A federal judge in New York has mandated the unsealing of court documents in early 2024 that will unveil the identities of numerous associates linked to Jeffrey Epstein. These documents are part of a civil lawsuit settled in 2017, where Epstein’s one-time associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was accused of facilitating the sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre.

The terms of the 2017 settlement were not publicly disclosed. Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking and procuring girls for Epstein in 2021, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges, ABC News reported.

This order by Judge Loretta Preska could expose more than 150 individuals, including Epstein’s victims, co-conspirators, and innocent associates. Those who did not successfully keep their names out of the civil case may now find their identities in the public domain. While the documents may not clarify the exact reasons for each individual’s association with Giuffre’s lawsuit, they are expected to shed light on Epstein’s sex trafficking activities involving women and girls across multiple locations, New York Magazine reported.

Some of the individuals, such as Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, have already been publicly associated with Epstein. Notably, certain minor victims’ identities will remain redacted.

Maxwell and Epstein allegedly worked together from 1994 to 2004 to identify, groom, and transport girls to Epstein’s various properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and elsewhere. These girls, some allegedly as young as 14, were subjected to sexual abuse.

Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell claimed that she was recruited by Maxwell at the age of 16 and forced into years of sexual servitude to Epstein. Giuffre also accused Maxwell and Epstein of directing her to have sex with several prominent associates, including Britain’s Prince Andrew. The lawsuit was settled in May 2017, just before a trial was scheduled to begin.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied these allegations, ultimately agreeing to settle a sexual assault lawsuit from Giuffre in the following year for an undisclosed sum.

The records reveal that in 2014, Epstein arranged three meetings with Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns, who then served as the deputy secretary of State in the Obama administration. These meetings occurred in both Washington, D.C., and New York City, according to information provided by The Wall Street Journal. In August, a lunch meeting was scheduled at the offices of the law firm Steptoe & Johnson in Washington. Additionally, Epstein had planned two evening appointments with Burns at his townhouse in September, as evidenced by the documents. Following one of these scheduled meetings, Epstein had arranged for his driver to transport Burns to the airport.

Former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers met repeatedly with Epstein. Epstein’s connections with Harvard extended beyond his financial contributions during Summers’ presidency from 2001 to 2006. Even after Harvard ceased accepting donations from Epstein following his 2008 guilty plea, he maintained meetings with Summers. This revelation from The Journal comes shortly after it disclosed meetings between Epstein, Harvard professor Martin A. Nowak, and linguist Noam Chomsky. Documents examined by The Journal reveal that in April 2014, Summers reached out to Epstein, seeking guidance on “small-scale philanthropy” for his wife, Harvard professor Elisa New, who was in the process of establishing Verse Video Education, an online poetry project.

Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, who has attempted to downplay his ties to Epstein, met with him several times, according to The New York Times. Evidence suggests that starting in 2011, Gates had multiple meetings with Epstein, including at least three visits to Epstein’s opulent New York City townhouse, and at least one occasion where he remained there late into the night.

Lawrence Summers, The Harvard Gazette, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/08/larry-summers-details-how-senate-plan-will-reduce-inflation/Bill Gates, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamhgates/William Burns, official portrait, 2021.