The first lots of previously sealed documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been made public by a US court, unveiling a web of associations with celebrities, politicians, and philanthropists.
These revelations come after Judge Loretta Preska ruled in December that these documents could be unsealed, with no objections raised. The first batch of court papers, published on January 3, provides valuable insights into Epstein's extensive network and his alleged victims.
The released documents primarily consist of legal arguments and interviews conducted as part of Virginia Giuffre's 2015 civil lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former associate, who was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein.
While these documents have long remained concealed or redacted, they now shed light on the identities of over 100 individuals connected to Epstein, referred to as "J Doe," each assigned a distinctive identifying number.
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, previously reached a settlement in a sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew, reportedly amounting to $12 million in 2022. Despite vehemently denying Ms. Giuffre's claims, Prince Andrew withdrew from public life and was stripped of his royal titles and duties.
Here, we delve into some of the most notable names disclosed in these newly released documents:
Michael Jackson
In her testimony, Johanna Sjoberg, one of Epstein's alleged victims, was asked: "Did you ever meet anybody famous when you were with Jeffrey?" She then revealed that she had met Michael Jackson at Jeffrey Epstein's residence in Palm Beach.
However, she clarified that she had not engaged in any inappropriate activities with the pop icon. Asked if she "massaged" Jackson - an act that she alleges she was forced to do with Epstein and other associates - Sjoberg said she "did not".
The encounter serves as a testament to Epstein's ability to connect with influential figures from various domains.
Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump's association with Epstein has been a subject of public interest. Ms. Sjoberg's testimony suggests that she had been on a plane with Epstein and Virginia Giuffre, which was originally bound for New York but was redirected to Atlantic City, where Trump owned a casino.
Epstein expressed enthusiasm about the detour, stating: "Great, we'll call up Trump and we'll go to the casino." Sjoberg emphasized that she never engaged in any requested massages for Trump.
Bill Clinton
While Bill Clinton has denied any knowledge of Epstein's illicit activities, Ms. Sjoberg's testimony raises questions about their relationship. When asked if she knew if Bill Clinton was a friend of Epstein's, she responded that she was unaware until reading a Vanity Fair article about their joint trip to Africa.
Furthermore, she recounted Epstein's statement, insinuating that Clinton was inclined towards younger individuals, referring to girls.
When asked if Epstein "ever talked to her about Clinton", Sjoberg said: "He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls."
An email from Virginia Giuffre to Vanity Fair journalist Sharon Churcher in May 2011 also alleged that Mr. Clinton threatened the publication "not to write sex-trafficking articles" about Epstein.
David Copperfield
Illusionist David Copperfield's connection to Epstein is also referenced in Ms. Sjoberg's testimony. While she confirmed that Copperfield was a friend of Epstein, she mentioned that during a dinner event, she did not meet Copperfield in person.
"Someone called me from the house and said he would be there and if I wanted to come have dinner then I could meet him," she said, before revealing that Copperfield was not present at the dinner event.
She recalled a girl named Sarah Kellen being present during the dinner, as well as another unidentified girl who seemed young. Sjoberg also noted that Epstein engaged in magic tricks during the dinner and vaguely mentioned that he discussed the recruitment of girls with her.
Stephen Hawking
While there is no implication of wrongdoing, an email from Epstein to Maxwell mentioned Stephen Hawking.
In the email, Epstein says Maxwell should "issue a reward" to any of Virginia Giuffre's associates who can prove any of the allegations in the lawsuit to be false.
"You can issue a reward to any of Virginia's friends, acquaints, family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false," the message reads. "The strongest is the Clinton dinner, and the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy."
The late physicist was photographed on Epstein's Caribbean island in March 2006, where a science conference took place on a neighboring island, St. Thomas. Hawking attended the conference, which was financed by Epstein. Once again, there is no accusation of any wrongdoing by Hawking.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, and Bruce Willis
Ms. Sjoberg was questioned about reports suggesting that she had met Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cate Blanchett. While she denied any direct encounters with them, she noted that Epstein had a habit of "name-dropping," often mentioning famous individuals during their interactions.
"When I was massaging him [Epstein], he would be on the phone a lot of the time, and one time he said 'Oh that was Leonardo, or 'That was Cate Blanchett, or Bruce Willis.' That kind of thing," she said.
Cameron Diaz
Another Hollywood personality mentioned in the documents is actor Cameron Diaz. Similar to the previous instances, Ms. Sjoberg clarified that she had not met Cameron Diaz through Epstein.
Prince Andrew
Ms. Sjoberg's testimony included allegations that Prince Andrew touched her breast during an encounter at Epstein's New York mansion in 2001.
She described a disturbing incident involving Maxwell, Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and herself.
A puppet resembling the Duke of York was used in a photograph where it was positioned to touch Virginia Giuffre's breast, while Prince Andrew's hand was placed on Ms. Sjoberg's breast. She said: "It looked like him. And she [Maxwell] brought it down and presented it to him; and that was a great joke, because apparently it was a production from a show on BBC.
"And they decided to take a picture with it, in which Virginia and Andrew sat on a couch.
"They put the puppet on Virginia's lap, and I sat on Andrew's lap, and they put the puppet's hand on Virginia's breast, and Andrew put his hand on my breast, and they took a photo."
These allegations have been strongly denied by Prince Andrew and Buckingham Palace.
Ehud Barak
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is briefly mentioned in Ms. Sjoberg's testimony. While she stated that she had never met him personally, she mentioned that he was supposed to attend a dinner event during their time in New Mexico.
However, she added that she had never met "any foreign president" or "Nobel Prize winner".
Bill Richardson
The former Democratic governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, is referenced in Ms. Sjoberg's testimony. She recalled that he was expected to join a dinner event but was uncertain whether she had met him during the occasion.
"I want to say he was supposed to come to dinner when we were in New Mexico. I don't know if I met him," Sjoberg said. "I believe that he and Ghislaine had dinner separate from myself."
Although Richardson has faced allegations in the past - which he has denied - there is no indication of any wrongdoing in these newly released documents.
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