Judge Orders Surprise Release of Graphic Transcripts From 2006 Jeffrey Epstein Case

The nearly 200 pages of documents reveal disturbing details of Epstein’s crimes.

AP/John Minchillo, file
A prosecutor points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell during a news conference at New York in 2020. AP/John Minchillo, file

A judge in Florida has mandated the unexpected release of graphic transcripts from the state’s 2006 prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein after the convicted pedophile received a notably lenient sentence.

In 2008, Epstein secured a deal to sidestep charges of sex trafficking and rape. Instead, he pleaded guilty to a lesser offense and was handed a 13-month prison sentence.

The nearly 200 pages of documents reveal disturbing details of Mr. Epstein’s crimes, the BBC reports. These include firsthand accounts from victims and specific information about payments made to underage victims. According to the transcripts, prosecutors were aware that Epstein had sexually assaulted teenage girls two years prior when they made the plea deal.

On Monday, Circuit Judge Luis Delgado ordered the release of the 16-year-old documents. In his statement, the judge said, “Details in the record will be outrageous to decent people.” He described the testimony presented to the grand jury as covering conduct that ranged from “grossly unacceptable to rape,” labeling all the actions as “sexually deviant, disgusting, and criminal.”

Judge Delgado referred to Epstein as “the most infamous pedophile in American history” and noted that the state’s leniency in the case had “been the subject of much anger and has at times diminished the public’s perception of the criminal justice system.”

“Epstein is indeed notorious and infamous and is widely reported to have flaunted his wealth while cavorting with politicians, billionaires, and even British royalty. It is understandable that given those reports the public has a great curiosity about what was widely reported by news agencies as ‘special treatment’ regarding his prosecution,” the judge said.

Epstein, convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor, had mingled with prominent figures in business and politics, including former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as celebrities and Prince Andrew.


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