Judge Loretta Preska, a federal judge in Manhattan, ordered on Monday the release of more than 170 names of Jeffrey Epstein’s “high-profile associates,” a move welcomed by many who are interested in digging into those connected to the deceased sex offender and his human trafficking network. The names will be released in court documents in the coming weeks.
In fact, Judge Preska ordered that the names be released after a 14 day appeal period. As that means they would be released on January 1, a holiday, that likely means that the names will actually be released on January 2, after the holiday.
Judge Preska made the ruling in a matter connected to a case brought by Virginia Roberts, an Epstein victim best known for her claims about Prince Andrew, against Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in jail over her part in the Epstein network. Roberts is alleging defamation, claiming that Maxwell defamed her when Maxwell claimed that Guiffre lied about being sex trafficked by Epstein.
The names will be released unless an appeal is successful because Judge Preska wrote “unsealed in full” next to the names of 177 Does, or individuals whose names had been kept secret until now though they were involved in the case. The figures who will be revealed include Epstein’s friends, victims, and recruiters.
However, Judge Preska has given 14 days for appeals, and some names will likely be kept private, particularly the victims, as releasing them would “disclose sensitive information regarding an alleged minor victim of sexual abuse who has not spoken publicly and who has maintained his or her privacy.”
In addition to the numerous names that will be revealed, the documents that Judge Preska ordered released include depositions, emails, legal documents, and other materials that had been kept away from the public up until now.
Conservative Twitter was quick to react to the ruling, celebrating it and arguing that Judge Preska needs to be kept safe from those who would do her harm over the ruling. The “End Wokeness” account, for instance, tweeted, “This is conservative Federal District Judge Loretta Preska. She just ruled to unseal the secret court docs that name 177 people who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein. Set for release in the first days of 2024. Protect her at all costs.”
Similarly, Twitter personality Chuck Callesto said much the same thing, writing, “Federal District Judge Loretta Preska is a hero. Preska just made a ruling that will unseal secret court docs that NAME OVER 170 PEOPLE who were involved with Jeffrey Epstein. She should be given EXTRA SECURITY immediately..”
Also joining in was Collin Rugg, another conservative Twitter personality. He noted that some of those individuals to be named likely have critical information on the infamous island, posting, “BREAKING: 177 Jeffrey Epstein high profile associates will be revealed in the new year. Good 🔥 Judge Loretta Preska ruled that 177 names of Epstein’s friends, recruiters, victims & others shall be revealed to expose the pedoph*les s*x trafficking operation. Some names include housekeepers who were on Epstein’s island who likely witnessed extreme abuse.”
Featured image credit: Ghislaine maxwell pic By Ghislaine Maxwell – I. Maxwell, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15965324
