Lanna Leigh Belohlavek

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

Lanna Leigh Belohlavek served as an assistant state attorney for Palm Beach County and was the lead prosecutor in the initial 2006 investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. Rather than pursuing serious felony charges, Belohlavek worked with her supervisor, State Attorney Barry Krischer, to charge Epstein with minor prostitution and solicitation offenses. Newly unsealed 2006 grand jury transcripts reveal that Belohlavek questioned two underage victims of Epstein's sexual abuse in ways that undermined their credibility, characterized them as prostitutes and criminals, and failed to present corroborating evidence. Detective Joe Recarey, who had identified five teenage victims and 17 witnesses during his investigation, expressed frustration that Belohlavek refused to interview victims or use them as witnesses, despite one police report from a victim launching the case. Belohlavek's prosecutorial approach—which treated child sexual abuse victims as criminal perpetrators rather than victims—resulted in Epstein receiving minimal initial charges and ultimately enabled the lenient plea deal that followed. However, there is no evidence in available sources that Belohlavek herself faced criminal charges, civil suits, professional discipline, termination, or other legal accountability for her role in the flawed prosecution.