New York, July 8 (RHC)-- Billionaire developer Jeffrey Epstein has been arrested in New York on charges of sex trafficking minors.  Epstein, a personal friend of U.S. President Donald Trump, is already a convicted sex offender, having molested dozens of underage girls in Florida before signing a 2008 secret plea agreement that allowed him to avoid prison time.

After Epstein was arrested over the weekend, a quote from Donald Trump praising the billionaire's fondness for young women has re-surfaced.  Trump biographer Tim O'Brien tweeted the quote from a 2002 profile of Epstein in New York Magazine, in which Trump says "I've known Jeff for fifteen years.  Terrific guy.  He's a lot of fun to be with.  It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."

Trump's association with Epstein extends into allegations that women were lured directly into sex trafficking from Trump's property Mar-A-Lago, with one woman claiming Epstein's then-girlfriend recruited her for prostitution as a 15-year-old when she worked as a locker room attendant at Trump's resort that Epstein frequented.
    
Epstein's alleged sexual exploitation entailed him coercing minors into giving him "massages," followed by him allegedly molesting or sexually abusing them in his Upper East Side or Palm Beach residences.

The alleged trafficking involved Epstein flying young, underaged girls aboard his private 727 jet between the New York and Florida residences.  Epstein, a money manager and philanthropist, is not only a buddy of The Donald.  He has donated to the Clinton Foundation repeatedly and lent his private jet to former President Bill Clinton for overseas trips.