Court documents that will make public the names of more than 150 people tied to a settled lawsuit involving the late financier and accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are expected to be released as soon as Wednesday, a spokesman for the federal court in New York said.
U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska last month ordered the materials to be released after Jan. 1. However, the judge delayed whether to release documents associated with those who have objected to the disclosure of their names until a later date, the spokesman said.
In one case, an attorney for J. Doe 107 asked Preska for clarification on Dec. 20 of whether the name of his client would be unsealed. The attorney said his client lives in a “culturally conservative country” outside of the United States and is “in fear of her name being released.” Preska asked for information supporting her claim.
Some names in the documents may already be public in the sprawling case, and they are expected to include known associates of Epstein and alleged sexual abuse victims.
But Preska has said that the names of minor victims who have not testified in the case or were not previously known to the public will remain sealed.
Epstein was facing multiple sex trafficking charges when he hanged himself in a federal jail in New York in August 2019, as a trove of incriminating material had just been unsealed in court.
A Department of Justice report last June uncovered a cascade of misconduct, negligence and errors by Metropolitan Correctional Center employees that created the conditions allowing Epstein, 66, to take his own life, and found no evidence to contradict the official conclusion that he died by suicide.
The circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death had propelled a slew of online conspiracy theories, some amplified by conservative commentators and prominent Republican officials, including former President Donald Trump.
Epstein was known to have had relationships with well-known figures and politicians, including…
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