Roy Black, the prominent criminal defence attorney who helped secure Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, has died at the age of 80. He passed away at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday after battling an illness, his wife Lea Black confirmed.
Black first gained national attention in 1991 when he secured an acquittal for William Kennedy Smith, nephew of former US President John F Kennedy, in a high-profile rape trial. The case was broadcast live on national television and marked a watershed moment for criminal defence.
He later played a central role in Epstein’s legal defence as the financier was investigated in 2006 for multiple sex crimes involving underage girls. Black helped negotiate a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in 2007, finalised in 2008, under which Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and received a 13-month jail sentence.
Black also represented a string of other high-profile clients, including pop star Justin Bieber and racing driver Helio Castroneves. His courtroom success made him a regular on television programmes such as the Today Show and Larry King Live.
Colleagues praised Black as the greatest criminal lawyer of his generation. Howard Srebnick, a partner at Black Srebnick, said Black achieved acquittals over 50 years in some of the most challenging cases. David O Markus echoed this, calling him the “GOAT” of Miami’s criminal attorneys.
