Files in Epstein ‘sex trafficking’case must be opened, says judge
A JUDGE has ordered that potentially explosive documents related to sex trafficking allegations against billionaire Jeffrey Epstein must be released.
Sealed until now, the 2,000 pages of court documents centre around the activities of American financier Epstein, who was jailed on child prostitution charges in 2008.
His former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell – daughter of disgraced newspaper baron Robert Maxwell – has been fighting to keep the 167 files under wraps.
The documents are from a 2015 defamation case against the heiress brought by alleged trafficking victim Virginia Roberts – photographed aged 17 in Ms Maxwell’s London apartment.
Ms Maxwell, 57, a former girlfriend of Epstein and now an environmentalist, has always denied the allegation that she had procured girls for Epstein and has never been charged.
Ms Roberts, now 35, claims she was forced to have sex with Epstein, 66, from the age of 16.
She also alleges she was loaned out to his wealthy friends at the financier’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and homes in New York and the US Virgin Islands.
The mother of three, now living in Australia, sued Ms Maxwell for defamation after the latter called her a liar in public. The case was settled in 2017. But nearly all the documents related to the case remained sealed.
It is understood the documents contain wide-ranging evidence, including testimony from other possible underage victims who were trafficked. The age of consent in Florida is 18.
In the new ruling, appeals judge Jose Cabranes said the public’s right to access outweighed privacy rights of individuals who want to keep information secret. But the decision could still be subject to an appeal by two unnamed people concerned that their names will be released in the case.
The dramatic decision to unseal the documents comes days after federal prosecutors recommended that Epstein’s victims should be given a public court hearing to tell their stories.
They were due to have their day in court in Florida last December in a case between Epstein and a lawyer. But the financier settled at the last minute, denying them a chance to relive their ordeal in public. The new move could potentially see Ms Roberts and a number of other victims relaying harrowing stories in the form of victim impact statements.
However, the legal motion also revealed prosecutors are not willing to throw out the deal Epstein agreed when he was jailed on child prostitution charges in 2008.
The hedge fund tycoon served just 13 months of an 18-month sentence after reaching a controversial non-federal prosecution arrangement with Florida prosecutors. He admitted two counts of soliciting girls as young as 14 for prostitution.
Two victims have been fighting for a decade to have that deal overturned and make Epstein face a potentially far harsher federal prosecution. The 35-page motion was in response to that bid, which said their rights were violated because they were never consulted at the time.
If the hearing takes place, it will be heard in the West Palm Beach court of Judge Kenneth Marra.
A legal source close to the case told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Judge Marra is very angry about the Epstein deal.
‘If a public hearing goes ahead, we do not expect the victims to be limited in what they can say, or the ground they can cover. It will be standing room only.’