Topline
The Justice Department formally asked a judge for permission to release sealed files related to the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of Jeffrey Epstein who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking charges, in order to comply with the law requiring the government to release files related to the disgraced financier.
It’s one of the first major moves from the Justice Department since Trump signed a bill ordering the files’ release.
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Key Facts
In a letter to District Court Judge Paul A. Engelmeyer, who oversaw Maxwell’s 2021 trial and 2022 sentencing, the Justice Department asked the court to modify a protective order preventing the release of some records from the prosecution.
These include, but are not limited to, financial records, travel records, subpoena and search warrant returns, files from “related civil litigations,” immigration records and photos of “relevant properties and locations.”
However, the Attorney General plans to withhold or redact any records with personal information from victims, including “photographs, bank records, phone records, driver’s licenses, birth certificates or school records.”
The Justice Department previously asked the court to unseal all grand jury records related to both Epstein and Maxwell’s prosecutions, the New York Times reported on Monday.
What Documents Could Be Released?
The Justice Department did not give a comprehensive list of the documents that were under the protective order, but gave examples of the kinds of records that might be unsealed. Financial records could include “bank records, credit checks and credit reports, credit card records, money transmitter records, brokerage or other investment account records,” according to the filing. Travel records could mean “commercial airline records, private airline passenger logs, online booking records, flight manifests.” The government also asked to unseal material related to the investigation and prosecution, including returns from search warrants of properties and electronic devices, as well as arrest records, booking records, materials from police in Palm Beach, Florida, and those from federal prosecutors. It also mentions files from Epstein’s estate, as well as material provided by law firms representing Epstein and Maxwell’s victims.