The long-sought list of the identities of more than 170 of notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's associates is due to be unsealed at the beginning of the new year. 2024 won't be a good year for everyone on that list. Nice!
On Monday, Judge Loretta Preska ordered the unsealing of the documents to identify a staggering 177 individuals who were previously only named John Doe or Jane Doe.
The soon-to-be-released documents are part of an already settled civil lawsuit alleging that Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of trafficking women and girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse, facilitated the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre. Terms of the 2017 settlement were not disclosed to the public.
ABC News reports:
Anyone who did not successfully fight to keep their name out of the civil case could see their name become public -- including Epstein's victims, co-conspirators, and innocent associates.
Judge Loretta Preska set the release for Jan. 1, giving anyone who objects to their documents becoming public time to object. Her ruling, though, said that since some of the individuals have given media interviews their names should not stay private.
However, The Independent notes that Preska 'also ordered that several of Epstein victims named in the documents should be allowed to remain anonymous, as releasing their identities 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."'
And, of course, some people, such as Alan Dershowitz, have already been publicly associated with Epstein and are named in the judge's order.
Giuffre alleged in her lawsuit against Maxwell that Maxwell recruited her at the age of 16 to years of sexual servitude to Epstein. She also accused Maxwell and Epstein of directing her, between 2000 to 2002, to have sex with a number of their prominent associates, most famously Britain's Prince Andrew. The lawsuit was settled in May 2017, just before a trial was to begin.
Prince Andrew had repeatedly denied the allegations and attacked Giuffre's credibility and motives. He agreed to settle a sexual assault lawsuit from Giuffre last year for an undisclosed sum.
Here's a novel concept: Let's quit dragging this out. Name the guilty names without dragging down any innocent victims, then turn on the woodchipper machine, put their Republican or Democratic feet in first, and set it on slow just for funsies. We don't give a shit about their party affiliation. If they're guilty, they need to pay for that. Flips switch on.
