Epstein Docs Ordered Unsealed by Federal Judge Reveal Names of Anonymous 'John Does'
01:41 GMT 19.11.2022 (Updated: 01:47 GMT 19.11.2022)
© AP Photo / Elizabeth Williams
Subscribe
Jeffery Epstein and his long-time confidant and one-time girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell were accused of running a global sex-trafficking ring. Maxwell was convicted in 2021; however, Epstein died before he could stand trial.
Dozens of documents related to associates of the disgraced late pedophile Jeffery Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell have been ordered unsealed on Friday after a federal judge ruled the public interest outweighed the right to privacy in many of the cases.
The documents ordered unsealed include information relating to Emmy Tayler, a British woman who was Maxwell’s personal assistant and was accused of participating in the sexual abuse of minors.
Tayler denies any wrongdoing while acting as Maxwell’s assistant.
Another high-profile name known to be listed in the documents set for release is Tom Pritzker, billionaire executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels.
FILE - This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry, shows Jeffrey Epstein. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, July 2, 2020, on charges she helped procure underage sex partners for the financier
© AP Photo / New York State Sex Offender Registry
Pritzker fought the release of the documents, saying it would hurt his reputation. However, Judge Loretta Preska said there was “no basis” for the documents to remain under seal, noting he was just a fleeting mention.
While Preska did deny Pritzker’s objections, she did make concessions for other individuals identified as a "John Doe." The designation is given to parties in a legal action who are intended to remain anonymous.
In total, sixteen “non-party Does” have objected to the release of the documents. Eight of those have already been dealt with in a court in New York. Does 12, 28, 97, 107, 144, 147, 171, and 183 are mentioned in this upcoming release.
Doe 12 will remain sealed because Preska says the individual is “peripheral” to the events and they are neither a victim nor an associate of Epstein or Maxwell.
Doe 28 will remain sealed because that individual is a victim of sexual assault. However, Doe 147 was identified as Sarah Ransome. Documents related to her will be unsealed. Preska stated that was because, although she is a victim, she testified publicly at Maxwell’s trial. She also published a book and authored an op-ed that ran in the Washington Post.
n this Sept. 2, 2000 file photo, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Britain's Prince Andrew leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil, at the Parish Church of St Michael in Compton Chamberlayne near Salisbury, England. The FBI said Thursday July 2, 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused by many women of helping procure underage sex partners for Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested in New Hampshire.
© AP Photo / Chris Ison
Doe 183 will be released because their experience was already the subject of media coverage during the Maxwell trial. However, Preska is delaying that release until November 28 to give Doe 183 time to appeal if they desire.
Doe 107 asked their documents remain sealed but Judge Preska denied them, saying the public’s right to access the information outweighs their concerns over privacy. She also noted the documents were “not particularly salacious.”
The documents come from a defamation case against Maxwell by Virginia Roberts Giuffre in 2016. That case was eventually settled out of court. Giuffre has been at the center of the Epstein and Maxwell cases and accused Prince Andrew of raping her when she was 17 years old. That case was also settled out of court.
Documents from the Maxwell defamation case have been coming out in batches. The first set was released in 2019, just two days before Epstein was found dead in his jail cell. His death was ruled a suicide. Maxwell did not oppose the release of this batch as she did previously.
