Prince Andrew is probably safe from prosecution by the U.S. government in the case of a woman who says she had sex with him at the behest of convicted sex offender and billionaire money manager Jeffrey Epstein, says former federal prosecutor Bruce Reinhart, who weighed in on the case Wednesday on
Newsmax TV's "America’s Forum."
"It's unlikely that the U.S. government would go after a member of the royal family; whether he has diplomatic immunity or not, that's unlikely," Reinhart said.
"The accusations in this case are very old, and while the statute of limitations may not have run, it's unlikely that they would pursue something after all this time."
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Also implicated by the girl, known as Jane Doe No. 3, is Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, who, like Prince Andrew, has adamantly denied any allegations of having sex with underage girls.
According to
The New York Times, a Dec. 30 motion in a federal lawsuit, not involving either Andrew or Dershowitz, contained allegations that Epstein forced the then-15-year-old to have sex with Dershowitz and the prince.
"The woman, who was not identified in the court document, was repeatedly sexually abused by Mr. Epstein as a minor, the filing said, and was 'required' to have sex with Prince Andrew and Mr. Dershowitz several times, including in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands and on private planes," the Times reports.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Palm Beach County, Florida, to a state charge of soliciting prostitution with a minor, and served 13 months of an 18-month sentence after an investigation into an "international sex ring" involving underage girls, according to the
South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Dershowitz was one of Epstein's attorneys. Epstein is now a registered sex offender.
Whether or not Jane Doe No.3’s allegations are true, Reinhart said the "mere accusation" can be "extraordinarily damaging."
"That's what Professor Dershowitz is arguing," he said. "You've smeared my name in a lawsuit that I'm not a party to, and I have no ability to answer and defend myself, and that's why the palace is coming out so aggressively on behalf of the prince because, again, he's not a party to this lawsuit.
"He doesn't have a right to come to court yet and say, 'I didn't do this.' So, yes, just the mere accusation can be devastating."