Two Witnesses Testified in Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Proceedings
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice disclosed that only two individuals provided testimony to the grand juries that indicted Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking allegations.
This information emerged in a late-night filing that urged a Manhattan judge to unseal the associated transcripts and make them publicly accessible due to the "significant public interest," especially following the announcement that a review found no client list related to Epstein.
According to the federal prosecutors’ filing, the grand jury convened in June and July of 2019 for Epstein’s case, with just one witness—a FBI agent—taking the stand. In contrast, for Maxwell’s case, the grand jury also met in June and July of 2020, and again in March 2021. During these sessions, besides the same FBI agent, an NYPD detective involved with the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force also testified.
Even if the judge permits the release of these transcripts, they would represent merely a small segment of the extensive investigative materials the DOJ and FBI possess, which are said to total over 300 gigabytes.
Many of Epstein’s victims, whose experiences were narrated to the grand jury by the FBI agent and the NYPD detective, later testified at the 2021 trial that resulted in Maxwell’s conviction. Some of these individuals have also filed lawsuits, as indicated by court documents.
The federal authorities expressed concern regarding the potential release of information that could identify victims or other individuals. To mitigate this risk, they proposed redacting the transcripts before making them public.
Thus far, all but one of the victims referenced in the grand jury transcripts have been informed about the possibility of the transcripts’ release.
Typically, grand jury proceedings are confidential, though there can be exceptions to this rule. The DOJ contends that the overwhelming public interest and the grave nature of Epstein’s crimes support the case for releasing these documents.
In early July, the DOJ announced the completion of its review of evidence against Epstein, stating that no Epstein client list exists, reigniting public curiosity and outrage over the case.
The agency indicated that it examined over 300 gigabytes of investigative materials connected to the 66-year-old hedge fund manager, including details from raids conducted at his residences in Manhattan, Palm Beach, and the Virgin Islands.
However, the DOJ has withheld additional details, maintaining that there is "no basis" for the disclosure of Epstein’s files, which reportedly also include disturbing videos involving minors.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi previously indicated that she intended to unveil pertinent details contained in the files, claiming they were readily available to her.
Meanwhile, DOJ officials reportedly informed former President Trump that his name appeared in the files. The context of this mention remains unclear, though Trump and Epstein shared a friendly relationship during the ’90s and early 2000s.
Trump stated that he severed his connections with Epstein after the latter exploited the Mar-a-Lago club for predatory activities, declaring that Epstein “stole people that worked for me.”
Recently, a federal judge denied the DOJ’s request to release similar grand jury transcripts from Epstein’s previous criminal case in Florida, which resulted in a contentious plea deal in 2008.
At that time, he was sentenced to 18 months but only served 13, frequently being allowed to leave for work.
Epstein faced child sex trafficking charges in Manhattan in 2019 and died by suicide in his jail cell a month later while awaiting trial.
Maxwell’s legal team did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Wednesday morning.
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