It is already known on social media as “Epstein’s List”: by his customers, implicitly. In reality, it is simply a list of names of people connected to the child sex trafficking accused jet-setting financier who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial. Customers, but also friends and acquaintances. And those injured. However, the world awaits them with bated breath. New York judge Loretta Preska, who ruled on superwitness Virginia Giuffre's libel lawsuit against Epstein's ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, has allowed the names of people associated with Jeffrey Epstein and involved in the lawsuit to be published in plain language . The vast majority of them are not accused of wrongdoing, but the revelations could still shed new light on the sex trafficking ring run by Epstein and his girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell (who is already serving a 20-year prison sentence).
How many names are on the list?
The list contains 187 references to “J. Doe»: John Doe or Jane Doe are the anonymous options that US law allows to publicly refer to people, witnesses or defendants who are informed about the facts of the case. With the publication of the secret names, these identities will now be revealed. With two exceptions: J. Doe 107 and J. Doe 110 have filed requests to remain anonymous for personal safety reasons, and the court now has one month to consider them.
However, the judge noted that many of the people named in the lawsuit have already been publicly identified in the media or in Maxwell's criminal case. He added that many others had “not objected” to the documents being disclosed. And a minority of the names on the list remain redacted, including the names of (then) minors who were victims of Epstein's crimes.
Who is on the list?
The list includes a mix of people accused of misconduct, people who have made those allegations, and others who were potential witnesses to crimes. It's not a customer list: it could be Epstein's associates, or people who simply visited his house or boarded his private plane.
Among the names are Michael Jackson, David Copperfield, former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, technology guru Marvin Minsky, French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, American investor Glenn Dubin. There's also Prince Andrew: Johanna Sjoberg, one of the accusers alleged that Prince Andrew groped her breast as she sat on a sofa in Epstein's Manhattan apartment in 2001. Buckingham Palace previously said the allegations were “categorically false.” But last year, the prince paid Virginia Giuffre millions to settle a lawsuit she brought alleging he sexually abused her when she was 17. He said he had never met Ms Giuffre and denied her allegations.
Bill Clinton is also among the names
This question is driving social media crazy, along with the speculative question about Donald Trump's presence. According to ABC News, the former US president is mentioned more than 50 times in court documents. She traveled on Epstein's plane on humanitarian trips to Africa in the early 2000s and praised Epstein as a philanthropist at the time. Clinton aides said they cut ties with Epstein before the financier was investigated. They have said in the past that he knew nothing about Epstein's crimes. And – again according to ABC – many of her mentions in these court documents relate to Virginia Giuffre's failed attempts to get the former president to testify about her relationship with Epstein.