Over 150 Epstein associates to be publicly named after federal judge orders unsealing of records
A federal judge in New York has ordered that scores of documents pertaining to deceased investor and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's one-time romantic partner Ghislaine Maxwell be unsealed in January.
According to ABC News, US District Judge Loretta Preska's order will result in more than 150 of Epstein's associates being publicly named as soon as January 1. This list could include both victims as well as co-conspirators and other associates not personally involved in Epstein's history of sex trafficking.
Because of the January 1 deadline, Preska's order allows anyone wishing to keep their names withheld to take legal action to do so. However, Preska said associates who have spoken to the media will likely not have those requests honored given their public statements.
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The unsealing of the documents comes from a civil lawsuit settlement against Maxwell, who was accused of facilitating the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre. The lawsuit — which was settled in 2017 — accuses Maxwell of grooming Giuffre while she was working as a spa attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in the late 1990s.
According to Giuffre, Maxwell approached her while she was reading a book about massage therapy and asked her if she wanted to be a traveling masseuse for Epstein. She was eventually roped into Epstein's web, saying she was "passed around like a platter of fruit" to Epstein's powerful and well-connected friends, including Prince Andrew.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking as part of her role procuring young girls for Epstein in various locations, including New York, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. The multimillionaire financier was known to have a private Boeing 727 jet dubbed the "Lolita Express" in which he and his associates would sexually assault underage girls. A former pilot for the jet testified that several powerful political figures — including former President Bill Clinton as well as Donald Trump and Prince Andrew — were regular guests on the jet.
A coroner ruled that Epstein died by suicide in August of 2019, while he was awaiting trial in a New York jail on federal sex trafficking charges. Guards failed to preserve video footage from two cameras outside of Epstein's cell between 11 PM and 4 AM, when the first suicide attempt took place. Earlier this year, the AP reported that documents obtained via FOIA found that multiple factors — including guards cutting corners, taking Epstein off of suicide watch, and failing to place him with a new cellmate after his prior cellmate transferred out — led to Epstein's death.
