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A New York federal judge on Monday ordered the unsealing of court documents identifying various people associated with Jeffrey Epstein, ruling that they should be released on January 1.
The identifying documents come from a settled lawsuit involving Epstein’s romantic partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and acquiring girls for the disgraced financier. Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial for his own sex trafficking charges in 2019.
US District Judge Loretta Preska said in her Monday ruling that anyone who objects to their name being released has 14 days to appeal the decision.
The list of names will include a range of people referenced in the civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell from Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of recruiting her as a 16-year-old to be a “sex slave” for Epstein and some of his friends, including Prince Andrew. Giuffre and Maxwell settled the lawsuit in 2017. Prince Andrew has denied the allegations and settled a sexual abuse lawsuit from Giuffre last year.
The list of names, expected to identify over 150 people, could include co-conspirators and victims of Epstein. However, Preska ruled that a number of names should remain sealed or redacted because their release would “disclose sensitive information regarding an alleged minor victim of sexual abuse who has not spoken publicly and who has maintained his or her privacy.”
The list includes at least one “public figure” whose name appears in Epstein’s address book. But it’s unclear how many bombshell revelations will come from the release, as Preska noted in her order that many of the individuals’ associations with Epstein and Maxwell have already been widely reported in the media. Those names may include former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as high-profile attorney Alan Dershowitz.
Epstein was facing federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York when he killed himself. A judge dismissed all criminal charges against him upon his death.
