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Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein on September 8, 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Epstein has relationships with multiple celebrities, including politicians, actors, and academics. Epstein was convicted of having sex with an underage woman.
CNN
—
Nineteen unsealed documents from a case involving convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison before he could stand trial on federal sex trafficking charges, were released Thursday.
This is the second step under a Dec. 18 court order by the judge overseeing the case, and in response to media legal efforts to release the documents publicly. The documents filed Thursday night total more than 300 pages.
Thursday’s release follows hundreds of pages of documents unsealed Wednesday, with more expected to be released in the coming weeks.
The total document, which includes material not yet sealed, is expected to include nearly 200 names, including some of Epstein’s accusers, prominent businessmen and politicians, and potentially more. includes more names.
CNN is currently reviewing the documents.
However, having a name on an unsealed document does not necessarily mean someone has been accused or committed any wrongdoing.
The documents range from technical legal arguments and evidence to depositions detailing allegations and accounts of alleged crimes, many or all of which are based on other announcements, media interviews, and other means. It is thought that it has been known for a long time.
A deposition from Palm Beach Detective Joseph LeCary describes a process in which he said Epstein and Maxwell found and recruited girls to “give massages and work at Epstein’s home.” . Mr. LeCarley was the lead detective on the previous case against Mr. Epstein in the mid-2000s.
In the documents, when asked by his lawyer how many girls Rekaly had talked to about being scouted by Maxwell, Rekaly replied: 30, 33. ”
The attorney asked LeCarre: “So if the victim brings another friend with her at the end of that massage, does she receive a fee for recruiting that friend?”
“That’s right,” Lecarre replied.
At another point, the lawyer asked the detective, “So you’ve decided that the word ‘massage’ is actually a colloquial term for something else?”
Mr. Lecarre replied: “The reason they went for massages was for sexual gratification.”
The unsealed document still has the name written in black.
For example, in a 2011 email sent by Sharon Churcher, a reporter for the British publication Mail on Sunday, to blacked-out recipients, someone wrote, “including two of the world’s most respected politicians.” Men,” followed by the names of two people redacted in solid black lines in parentheses.
The first document released Wednesday contained most of the names and information that had already been reported in various media outlets and made public through other court proceedings. However, this is the first time that these specific documents have been publicly released. More documents are likely to be opened in the coming days.
The document was filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American woman who alleges that Epstein sexually abused her when she was a minor and that Epstein’s ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, abetted the abuse. It’s part of a 2015 civil defamation lawsuit he filed.
Giuffre and Maxwell settled their civil suit in 2017, but court filings were redacted in advance to protect their privacy. The unsealed document still has some names and information blacked out.
Most of the documents in the case were unsealed in 2019, the day before Epstein died by suicide in prison.
Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.
“She has consistently and fervently maintained her innocence,” Maxwell’s lawyer said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday.
Contributors: Curt Devine, Laura Dolan, Riley Gutiérrez McDermid, Kara Scannell.
This is breaking news and will be updated.
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