florida Science Foundation, which doled out research grants, rather than in the county jail, and now a Florida sheriff is launching an investigation into whether his department properly managed Epstein at that time. (Uma Sanghvi/Palm Beach Post via AP, File)