A US judge has unsealed formerly secret jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case for the public.
The files were made public today by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman, who said a new law, which requires the government to make the Epstein files public, prompted his decision.
He previously said the 70 pages of jury materials are ‘hardly revelatory’, but their release comes after immense pressure to make the files public.
Yesterday, the jury transcripts from Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime girlfriend and associate, were made public as well.
Judge Engelmayer stressed: ‘They do not discuss or identify any client of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s. They do not reveal any heretofore unknown means or methods of Epstein’s or Maxwell’s crimes.’
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein traffick underage girls for sex.
A request to unseal records from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case is pending.
What is the Epstein Transparency Act?
The Epstein Transparency Act requires the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a federal prison in 2019, within 30 days.
It was passed in late November after a large campaign by Epstein’s survivors moved swiftly through the House and Senate.
It remains to be seen how quickly the files will be searchable by the public, or how the files will be redacted or what names will be published.
What exactly are the Epstein files?
The Epstein files refer to all of the evidence gathered by investigators working on the criminal cases against Epstein and his associates.
Many of those court documents – including flight logs for Epstein’s private jet – have already been made public, but many more remain sealed, raising speculation over who else could be implicated.
When Donald Trump returned to the White House, he released some of Epstein’s files and promised more would follow, saying he had ‘no problem’ making the documents public.
The FBI said it was reviewing ‘tens of thousands’ of documents relating to Epstein, and these are being redacted to protect the identity of victims and any other ongoing investigations.
What is in the Epstein files?
Democrats have already revealed disturbing images taken from Epstein’s private island, Little St James, where he raped and held captive young women and girls.
On a blackboard at the dead billionaire’s bolthole, someone wrote ‘Power’ and ‘Deception’ with other names redacted.
Other images among the ten released to the public show what appears to be a dental chair and a folded massage table surrounded by eerie face masks hanging on the walls.
The masks depict a man with a pointy nose, moustache, and receding hairline. The rest of the masks in the room appear to be of other men.
A landline phone with labelled speed dial buttons ranging from cells for ‘Larry, Patrick, Mike, Rich, Darren’ and ‘NY Office’ was found in one bedroom.
Some of the names have been redacted. Other buttons allowed people to call the kitchen, and four lines are labelled ‘JEE’ – potentially short for ‘Jeffrey Epstein’.
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