On Monday, U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the disclosure of documents that reportedly identify 177 individuals linked to the late Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosures are expected as part of the discovery obtained during the course of a civil defamation lawsuit involving Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Reports indicate that individuals that could be identified come from a list previously described as “J. Doe” 003 to 187. The persons on the list appear to be both associates and victims of the now-deceased disgraced financier.
🚨 BREAKING: Over 170 of Jeffrey Epstein's high-profile associates will be NAMED in court documents set to be unsealed in the first days of 2024 pic.twitter.com/LP8p3EKGPi
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 19, 2023
Jeffrey Epstein’s death in August 2019 added a layer of mystery and controversy to the already complex case. After Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in a New York City federal facility, the case was officially ruled a suicide. The security cameras in the facility mysteriously malfunctioned on the night of his death, and procedural irregularities reported by the prison staff have fueled theories and questions about the true nature of his demise.
This week’s order comes in a civil case brought against Maxwell, who was convicted for her role in exploiting underage girls as part of the Epstein operation for more than a decade. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in June 2022.
Preska’s order sets the disclosure of the new Epstein documents to occur on January 2.
While the public will not know the identities of the 177 “J. Does” that will be part of next month’s disclosure, several high-profile figures have previously been linked to Epstein. The notable names include billionaire Microsoft mogul Bill Gates and former Obama Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers.
More litigation is expected before the January 2 disclosure date. The judge’s order provides the 14 days intervening between the date of the order and the date of disclosure for any individual named in the material to be disclosed to file an appeal of the ruling.
As the documents are poised for release, the case continues to show how slowly the wheels of justice often turn. In this instance, the public has a high degree of interest in learning whether Americans are any closer to knowing the full extent of their government’s involvement with a mysterious and disturbing human trafficking organization.
