UNSEALED COURT DOCUMENTS HAVE REVEALED THE EXTENT OF SEX OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S CELEBRITY REACH
When Jeffrey Epstein died in prison on 10 August 2019, the convicted sex offender was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking, accused of recruiting young girls to have sex with him and his network of high-profile friends. The official cause of death was suicide, but many believed Epstein was killed to make sure he never saw the inside of acourtroom, or made adeal that would expose his contacts in return for leniency. But now, over 1,000 pages of court documents have been unsealed, revealing emails, deposition testimonies and more, and everyone from celebrities to politicians to princes have found themselves again embroiled in Epstein’s sordid dealings.
COURT ORDERED
The documents were ordered to be unsealed by Judge Loretta Preska as part of acivil defamation suit brought by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is serving 20 years in jail after she was found guilty of procuring and grooming women who would then be passed over for sex. She is appealing her conviction. And while the 1,400 pages include “people not accused of wrongdoing”, they also feature a list of figures who allegedly had very close ties to Epstein.
One of the most famous people featured is Prince Andrew, who was reportedly named 110 times in the first 900 pages released. Testimonies from Virginia allege she was paid $15,000 to have sex with the prince when she was 17. She said it happened in London, New York, and on Epstein’s island in the Caribbean –called Little St James, but later dubbed Paedophile’s Island, where it has also been alleged an orgy took place with underage girls.
In August 2021, Virginia sued Andrew for sexual assault in the US. The case was settled out of court in February 2022 for an estimated £12million, with no admission of wrongdoing or liability. Last month, asecond Epstein victim, Sarah Ransome, reiterated previously withdrawn claims that disgraced financier Epstein had filmed powerful figures, including Andrew, engaging in sex with girls. She told Good Morning Britain, “It’s no secret everything was recorded. Multiple victims have come forward confirming [that, and] Ihave also seen recordings.” At time of press, there was no evidence any tapes exist. Andrew has always strongly denied all of the allegations against him.
Since the release of the documents, there have been renewed calls for the royal to speak to the authorities.
Former prosecutor Nazir Afzal told one newspaper, “These allegations are too serious to be ignored. The UK police have failed to investigate… and the prince has s
