Over 170 individuals linked to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein are likely to be named in unsealed court documents at the start of 2024, a judge ordered Monday.
Senior U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska for the Southern District of New York ruled Monday to have a trove of documents related to dozens of unnamed alleged Epstein associates unsealed in fourteen days, court documents show. The anonymous individuals range from “J. Doe” 003 to 187 and appear to be friends, recruiters and victims of the disgraced financier. (RELATED: JPMorgan Chase Agrees To Pay US Virgin Islands $75 Million To Settle Jeffrey Epstein Lawsuit)
READ THE COURT DOCUMENTS:
Preska’s ruling is part of alleged Epstein victim Virginia Guiffre’s defamation lawsuit against Epstein’s longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently imprisoned for conspiring with Epstein to abuse minors. Maxwell was sentenced in June 2022 to 20 years in prison for her role in a scheme to sexually exploit underage girls alongside Epstein for a decade.
“The Court stays its order for fourteen days to permit any impacted Doe the opportunity to appeal, after which counsel are asked to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing pursuant to this order, and post the documents on the docket,” the order concludes.
The Daily Mail first reported the judge’s ruling. The unveiled documents are likely to become public on Jan. 2, the day after the fourteen day time period ending Jan. 1. (RELATED: Prosecutor Who Went After Jeffrey Epstein’s Estate Speaks Her Mind About Ouster)
High profile individuals linked to Jeffrey Epstein include billionaire Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, billionaire LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, former Obama Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, private equity billionaire Leon Black, leftist intellectual Noam Chomsky and famed director Woody Allen, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Epstein was charged in Manhattan federal court in July 2019 for allegedly sex trafficking minors and conspiring to commit sex trafficking. The indictment leveled against Epstein alleged that between 2002-05, he sexually abused dozens of underage victims by luring them into committing sex acts for money. His alleged crimes took place in multiple locations including New York, New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
The next month, Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell as he awaited trial on the sex trafficking charges. His death was officially ruled a suicide and not recorded by cameras inside the jail facility. (RELATED: ‘Great Friendship’: British Watchdog Releases Personal Emails Between Jeffrey Epstein And Former Banking Executive)
In 2008, Epstein was sentenced in Florida for procuring a child for prostitution and spent roughly a year in jail. He registered as a sex offender and relocated to the U.S. Virgin Islands where he allegedly continued his pattern of sexual abuse at his Little St. James island property.
Epstein’s estate sold Little St. James as part of a settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands and its new owner is hoping to turn the infamous property into a resort.
Epstein’s victims have settled with Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan in lawsuits accusing the financial institutions of enabling his sex trafficking.