BREAKING: NY federal judge unseals Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury docs to comply with Epstein files transparency act

A New York judge has unsealed the grand jury materials as well as other documents in relation to the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes as the Trump administration has been pushing to release more of the documents related to Epstein.

The ruling from Judge Paul Engelmayer stems from a request to release the files from the Department of Justice, per court documents. The move is meant to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which has mandated the release of documents related to the case.

“The Act does not explicitly refer to grand jury materials. The Court nonetheless holds — again in agreement with DOJ — that the Act textually covers the grand jury materials in this case,” Judge Paul Engelmayer said in the order to unseal the grand jury documents.

The order from the judge allows the DOJ to publicly disclose grand jury transcripts, exhibits, as well as other documents in materials from Maxwell's criminal trial. The order from Engelmayer also puts into place "a mechanism to protect victims from the inadvertent release of materials within the discovery in this case that would identify them or otherwise invade their privacy."

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by Congress and later signed by President Donald Trump requires that the DOJ present all "unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ's possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein" in a searchable database online.



Files included in that database are required to include all documents related to Epstein, Maxwell, flight logs, and others, but will have some exclusions to protect the personal information of victims in the case as well as prevent the release of child sexual abuse material cited in the trials. Additionally, the DOJ can withhold information if certain files jeopardize an active investigation.   

Information regarding "individuals, including government officials, named or referenced in connection with Epstein’s criminal activities, civil settlements, immunity or plea agreements, or investigatory proceedings," are also ordered to be included in the database. 

Additionally, according to the text of the law, any redactions of the files "must be accompanied by a written justification published in the Federal Register and submitted to Congress" as to why the redaction was used. 

Last week, a judge in Florida also agreed to release the transcripts from an abandoned investigation into Epstein in the 2000s. There is still a pending request from the DOJ to have the 2019 sex trafficking case records released. 

There have been many theories surrounding Epstein as well as Maxwell related to those they associated with and if other third parties were involved in their crimes. The FBI concluded in a memo earlier this year that a "systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list'" belonging to Epstein. Additionally, "There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions," per the FBI memo on the case.  

The same memo said that the "conclusion that Epstein died by suicide is further supported by video footage from the common area of the Special Housing Unit (SHU) where Epstein was housed at the time of his death." 

Judge Order Maxwell