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07/01/2008: "Mega-rich Jewish financier prosecuted for sex tourism - feels victimized"

"A sense of entitlement sets in," said Dennis Pearne, a psychologist who counsels people on matters related to extreme wealth. The attitude, he said, becomes, "I deserve anything I want, I can have anything I want â€" and I can afford it."

To prosecutors, Mr. Epstein is just another sex offender. He did what he did because he could, and because he never dreamed he would get caught, they say. Mr. Epstein's defenders counter that he has been unjustly persecuted because of his wealth and lofty connections.

Sitting on his patio on "Little St. Jeff’s" in the Virgin Islands several months ago, as his legal troubles deepened, Mr. Epstein gazed at the azure sea and the lush hills of St. Thomas in the distance, poked at a lunch of crab and rare steak prepared by his personal chef, and tried explain how his life had taken such a turn. He likened himself to Gulliver shipwrecked among the diminutive denizens of Lilliput.

"Gulliver's playfulness had unintended consequences," Mr. Epstein said. "That is what happens with wealth. There are unexpected burdens as well as benefits."

[ That sense of entitlement, in addition to the psychopathic personality that is common amongst successful entrepreneurs, is why the very rich are often very dangerous. ]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/business/01epstein.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin