A federal judge in New York has approved the US Justice Department’s petition to unseal documents related to the investigation and criminal proceedings against Ghislaine Maxwell.
Judge Paul Engelmayer’s decision on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) paves the way for the department to release evidence it collected against Maxwell, who is linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The collection of documents, which will be edited to protect the identities of victims, comprises grand jury transcripts, financial statements, travel logs, and interview notes from victims gathered during the investigations.
It remains uncertain when these documents will be made public or what portion of the material will be newly disclosed. Some evidence surfaced during Maxwell’s trial, and Congress has recently unveiled a significant amount of related records.
“Contrary to DOJ’s depiction, the grand jury materials would not reveal new information of any consequence,” Engelmayer noted.
Engelmayer is the second judge to authorize the release of investigative files following the enactment of the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month. A judge in Florida issued a similar ruling the previous week.
The Justice Department has also filed a request to unseal records to a third judge who oversaw Epstein’s short-lived prosecution in New York. That judge has not yet issued a ruling.
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