A US judge has ordered the unsealing of grand jury transcripts from the 2005 and 2007 investigations into convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The Florida judge granted the justice department's request for the material following Congress' passage last month of a bill ordering the release of all files on the disgraced financier. The law 'applies to unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials' that relate to Epstein and his accomplice-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, the court order said. A similar Department of Justice request was rejected in August because it violated a federal rule on grand jury materials, which the newly signed law overrides. US District Judge Rodney Smith granted the government's expedited motion to unseal the typically secret grand jury transcripts and modify a protective order that previously barred release of the materials. In Friday's order, reviewed by the BBC, Judge Smith noted 'the later-enacted and specific language of the Act trumps prohibition on disclosure'. The justice department is also requesting the unsealing of documents in New York from Epstein's 2019 sex-trafficking case and Maxwell's 2021 case. The documents relate to a case investigating whether Epstein abused underage girls. It ended without any federal charges being filed against the late financier. Epstein struck a controversial non-prosecution agreement in 2008 and pleaded guilty to lesser state prostitution charges, raising ongoing questions about how he evaded federal sex-trafficking charges. US President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law last month after previously rejecting calls to release the files, which have been a point of contention during his second term in office. The law compels the justice department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to disclose the tranche of materials amassed during investigations into Epstein by 19 December. Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, recently had her attorney file for early release from a Texas facility. While the transparency law allows for the release of the files, it also stipulates that certain sensitive materials may be withheld, particularly those related to ongoing criminal investigations or that violate victims' privacy.
US Judge Orders Release of Epstein Case Records
US Judge Orders Release of Epstein Case Records
A federal judge has mandated the unsealing of grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein's case, following the passing of a new law aimed at increasing transparency in investigations of high-profile figures linked to sex crimes.
In a significant legal development, a US judge has ordered the unsealing of grand jury transcripts from the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein. This decision came after the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requiring the release of certain documents connected to the late financier and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. The law seeks to provide clarity on the circumstances surrounding Epstein's past legal protections and the broader implications for victims of abuse. The law compels the Justice Department to disclose a range of materials by mid-December, enabling further scrutiny of the case.
