Judge gives Justice Department a day to detail Ghislaine Maxwell trial materials to be released
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in Manhattan is demanding more information from Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime confidant as he considers a Justice Department request to release sex-trafficking case records Ghislaine Maxwell.
Judge Paul A. Engelmayer on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to tell him what materials it plans to make public that are subject to confidentiality orders in the British socialite’s case.
Deadline: Wednesday at noon.
Engelmayer’s order came after the Ministry of Justice on Monday He asked for permission to release grand jury records, exhibits and discovery materials in the Maxwell case.
Engelmayer said government lawyers must submit a letter describing the materials they want to release in the case file “in sufficient detail to meaningfully inform victims.”
Maxwell was Sentenced in 2021 By a federal sex trafficking grand jury for helping recruit some of Epstein’s underage victims. HE Serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Epstein, a millionaire money manager known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite. killed himself in prison A month after his arrest in 2019.
Engelmayer had notified the victims and Maxwell that they could respond to the Justice Department’s request to release the materials next month before he decides whether to do so.
The Justice Department said it is seeking court approval to release materials that comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump last week. It calls for the release of grand jury and discovery materials related to the case.
That request, along with the same grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s case, were among the first public indications that the Justice Department was seeking to comply with transparency laws that require files related to Epstein to be released in a searchable format by Dec. 19.
Engelmayer did not preside over the hearing but was assigned to the case after the trial judge, Alison J. Nathan, was elevated to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The discovery materials, which are subject to confidentiality orders, likely include victim interviews and other materials previously available only to attorneys or Maxwell before her trial.
In an order filed Monday, Engelmayer said Maxwell and the victims of Maxwell and Epstein can respond to the government’s request for the materials to be made public by Dec. 3. The government must respond to applications by December 10. The judge said he would “make a decision immediately from now on.”
Lawyers for the victims did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. A spokesman for federal prosecutors declined to comment.
Judge Richard M. Berman, who presided over the Epstein case before his death, issued an order Tuesday allowing victims and Epstein’s estate to respond to the Justice Department’s unsealing request by Dec. 3. Berman said the government could respond to any applications by December 8.
Berman said he would “use his best efforts to promptly resolve this motion.”
