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ByCurtAnderson and Laurie Kellman The Associated Press MIAMI Labor secretary nominee Alexander Acosta is expected to face ques- tions at his Senate confir- mation hearing about an unusual plea deal he over- saw for a billionaire sex of- fender while U.S. attorney in Miami. Acosta has won confir- mation for federal posts three times previously, but he has never faced scrutiny on Capitol Hill for his time as U.S. attorney. Critics, including attor- neys for some underage victims of financier Jef- frey Epstein, say the plea agreement was a "sweet- heart deal" made possible only by Epstein's wealth, connections and high-pow- ered lawyers. Acosta has defended his decisions as the best outcome given evi- dence available at the time. "Some may feel that the prosecution should have been tougher. Evidence that has come to light since 2007 may encourage that view," Acosta wrote in a March 2011 letter to media outlets after leaving the U.S. at- torney's office. "Had these additional statements and evidence been known, the outcome may have been different. But they were not known to us at the time." Senate aides from both parties expect Democrats to raise the case during Acos- ta's confirmation hearing Wednesday as an example of him not speaking up for less-powerful people. The aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Sen. Patty Murray, the leading Democrat on the committee, said in a state- mentshemetwithAcostaon Thursday and is concerned about whether he would "stand up to political pres- sure" and advocate for work- ers as labor secretary. Un- like Trump's original choice for labor secretary, Andrew Puzder,Acostaisexpectedto win confirmation. The Florida International University law school dean was nominated after Puz- der, a fast-food executive, withdrew over his hiring of an undocumented im- migrant housekeeper and other issues. Acosta, 48, has previ- ously won Senate confirma- tion as Miami U.S. attorney, head of the Justice Depart- ment's civil rights division and the National Labor Re- lations Board. He declined comment when asked about the Ep- stein case this week. Epstein, now 64, pleaded guilty in 2008 to Florida charges of soliciting pros- titution and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 13 months. Epstein was also required to register as a sex offender and pay millions of dollars in restitution to as many as 40 victims who were be- tween the ages of 13 and 17 when the crimes occurred. According to court doc- uments, Epstein paid un- derage girls for sex, sexual massages and similar acts at a Palm Beach mansion he then owned as well as properties in New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico. Prosecutors say he had a team of employees to identify girls as potential targets. After an investigation by local police, Palm Beach prosecutors decided to charge Epstein with aggra- vated assault, which would have meant no jail time, no requirement that he regis- ter as a sex offender and no guaranteed restitution for victims. Unhappy local investi- gators went to Acosta's of- fice, which opened a fed- eral probe and eventually drafted a proposed 53-page indictment that could have resulted in a sentence of 10 years to life in prison for Epstein, if convicted. With that as leverage, a deal was worked out for Epstein to plead guilty to state pros- titution solicitation charges and the federal indictment was shelved. It didn't stop there. Ep- stein's lawyers worked out an unusual and secret "non- prosecution agreement" to guarantee neither Epstein nor his employees would ever face federal charges. Well-known Miami de- fense lawyer Joel DeFabio, whohasrepresentednumer- ous defendants in sex cases, said he had never heard of such an agreement before Epstein's came to light. De- Fabio said he has had cli- ents with far less egregious sex charges — and far less wealth — who were sen- tenced to 10 or 15 years be- hind bars. DeFabio tried to usetheEpsteincasetoargue for more lenient sentences. "There still has been no clear explanation as to why Epstein received such pref- erential treatment," DeFa- bio said. "This thing just stinks. The elite take care of their own." The non-prosecution agreement became public in a related civil case, leading two Epstein victims — iden- tified only as Jane Does No. 1 and 2, to file a victims' rights lawsuit claiming they were improperly left in the dark about the deal. The lawsuit, which is still pending, seeks to reopen the case to expose the details and possibly nul- lify the agreement. Other victims have come forward, including one woman who claimed as a teenager that Epstein flew her around the world for sexual escapades, includ- ing encounters with Brit- ain's Prince Andrew. Buck- ingham Palace has vehe- mently denied those claims. The Justice Depart- ment's position in the vic- tims' rights lawsuit is that since no federal indictment was ever filed, the victims were not entitled to notifi- cation about the non-pros- ecution agreement. Settle- ment talks last fall went nowhere. "There will not be a set- tlement. That case will eventually get to trial," said Bradley Edwards, attorney for the two Jane Doe vic- tims. In his 2011 letter, Acosta defended his decisions as the best possible outcome. "Our judgment in this case, based on the evidence that was known at the time, was that it was better to have a billionaire serve time in jail, register as a sex of- fender and pay his victims restitution than risk a trial with a reduced likelihood of success," Acosta wrote. "I supported that judgment then, and based on the state of the law as it then stood and the evidence known at the time, I would support that judgment again." LABOR SECRETARY NOMINEE Ac os ta h ea de d fo r qu es ti on s on s ex o ff en de r ca se ALANDIAZ—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Labor Secretary-designate Alexander Acosta speaks in Miami. By Brian Rohan The Associated Press CAIRO Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a massive statue in a Cairo slum that may be of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous and longest ruling ancient pharaohs. The colossus, a large portion of whose head was pulled from mud and groundwater by a bulldozer and seen by The Associated Press on Friday, is around eight meters (26 feet) high and was discovered by a German-Egyptian archae- ological team. "We used the bulldozer to lift it out. We took some pre- cautions, although some- what primitive, but the part that we retrieved was not harmed," said Khaled Mo- hamed Abuelela, manager of antiquities at Ain Shams University. Egyptologist Khaled Nabil Osman said the statue was an "impressive find" and the area in the work- ing class neighborhood of Matariya in eastern Cairo is likely full of other buried antiquities. "It was the main cultural place of ancient Egypt, even the bible mentions it," he said. "The sad news is that the whole area needs to be cleaned up, the sewers and market should be moved." Ramses II, who took the throne in his early 20s as the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. He is credited with expand- ing ancient Egypt's reach as far as modern Syria to the east and modern Sudan to the south. The expan- sion earned him the title "Ramses the Great." Ramses II ruled Egypt for 60 years — one of the longest stretches in ancient Egypt — and besides his military exploits is known for being a great builder whose image can be seen at a string of sites across the country. Massive stat- ues of the warrior-king can be viewed in Luxor, and his most famous monument is in Abu Simbel, near Sudan. Osman said the mas- sive portion of the head removed from the ground near a street market was made in the style that Ramses was depicted, and was likely him. The site con- tained parts of both that statue and another. Famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass, Egypt's for- mer antiquities minister, said the area where the head was found is a very im- portant archaeological site containing the remains of temples to Akhenaten and Thutmose III — kings who ruled during the 18th Dy- nasty — as well as Ramses II. He said excavating the area is difficult because there are houses and build- ings atop the site and the ground below is filled with rainwater. He said the exca- vated head had been broken in earlier times. "There is difficulty in the transfer of the relics from the bottom of groundwater to the highest ground," he said in a statement Friday. Egypt is packed with an- cient treasures, many of which still remain buried. In November last year, Egyptian archeologists dis- covered a village and ceme- tery used by officials tasked with building royal tombs. The findings at the site some 250 miles (390 kilo- meters) south of Cairo in- cluded 15 large tombs dat- ing back to the Early Dy- nastic Period, more than 4,500 years ago. New discoveries in Egyp- tology resonate outside of Egypt, such as the con- tested theory that King Tu- tankhamun's tomb contains additional antechambers. COLOSSUS Egypt archaeologists discover massive statue in Cairo slum AMR NABIL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A child poses for a picture past a recently discovered statue in a Cairo slum that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, in Cairo, Egypt, om Friday. 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