A second federal district judge in New York has ordered the release of grand jury material related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ruling that public access is required by a law Congress passed last month.
The order from Judge Richard M. Berman covers material that was gathered in connection with the 2019 federal indictment of Epstein on sex-trafficking charges. He died in custody later that year, before his case could go to trial. His death was ruled a suicide.
On Tuesday, another federal judge, Paul Engelmayer, made a similar ruling covering documents involved in the prosecution of Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell, a longtime romantic partner to Epstein, was convicted in federal court in Manhattan in late 2021 for her role in helping Epstein in his sex trafficking of girls. Prosecutors argued that Maxwell was Epstein’s top enabler, finding young, vulnerable victims.
Both judges stressed the need to protect the privacy of Epstein’s victims, ordering the government to redact personal information that might reveal victims’ identities.
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