After months of waiting, the first of roughly 200 of Jeffrey Epstein’s contacts have been named in over 900 pages of now unsealed court documents.
There aren’t many moments in history that have the entire world glued to their screens, anxiously awaiting updates. However, the release of names associated with one of the most notorious white-collar sex offenders in the last decade is now one of them.
To no one’s surprise, the documents revealed regular contact with former US President Donald Trump—if you were wondering why #Trumpisarapist is currently trending on Twitter, now you know—Kevin Spacey—figures—and Prince Andrew, Duke of York—don’t even get me started on this one. Nevertheless, the list also had a couple of shocking nuggets, like contact with Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campell, Michael Jackson, Stephen Hawking, Cameron Diaz, and Bruce Willis.
At the moment, there is no suggestion that any of these people Epstein had been in contact with knew about his crimes or participated in any criminal behaviour. Nonetheless, it is still quite shocking to see the extent of the financier’s network, which didn’t seem to decrease much even after his first arrest in 2006.
But the release of documents naming some of the most powerful individuals on this planet also came with some significant challenges. Two of them are Jane Doe 107 and 110. Before the unsealing, names were listed in court papers as differently numbered J Does.
Jane Doe 107, an alleged victim of Epstein, claimed that her life would be in danger if she was named on the documents due to her location in a “culturally conservative country.” The unnamed woman filed an appeal on 21 December 2023 with Judge Loretta Preska, which stalled the release of parts containing her name for 30 days.
As a consequence, she now has until 22 January 2024 to prove that she will be in danger if unmasked.
Another victim who is currently keeping the completed documents from being released is Doe 110. Her plea is currently under review by the court, the judge said.
Judge Preska had already stated that a handful of names should remain blacked out to protect people who were sexually abused. The other names listed are people who had been publicly identified as Epstein associates.
Thus, we have another big reveal coming potentially at the end of the month. We’ll be here to report on them so stay tuned.