PALM BEACH, Fla. — A billionaire named one of New York’s most eligible bachelors has been charged with solicitation of prostitution after authorities alleged he paid women to have sex with him in his Florida mansion on several occasions.

Jeffrey Epstein, 53, was booked into the Palm Beach County jail on Sunday and later released on $3,000 bond.

His attorney, Jack Goldberger, said Thursday that Epstein “would never knowingly break the law.” He did not elaborate.

The billionaire money manager is alleged to have solicited sex three or more times between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 of last year, according to an indictment unsealed this week charging him with one felony count of solicitation of prostitution. The case was presented to a grand jury.

While declining to comment on the Epstein case, Mike Edmondson, spokesman for the state attorney, said his office presents cases other than murders to a grand jury when there are questions about witness credibility.

According to the indictment, authorities had been investigating Epstein for several months, even sifting through his trash and watching his waterfront home and Palm Beach International Airport to keep tabs on his private jet.

As a money manager for the utlra-wealthy, Epstein was named one of New York’s most eligible bachelors in 2003 by the New York Post. He has lavish homes in Manhattan, New Mexico, Florida and the Virgin Islands.