Overview
- U.S. District Judge Richard Berman authorized release of grand jury records from Epstein’s 2019 SDNY case, noting the roughly 70 pages are “hardly revelatory” and that victims’ privacy must be protected.
- The ruling follows Judge Paul Engelmayer’s order unsealing grand jury transcripts, exhibits, and certain discovery from Ghislaine Maxwell’s prosecution, with a directive that prosecutors personally certify rigorous privacy reviews.
- A week earlier, Judge Rodney Smith in Florida approved unsealing transcripts from an abandoned mid-2000s federal probe, completing court approvals across the three related federal matters.
- Engelmayer wrote that the materials “do not identify any person other than Epstein and Maxwell as having had sexual contact with a minor” and are unlikely to reveal new clients, methods, or major revelations.
- DOJ says it is consulting survivors and will redact identifying details and sexualized images as it prepares a large, searchable release; Maxwell’s attorney warns public disclosure could prejudice a potential retrial bid, and some limited portions may remain sealed.