The Department of Justice (DOJ) can now publicly release a broad set of investigative materials from the sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge ruled Dec. 9.
Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York authorized the release of files spanning 18 categories of materials, which include search warrants, financial documents, interview notes, electronic device data, and records from earlier probes tied to Epstein. CBS News reported that the trove could total hundreds or thousands of previously unseen documents.
In his order, Engelmayer noted that the materials “would not add to public knowledge” and “do not identify any person other than Epstein and Maxwell as having had sexual contact with a minor.” Even so, the newly enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act mandates their disclosure, according to Engelmayer.
His ruling responds to a request the DOJ filed in November seeking permission from two federal judges to unseal grand jury transcripts and other protected records tied to Maxwell’s prosecutions. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Engelmayer said the Epstein Files Transparency Act — enacted in November — requires the DOJ to make all unclassified Epstein-related records public in a searchable format by Dec. 19 and overrides rules that typically keep federal grand jury proceedings secret.
“The Act unambiguously applies to the discovery in this case,” Engelmayer wrote, adding that the law governs all “unclassified records, documents, communications and investigative materials” in DOJ’s possession related to Maxwell, Epstein, or associated individuals.
He said the court will implement measures to shield victims from disclosures that could identify them or otherwise violate their privacy.
Engelmayer’s order marks the second time in a week that a federal judge has authorized the release of previously sealed Epstein records. On Dec. 5, Judge Rodney Smith in Florida approved the DOJ’s request to unseal transcripts from a 2005 federal grand jury investigation into Epstein, FOX News reported. A separate petition seeking access to records from Epstein’s 2019 federal case is pending.
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