Jeffrey Epstein may be dead and Ghislaine Maxwell behind bars for decades to come, but that doesn’t mean his decades-long abuse case is done and dusted. In fact, the pair were well known to have kept a little black book full of “associates of Epstein’s who often accompanied him to his private island, where much of the abuse took place. Now, a federal judge wants the names in that book made public.
More than 150 names are due to be made public.
Federal Judge Loretta A. Preska ordered the disclosure of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates on December 18, pointing out that man of the names on the list had previously been made public and that she had received no objections. However, she gave them until January 1, 2024 to file an appeal, per The AP.
The names on the list aren’t just Epstein’s associates. There are also abuse victims, witnesses, former Epstein employees, and other people who are only tangentially connected to the case.
The documents have been unsealed on several occasions in the past.
However, there were always portions that were redacted for privacy purposes. However, Judge Preska noted that in the years since her initial review in 2017, many of those redacted names had since done interviews or “outed” themselves in other ways.
That being said, Preska did believe certain names should not be released, including victims who were underage at the time they were abused and who had never made their identities known publicly.
It’s unclear what will come of this, but there are unlikely to be legal ramifications.
While many have been curious to know the details of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates, their unveiling is unlikely to lead to any criminal charges. It seems more to sate public desire than to serve a legal purpose. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if any big new names crop up.
