NEW: Jeffrey Epstein’s Ex-Attorney Dies, Speculation Explodes

Roy Black, the attorney who assisted Jeffrey Epstein through his 2007 conviction on underage prostitution charges, died on Tuesday, immediately provoking speculation about the suspicious timing of his passing.

Black, 80, who represented Rush Limbaugh, William Kennedy Smith, and a Rolodex of famous clientele over five decades, died on Monday at his home in Coral Gables after battling an illness, his firm confirmed.

“For more than 30 years, Roy was my teacher, mentor and friend,” said his law partner, Howard Srebnick, in an email to The Associated Press. “The loss(es) I feel personally and professionally are immeasurable.”

Black represented a bevy of high-profile clients who risked running afoul of the law, from Justin Bieber to race car driver Helio Castroneves, and earned a reputation for snatching victory in some of the most hopeless legal snares.

David O. Markus, a Miami-area attorney and colleague of Black, compared him to Michael Jordan, telling the AP he was the GOAT, or Greatest of All Time in their shared profession.

“He worked harder than any lawyer I know. And he outlawyered every prosecutor who he ever went up against. I will miss him. His impact on criminal defense is beyond measure,” Markus said in an email to the outlet.

Black’s wife, the “The Real Housewives of Miami” star Lea Black, also confirmed his death to People Magazine.

“Thank you all for your blessings,” she told the outlet. “We will be announcing details for a tribute and celebration of life in a few weeks.”

Credit to Black includes a 2008 plea agreement struck with federal prosecutors who sought to jail Epstein after the disgraced financier was charged with soliciting underage girls for sex. The deal included a Non Prosecution Agreement which stipulated that co-conspirators, such as Ghislaine Maxwell, would be immune from future prosecution.

Maxwell last week offered to share with the Trump administration new information about her relationship with Epstein in exchange for a reduced sentence. She was convicted on similar human trafficking charges in 2022 and is in the midst of serving a 20-year sentence.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Justice Department rebuffed the request in federal court last week, arguing Black’s agreement only applied to the Florida U.S. attorney’s office where it was struck.

On Monday U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that her deputy, Todd Blanche, would meet face-to-face with Maxwell to determine “what she knows” and whether it amounts to justification for a reduced sentence.

Trump’s MAGA base continues to call for transparency in the case, which played a minor role in the 2024 election when Trump accused the Biden administration of withholding information about the government’s investigation and whether there was a conspiracy to murder him.

FBI Kash Patel announced earlier this month that no further charges will be brought as a result of the case.