Roy Black, a powerhouse Miami defense attorney who once represented Jeffrey Epstein, has died at 80, his law partner confirmed.
Black, known for his courtroom dominance and A-list client roster, passed away Monday at his home in Coral Gables. “For more than 30 years, Roy was my teacher, mentor and friend,” his law partner Howard Srebnick wrote in an email to the Associated Press. “The loss(es) I feel personally and professionally are immeasurable.”
His wife of 30 years, Lea, confirmed to People that Black had been battling an unspecified illness. “Thank you all for your blessings,” she wrote in an Instagram post shared Tuesday, July 22. “We will be announcing details for a tribute and celebration of life in a few weeks.”
Among Black’s most scrutinized clients was disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Black’s death comes as President Donald Trump desperately tries to sweep the saga around the Epstein files, and his connections to the registered sex offender, under the rug.
The attorney played a role in Epstein’s 2008 plea deal in Florida, which allowed him to avoid federal charges and serve just 13 months in a county jail with generous work-release privileges.
In 2005, Palm Beach police began investigating Epstein after the family of a 14-year-old girl reported that Epstein had molested her. Authorities subsequently heard from multiple underage victims saying Epstein had recruited them for sexual massages.
But instead of facing federal charges, Epstein struck a non-prosecution agreement in 2008 with Alex Acosta, then the U.S. attorney in Miami. Acosta, who Trump appointed to serve as his labor secretary during his first term, resigned from the role in 2019 amid uproar about his handling of Epstein’s case.
The deal meant that Epstein pleaded guilty to two state-level prostitution charges, including one involving a minor. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail—spending most of that time in a work-release program that allowed him to leave the jail to attend his office during the day—and ultimately served only 13 months of his sentence.
The sweetheart agreement also carried a promise that federal prosecutors didn’t have to notify Epstein’s victims of the arrangement. A Justice Department report into the plea deal later concluded that Acosta—who now serves on the board of directors at the MAGA-friendly network Newsmax—had shown “poor judgment” with the agreement.
In July 2019, Epstein was arrested again in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking minors.
Black actively intervened to block the disclosure of DOJ correspondence tied to the previous deal he helped strike in 2008. He and others argued that if the emails and letters were released, Epstein would be “irreparably harmed.”
Jackie Perczek, one of Black’s law partners, said she learned from him that it was a lawyer’s duty to “support the underdog.”
Black also defended former president John F. Kennedy’s nephew, William Kennedy Smith, whose 1991 sexual assault trial in Palm Beach aired nationally. Smith was acquitted in the case.
Black’s legal victories extended to celebrities like Justin Bieber—who faced drag racing and DUI charges in Miami—and IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, who beat a $2 million tax evasion case.
He also defended conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh, Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, and won the only trial acquittal during the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal.
“He worked harder than any lawyer I know,” fellow defense attorney David O. Markus told AP. “And he outlawyered every prosecutor who he ever went up against. I will miss him. His impact on criminal defense is beyond measure.”
