Some Jeffrey Epstein associates identified in unsealed documents
For the latest on the Epstein documents release, click here.
(NewsNation) — More than 900 pages of court documents were released Wednesday night from the investigation and trials surrounding former billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
A federal court began releasing previously secret documents Wednesday related to Epstein that disclose the names of more than 150 people associated with the disgraced financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The documents are being unsealed on a rolling basis, with two being held back until at least Jan 22. The records may include the names of those who worked for Epstein or only had weak ties to the financier as well as potential victims and witnesses. Appearing in the documents does not mean someone is connected to any wrongdoing.
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The names of those mentioned so far in the documents range from politicians to Hollywood actors, including some of the nation’s most rich and powerful.
Among those named in the initial documents include former President Bill Clinton, former President Donald Trump, Michael Jackson, David Copperfield, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz.
Many of the names belong to people who had already been publicly connected to Epstein as his long-time associates or friends, including his former lawyer Alan Dershowitz who was mentioned in the documents 137 times. Dershowitz pushed hard for all of the court documents to be released to clear his name.
It’s imperative to note the list does not imply that everyone is accused of wrongdoing or illegal and immoral behavior.
The documents come from a settled civil lawsuit that Virginia Giuffre, who alleges she was a victim of sex trafficking, filed against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015.
The Miami Herald has been fighting to unseal documents filed as part of that lawsuit since 2018. The legal battle came to a head in December when U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ordered the names could be unsealed beginning Jan. 1.