A U.S. federal judge ruled on Monday that a list of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims and associates —some of whom have been accused of being involved in the disgraced financier's exploitation and abuse of underage girls— must be unsealed and made public.
More than 150 names may be made public as part of a settled civil lawsuit against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell —who was found guilty of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse underage girls for at least a decade— brought by Virginia Giuffre, who accused Maxwell of recruiting her to be a sex-slave.
Giuffre has called Maxwell "the mastermind" behind Eptein's sex trafficking ring.
The list of names could include Epstein's accused co-conspirators as well as a wide range of people listed in the lawsuit.
Giuffre told CBS News in July 2020 that Maxwell had access to very well-known people, including "government officials, politicians and royalty."
Judge Sets Release Date for Unsealed Documents in Epstein Case
A judge has set a release date of Jan. 1 for the unsealing of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The decision by Judge Loretta Preska will give the individuals listed in the court filing enough time to appeal the ruling. While it is unclear who is on the list, many of the names have already been mentioned in the media, according to Preska's ruling.
What documents will be unsealed?
Judge Preska has listed 187 "J. Does" on the court documents and has ruled that many of them should be "unsealed in full." It is worth noting that some of these "J. Does" appear twice and others are minors, so the final number of names to be released is still unknown.
These documents pertain to Epstein's associates and were named in a settled civil defamation suit filed by Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell in 2015.
The judge's ruling highlights that many of the names have already been mentioned in the media, and for others, the information in question is not salacious and should not remain sealed.
When will the list of names be released?
According to the ruling, the list of names will be made public on Jan. 1, 2024. This will give the individuals listed as "J. Does" approximately 14 days to object to the publication of their names.
The ruling also allows any impacted individuals to appeal within the given timeframe. Once the window to appeal closes, the documents will be unsealed and posted to the docket.
What were the accusations against Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was accused of sexually assaulting countless teenage girls, some of them as young as 14 years old, according to prosecutors. Epstein allegedly exploited a vast network of underage girls for him and his wealthy clients to have sex with at his homes in Manhattan, Palm Beach, Florida, and his private island near St. Thomas. He was also accused of utilizing a network of employees to ensure continued access to victims.
Britain's Prince Andrew is one of the high-profile figures who has been accused of being one of Epstein's alleged co-conspirators and clients. Giuffre has alleged that she and the British royal had sex in three locations when she was underage. Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and has said he didn't know anything about Epstein's criminal behavior.
Epstein was charged by federal prosecutors in 2019 with one count of sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking with underage females. The 66-year-old financier died by suicide in his jail cell a little over a month after being arrested. Charges against him were dropped after his death.
In June, JPMorgan Chase reached a $290 million settlement with victims of Epstein over claims the bank overlooked the financier's sex trafficking and abuse because it wanted to profit from a banking relationship with him.
