Over 150 pages of transcripts related to a 2006 grand jury investigation into allegations against Jeffrey Epstein were released to the public Monday afternoon.
Circuit Judge Luis Delgado of the 15th Judicial Court of Florida ordered the release of the documents—which have been kept sealed for nearly two decades—after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in February allowing the transcripts to be released on July 1 or afterward.
Epstein, a millionaire and financier who in 2019 was charged with sex trafficking minors in Florida and New York, died at age 66 while in a New York City jail cell awaiting trial. Federal authorities said that the well-known socialite died by suicide.
The documents released on Monday pertain to an investigation into sex trafficking and rape allegations made against Epstein in 2006 in South Florida. The defendant's attorneys cut a deal with federal prosecutors in 2008 that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution, helping him evade more severe federal charges.
At the time, Epstein, who once had an estimated net worth of nearly $600 million, was sentenced to 18 months, and the plea deal was criticized as being too lenient. Palm Beach County Clerk Joseph Abruzzo said in a statement that releasing the grand jury documents helps "ensure transparency to the people of Palm Beach County that we serve every day, and to the international community that has closely followed the Epstein case."
"It is our hope that the release of these records gives peace of mind to our community and gives Jeffrey Epstein's victims the closure they deserve," Abruzzo added.
Read the documents below, or find them online here.
What's in the Documents
The road to unseal the grand jury documents began in 2019, when The Palm Beach Post motioned to have the information released. Under Florida Statute 905.27, however, the court was not authorized to disclose the materials, according to Delgado's order.
Abruzzo's office later fought for an amendment to the state law that would allow the documents to be released. That bill, HB 117, was signed by DeSantis in February. As Delgado wrote, the bill "significantly modified the definition of 'furthering justice' to expressly include furthering a public interest." The Post moved for reconsideration of its original request last month once the amendment took effect on July 1.
"The Court finds that the request involves a matter of public interest," read Monday's order. "The criminal prosecution of the most infamous pedophile in American history began in Palm Beach County – with much controversy.
"For almost 20 years, the story of how Jeffrey Epstein victimized some of Palm Beach County's most vulnerable has been the subject of much anger and has at times diminished the public's perception of the criminal justice system," Delgado added.
The judge wrote that the testimony included in the court documents "concerns activity ranging from grossly unacceptable to rape -- all of the conduct at issue is sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal. The details in the record will be outrageous to decent people"
The documents also reveal that Epstein "used children to find more victims," according to the order by Delgado, who wrote that "some of the children knew the type of people they could be exposed to and the infamous nature of such 'notable' people."
Where Epstein's Case Stands
Several rounds of documents have been released since Epstein's death that relate to the sexual abuse accusations. In January, hundreds of pages were unsealed in a now-settled case brought by Virginia Giuffre, who in 2015 sued Ghislaine Maxwell, accusing Maxwell of luring her away at age 17 to work as a "masseuse" for Epstein. Giuffre alleged that she was sexually abused by Epstein and several other men in his social circle.
As the Associated Press (AP) reports, several thousands of documents related to Giuffre's lawsuit have been released since 2019. Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend and house manager, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity.
Several well-known people, including former President Donald Trump and Victoria's Secret founder Leslie Wexner, have been mentioned in the documents, although being named does not necessarily mean the individuals are accused of wrongdoing.
Accusations have been leveled against Prince Andrew, who Giuffre alleges had sex with her multiple times when she was 17 years old. A lawsuit was settled between Andrew and Giuffre in 2022 without going to trial, and the British royal denies ever meeting her.
Update 07/01/24, 5:16 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()})jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')}if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})
