Judge refuses to reconsider releasing secret Jeffrey Epstein-related documents

Case was brought by journalist and paper whose investigations saw Epstein arrested

Andrew Naughtie
Friday 28 February 2020 11:36 GMT
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A federal judge has denied a motion that could have allowed the release of more than 1,000 documents related to the investigation of crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and others.

The motion, filed by the Miami Herald and investigative journalist Julie K. Brown, asked the judge to reconsider a previous decision to keep the files secret.

However, the judge, Loretta Preska, ruled that as established in other cases, “reconsideration should not be granted” where someone “seeks solely to relitigate an issue already decided”.

In response to the ruling, Ms Brown tweeted that “It’s pretty scary when a judge acknowledges that people can hide behind our criminal justice system. How does this happen”.

However, she added, “the fight isn’t over”.

The sealed documents date from a 2015 lawsuit brought against Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, who has alleged she was procured for Epstein by Ms Maxwell at 16, raped by Epstein, and trafficked to be abused by his high-profile friends – among them Prince Andrew. The lawsuit was settled in 2017; Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing.

The documents from the case are believed to contain the names of various Epstein associates who allegedly travelled to his properties, including on his private 727 jet nicknamed the “Lolita Express”.

Starting in 2018, Ms Brown and the Herald published a three-part investigation into Epstein’s crimes, “Perversion of Justice”, a highly detailed account of an alleged sex ring run by Epstein and Ms Maxwell.

In the series, they detailed how the now-dead financier had escaped prosecution for sexual crimes and allegedly continued to offend and evade justice. They continued to pursue the story, and pressure on Epstein and those who had allegedly helped protect him culminated in his arrest in July 2019.

Epstein killed himself two weeks later while in jail. Ghislaine Maxwell has kept a low profile, and reportedly both maintains her innocence and plans to ignore a lawsuit against her.

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