US judge begins to release Epstein documents

A New York judge on Wednesday began to unseal a tranche of documents containing the identities of people linked to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who committed suicide in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes.

Speculation has been rife in recent weeks that a judge was about to release a list of clients or alleged co-conspirators of Epstein.

And on Wednesday, the judge began the process of unveiling the documents.

The great majority of those whose names appear in the documents are not accused of wrongdoing or have been mentioned previously in legal proceedings.

The disclosures are part of a defamation proceeding between Epstein's former mistress, Ghislaine Maxwell, and a plaintiff against the pair, Virginia Giuffre.

Last month a judge listed some 180 cases — under pseudonyms — ordering that their identities be made public within 14 days, meaning the early part of January.

What was included in the documents?

There had been speculation that the documents that were made public would amount to a list of Epstein's "clients" and "co-conspirators."

However, the first material to be released was mainly information that had already been made public in newspapers stories, legal cases, books and documentaries. 

The documents did, however, serve as a reminder as to the extent of Epstein's influence in that he surrounded himself with powerful and famous figures.

Who was named?

The papers mention Epstein's past friendship with former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, both of whom it appeared were not accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

They also mention Britain's Prince Andrew, who has previously settled a lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who traveled with Epstein.

One of Epstein's accusers said she had met Michael Jackson at Epstein's Palm Beach, Florida, home, although she said nothing untoward had occurred.

The figures also include French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who was awaiting trial on charges that he raped underage girls. Brunel killed himself in a Paris jail in 2022. 

Disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was also an associate and one-time girlfriend of Epstein, and was convicted on five counts of sex trafficking by a New York court in December 2021. She was handed a a 20-year jail term in June 2022.

jsi,rc/kb (AFP, AP)

Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspects, victims and those who are associated with a criminal case, and urges the media to refrain from publishing their identities in most cases.