A US federal judge agreed Tuesday to unseal grand jury records from the probe of Ghislaine Maxwell, accomplice of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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AFP reports: Such records are generally kept secret but Judge Paul Engelmayer cited a bill that President Donald Trump signed last month requiring that the Justice Department release all records regarding Epstein by December 19.
On Friday a judge in Florida ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the investigation of Epstein in that state.
Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
The wealthy financier was arrested again in New York in 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors. He died while in pre-trial detention and his death was ruled to be a suicide.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence for offenses including sex trafficking a minor.
Trump, once a close friend of Epstein, fought for months to prevent the release of the Epstein files held by the Justice Department.
However, on November 19 he caved to pressure from Congress, including from his Republican Party, and signed a law compelling release of the materials.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act calls for the release within 30 days of “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” in the possession of the Justice Department, the FBI and US attorneys’ offices related to Epstein and Maxwell.
Trump and his allies spent years pushing theories about powerful Democrats being protected over involvement with Epstein, framing the case as a potent symbol of how rich men can hide behind lawyers, money and connections.
The FBI and Justice Department triggered a political furor in July with the release of a memo stating that after an “exhaustive review” of the Epstein files no evidence had emerged that would warrant further investigation.