NEW YORK – A judge has ruled that secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case can be released to the public, granting the Justice Department’s request to unseal material related to the late financier and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman reversed his earlier decision to keep the documents confidential, citing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the government to make certain records public by Dec. 19. Berman noted that while the 70 pages of grand jury materials offer limited new information and largely consist of hearsay, the law “unequivocally intends” for such records to be disclosed.
Berman instructed the Justice Department to redact identifying details of victims to protect their safety and privacy. The transcripts stem from grand jury sessions in June and July 2019, during which an FBI agent testified, though the judge emphasized the testimony was mostly hearsay and that the agent had no direct knowledge of the facts. The grand jury presentation also included a PowerPoint and call logs, concluding with a vote to indict Epstein. Epstein, who mingled with celebrities, politicians, and business elites, died by suicide in jail a month after his arrest. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and is serving a 20-year sentence. Judges in New York and Florida have also approved unsealing Epstein- and Maxwell-related records in recent weeks, following the new transparency law.