The anticipated release of the Jeffrey Epstein list commences today, marking the disclosure of approximately 200 individuals encompassing friends, associates, victims, and opponents of the disgraced financier. A senior court official confirmed.
These names, including top figures in entertainment, politics, and business, were extracted from numerous sealed court filings pertinent to Epstein, the accused sex trafficker, whose demise occurred within a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.
Edward Friedland, the district executive at the U.S. district court in Manhattan, confirmed, “The unsealing should commence today.”
A multitude of high-profile figures, among them former presidents Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew, have been associated with Epstein and his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell, convicted in 2022 for her involvement in sex trafficking girls for Epstein, is serving a 20-year sentence.
The sealed documents, central to a defamation lawsuit brought by accuser Virginia Giuffre, had previously masked individuals’ identities under the pseudonyms “John Doe” and “Jane Doe.”
Judge Loretta Preska, on December 18, ordered the unsealing of substantial information but suspended it for 14 days to allow any affected “Does” to appeal. Following this pause, attorneys were tasked to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing, and submit them to the court docket.
Friedland mentioned that the disclosure concerning a small number of “Does” remains on hold. Excluding these cases, “the unsealing process will commence today.”
In a subsequent order, Preska acknowledged receiving inquiries from two “Does” seeking to remain under seal. Preska granted one until Jan. 22 to substantiate the claim that unveiling her information might cause physical harm, while currently reviewing the second inquiry.
Preska conveyed, “With the exception of the documents relating to these Does, the parties have indicated their readiness to file the unsealed records outlined in this Court’s December 18 Order later today.”
