Featured Image Credit: Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Crime, US News
Emily Brown
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Crime, US News
A list of Jeffrey Epstein's associates has been released to the public after a judge ordered the court documents be unsealed.
The documents formed part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit brought against Ghislaine Maxwell, a known associate of convicted sex offender Epstein, by one of his accusers, Virginia Giuffre.
At the time, the names were kept secret under a court-ordered seal - with the names 'John Doe' or 'Jane Doe' used to refer to those involved.
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Maxwell is now is serving a 20-year prison sentence for the crimes she'd committed with Epstein, who died in 2019, and New York Judge Loretta Preska ruled that the names could be made public.
More than 150 names have now been released, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew.
Discussing the release of the names, Judge Preska noted that many of those involved had already been publicly identified by the media or during Maxwell's trial, while others 'did not raise an objection' to the unsealing of the documents.
A deadline for objections to unsealing the documents passed at midnight on Monday (January 1).
Giuffre made clear her approval for the names to be unsealed as she shared a post on X after Preska ordered the release of the document.
Making reference to senator Marsha Blackburn, who welcomed the decision to reveal the 170 names, Giuffre wrote: “Finally we are hearing members of the US government senators about the need for transparency and a call to arms for accountability!!
“There’s going to be a lot of nervous ppl over Christmas and New Years, 170 to be exact, who’s on the naughty list? This [wouldn't] be possible without the Honourable Judge Preska."
As well as a number of people who have been accused of wrongdoing, the documents also name people making the accusations, and those who may have potentially witnessed crimes.
And while many names have now been revealed, there are some identities, including those belonging to child victims, which will remain secret.
According to ABC News, President Bill Clinton was amongst those named, however, the document does not contain any evidence of the former president committing any illegal activity.
The outlet reports that he is mentioned more in than fifty of the files.
When Epstein was arrested in 2019, Clinton said he'd 'cut off contact' with him in 2005, with a spokesperson Angel Ureña saying at the time: "He's not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade', adding: "And has never been to Little St. James Island, Epstein's ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida."
Now that the documents have been unsealed, new details may come to light regarding the exact nature of the relationships Epstein had with his associates.