Four years after his passing, Jeffrey Epstein, who was discovered lifeless at 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, had his associates’ names unveiled in recently unsealed court documents.
These documents were filed as part of Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell (Epstein’s right hand), containing excerpts from depositions and motions related to the case. The court papers unsealed this Wednesday revealed unredacted names of the former financier’s associates.
It’s important to note that the majority of individuals mentioned in these documents are not accused of any crimes. Contrary to expectations of a client list, these documents disprove misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating on social media. Sealed court documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, did not contain a definitive list of notable people seeking relationships with young women and teen girls, as many legal experts had anticipated.
Before unsealing, the names were disguised as variants of Joe and Jane Doe in court papers. Many of these names were already publicly identified as Epstein’s associates. Inclusion in this list does not imply any wrongdoing by the associated individuals about Epstein, as some names were merely mentioned in passing during legal proceedings.
What Do the Documents Say?
Filed in the Federal District Court in Manhattan, the over 1000 PDF documents offer additional context to Mr. Epstein’s relationships with powerful figures such as former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald J. Trump, as well as British royal Prince Andrew. Judge Loretta A. Preska, who ordered the unsealing, emphasized that most names were already disclosed publicly in other lawsuits or news reports.
The unsealed documents primarily consist of testimony from women victimized by Epstein from the 1990s until his 2008 conviction in Florida. Despite serving his sentence and being a registered sex offender, Epstein continued to abuse women. The materials include legal motions and deposition excerpts describing in detail how Epstein abused victims.
The documents made public on Wednesday are part of a lawsuit brought by one of Epstein’s victims, with names previously sealed or redacted to protect over 100 victims, associates, or friends, all labeled as “J. Doe” with unique identifying numbers. Judge Preska clarified that the documents mostly exclude salacious material about individuals other than Epstein. Notably, they do not provide a smoking gun list of famous men seeking illicit relationships with young women.
What Names are Listed on the Documents?
Among the unsealed documents is a May 2016 deposition of Johanna Sjoberg, an alleged victim of Epstein, who mentioned interactions with Mr. Clinton. Additionally, she testified about encounters with Prince Andrew, Michael Jackson, and David Copperfield, providing insights into their relationships with Epstein.
Sjoberg testified, “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls.” She recounted an incident during a flight with Epstein when they made an unplanned stop in Atlantic City, and Epstein suggested visiting Mr. Trump’s casino, exclaiming, “Great, we’ll call up Trump.”
Regarding Prince Andrew, Sjoberg testified that during their initial introduction, he “put his hand on my breast.” Another victim, Virginia Giuffre had testified that Epstein and Maxwell coerced her into an encounter with Prince Andrew when she was 17. The case was resolved in early 2022, although Prince Andrew vehemently denied any wrongdoing. As a component of the settlement, he agreed to donate to Giuffre’s victims’ rights.
Johanna Sjoberg also disclosed that the late musician Michael Jackson was present at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion, along with renowned magician David Copperfield. She named them when asked if she had met any famous person while being with Epstein; “I met Michael Jackson… at Epstein’s house in Palm Beach.” However, she clarified that she had not had any sort of encounter with the musician.
Regarding Copperfield, Sjoberg mentioned attending dinner at one of Epstein’s homes where Copperfield performed magic tricks. She declared the magician was a friend of Epstein and not just a random guest. She was asked if Copperfield ever discussed Epstein’s involvement with young girls with her, to which she replied, “He questioned me if I was aware that girls were getting paid to find other girls.”
Another of the most controversial names that appeared in the documents is that of doctor Stephen Hawking. The documents revealed an email sent by Epstein to Maxwell in which the financier asks her if there’s a way to find some of way to make some of Virginia Giuffre’s friends or family to “help prove her allegations false”. Among the allegations he’s referring to are the aforementioned dinner with Clinton and, the big surprise, “the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated and in an underage orgy.” This is the only bit that mentions the scientists and it’s not clear if he’s accepting that happened or his simply quoting a new allegation against him.
The documents of the deposition also include a series of questions regarding scientist Marvin Minsky, filmmaker George Lucas, and lawyer Alan Dershowitz, with negative responses in each case. It will take a while to get all the information from the nearly 1000 documents unsealed, but it’s best to be clear that the fact that names appear on them doesn’t mean they were part of Jeffrey Epstein’s net of abuse and crime.
This story is still unfolding; check back for updates.
