ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida has directed the unsealing of grand jury transcripts connected to the sex trafficking investigations of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith made this decision, citing a recently passed federal law geared towards enhancing transparency in such high-profile cases.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, requires the Justice Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to publicly release a comprehensive collection of documents accrued through investigations into Epstein by December 19. This law effectively overrules existing federal guidelines that often prevent the disclosure of grand jury proceedings.
The Justice Department is working on unsealing documents from three key cases: the 2006-2007 grand jury investigation in Florida, Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case in New York, and Maxwell's 2021 case, also in New York. The request for the Florida records was approved on Friday, while the fate of the New York documents remains uncertain as the Justice Department faces a looming deadline to respond to legal filings from Epstein’s estate, Maxwell’s lawyers, and the victims involved in these cases.
As these developments unfold, federal prosecutors involved in the Florida case have been tight-lipped, providing little information when approached for comments. The judges presiding over the New York cases have indicated their intention to reach decisions swiftly regarding the release of those records.
The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last month, requires the Justice Department, FBI, and federal prosecutors to publicly release a comprehensive collection of documents accrued through investigations into Epstein by December 19. This law effectively overrules existing federal guidelines that often prevent the disclosure of grand jury proceedings.
The Justice Department is working on unsealing documents from three key cases: the 2006-2007 grand jury investigation in Florida, Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case in New York, and Maxwell's 2021 case, also in New York. The request for the Florida records was approved on Friday, while the fate of the New York documents remains uncertain as the Justice Department faces a looming deadline to respond to legal filings from Epstein’s estate, Maxwell’s lawyers, and the victims involved in these cases.
As these developments unfold, federal prosecutors involved in the Florida case have been tight-lipped, providing little information when approached for comments. The judges presiding over the New York cases have indicated their intention to reach decisions swiftly regarding the release of those records.
