Federal Judge Loretta A. Preska has ordered the public disclosure of the identities of over 150 individuals mentioned in court documents related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The decision, signed on Monday, comes after a thorough review of the records, with Judge Preska noting that most of the names, including sex abuse victims, litigation witnesses, and Epstein’s employees, were already public knowledge.
The individuals named in the documents, ranging from those directly involved in the scandal to those with only a passing connection, have until January 1 to appeal the order.
This move follows previous releases of court documents related to a lawsuit filed by one of Epstein’s victims, with some records initially withheld on privacy grounds.
Judge Preska emphasized that many of the names were already in the public domain, either through media interviews or previous releases during the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate and former girlfriend.
While some portions of the records will remain confidential, particularly those identifying individuals who were minors at the time of the abuse and seek to maintain their privacy, the majority will be made public unless appealed.
The Epstein case has been marked by numerous conspiracy theories surrounding the potential involvement of influential figures in sex trafficking.
“I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years,” Donald Trump told New York Magazine in 2002. “Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
It is no secret that a few thousand people, and the institutions they control, have effective ownership over nearly every major company and bank in the world.
Epstein was regularly meeting with those most powerful figures in the global economy, as well as their key political agents—from Kathryn Ruemmler, general counsel in the Obama White House and later at Goldman Sachs, to Leon Black, the billionaire owner of Apollo Global Management, one of the largest asset managers in the world.
A series of news articles have exposed parts of this incestuous world of high finance and corporate-state power in which Epstein played a key role.
Due to ongoing lawsuits, the media was able to access thousands of pages of emails and schedules of Epstein, some revealing financial transactions used to fund his abuse and suggesting that he used young girls to curry favor among the corporate aristocracy.
His $500 million fortune was amassed by helping billionaires manage and direct their own fortunes. His rise to power and influence was based on his initial role in managing the fortunes of Leslie Wexner, the billionaire owner of the Limited, corporate owner of Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, and other retailers.
Wexner hired Epstein as his financial manager beginning sometime in the 1980s and continuing until 2007. Wexner had a very close relationship with Epstein that began in the 1980s and continued until Epstein’s death.
However, the criminal cases brought by federal and state authorities have centered on allegations of sexual abuse by Epstein and Maxwell.
Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in a federal lockup in Manhattan in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The financier was accused of luring underage girls to his residences under the pretext of massages and then sexually abusing them.
Ghislaine Maxwell, aged 61, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in December 2021 of assisting Epstein in recruiting and sexually abusing underage girls.
The disclosure of these identities sheds light on the complexity of the case and the individuals associated with the scandal, bringing further transparency to a case that has captured national attention.