A federal judge in New York has refused the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking case. The prosecution sought their release, citing public interest, but reviewed documents showed testimony was provided only by law enforcement agents and added no new material to what’s already public.
Judge Paul Engelmayer emphasized that the records do not reveal any additional names, locations, methods of crime, or details surrounding Epstein’s death, making their release unnecessary. He characterized the DOJ’s filing as potentially misleading and stated that the documents offer “nothing new” and could mislead the public into overestimating their value.
The ruling upholds the traditional confidentiality of grand jury proceedings and is currently under appeal.