Jeffrey Epstein

 2024jan09 cbs |Jeffrey Epstein contact names revealed in unsealed documents. Here are key takeaways from the files.

Cara Tabachnick, Allison Elyse Gualtieri  cbsnews.com

By , Allison Elyse Gualtieri

Updated on: January 9, 2024 / 12:23 PM EST / CBS News

Inside the newly released Epstein documents

Explaining the newly released Epstein documents05:30

Documents that include the names of more than 100 people connected to Jeffrey Epstein, including business associates and accusers, among others, have now been made public, following a federal judge's December ruling that the information be unsealed. 

More than 900 pages of mostly unredacted documents were released Wednesday, Jan. 3. A second batch of documents was released Thursday, Jan. 4, a third batch the day after that and still more in the days that followed.

Much of the information has been previously reported, and many of those whose names are mentioned are not accused of any wrongdoing.

Though the unsealed court documents don't contain an actual list of associates, the names were expected to include some that also appeared on the flight logs of Epstein's private jet, nicknamed the "Lolita Express," which he often used to fly to his private islandin the Caribbean. Those manifests and other documents, such as his private calendar, had previously been made public, including as part of legal proceedingsor public records requests. Many of those who had business or social ties with Epstein, a convicted sex offender, have denied any misconduct or involvement in his activities.

The release of the names stems from a now-settled defamation lawsuit brought in 2015 by Virginia Giuffre, who accused British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of enabling her abuse by Epstein. 

Maxwell was found guilty by a New York jury in 2021on conspiracy and trafficking charges related to Epstein, her longtime friend and sometime romantic partner, and her role for a decade in the abuse of underage girls. 

What is in the Jeffrey Epstein-related court documents?

Court documents list 184 "J. Does," starting at J. Doe #3 through J. Doe #187. Some names are repeated twice. A small number are the names of minors or sexual assault victims, which the judge specified won't be released. 

According to a court record released Jan. 3, documents for two Does — 107 and 110 — will not be immediately released. One was granted an extension until Jan. 22 for her appeal about the release and the other's appeal is still under review.

In many cases, the names in the documents "really are of innocent people. It's people who may have been employed, it's people who may have gone to dinner or to a cocktail party at Jeffrey Epstein's home," said CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman. "It is not necessarily naming people who have engaged in actions that were anything like the deplorable actions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell."

One of the documents released Thursday includes a lengthy list of names of people Giuffre's attorneys wanted to depose in her lawsuit against Maxwell.

The documents released by the court mention some well-known figures whose contacts with Epstein have been reported in the past, such as Britain's Prince Andrew. The prince settled a lawsuitin 2022 with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him and Epstein of abusing her as a teen, an accusation Andrew denied. In a court filing at the time, his attorneys said, "Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others."

A deposition from Johanna Sjoberg in the suit includes previous accusationsalleging she was groped by Prince Andrew in 2001, when she was 21. BBC News reports Buckingham Palace previously called her allegations "categorically untrue." The newly released documents include questions to Maxwell about Sjoberg.

Bill Clinton, also among the people whose names appear in the documents, had allegedly been described by Epstein as "a good friend," one Epstein accuser recountedin 2019. The former president's name had also appeared on manifests for the private jet, on which he said he had taken four trips "in connection with the work of the Clinton Foundation." He has not been accused of wrongdoing. A spokesperson told CBS News it's been nearly 20 years since Clinton last had contact with Epstein, and referred CBS News to a 2019 statement denying Clinton had any knowledge of what he called Epstein's "terrible crimes." 

Clinton's name also came up in Sjoberg's deposition. She did not accuse him of any wrongdoing, but said that Epstein told her "one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls."

In another of the documents, Maxwell testifies that Clinton never had a meal on Epstein's island and that she does not know how many times Clinton flew on Epstein's plane. 

In the filing, Maxwell's team attempts to debunk an article by journalist Sharon Churcher of the Daily Mail, who described a dinner on Epstein's Little St. James island allegedly attended by Clinton "shortly after he left office." Maxwell's team claims, "Former FBI Director Louis Freeh submitted a report wherein he concluded that President Clinton 'did not, in fact travel to, nor was he present on, Little St. James Island between January 1, 2001 and January 1, 2003'," and goes on to say Secret Service assigned to the former president would have been required to file travel logs.

 Legal analyst explains what the Epstein document release means02:19

Also named in the documents is Sarah Kellen, a former Epstein employeewho has been accused by one adult victim of knowingly scheduling her flights and appointments with the financier and Maxwell.

Kellen's spokesperson had said in a 2020 statement to CBS Newsthat Kellen scheduled those appointments at the direction of Epstein and Maxwell, and was herself "sexually" and "psychologically" abused by Epstein "for years." The statement noted Kellen "deeply regrets that she had any part in it."

What happened in the Jeffrey Epstein case?

Epstein was accused of sexually assaultingnumerous teenage girls, some of them as young as 14 years old, according to prosecutors. Over many years, he allegedly exploited a vast network of underage girls for sex at his homes in Manhattan; Palm Beach, Florida; and his private island near St. Thomas.

Epstein had pleaded not guilty to charges brought in 2019 by federal prosecutors in New York of sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking with underage girls. His death in prison before facing trial was ruled a suicide.

Epstein had cut a deal with federal prosecutorsin Florida in 2008, reaching a non-prosecution agreement on allegations he sexually abused underage girls, in return for pleading guilty to lesser state charges and serving 13 months in jail, much of the time on work release. He also had to pay settlements to victims and register as a sex offender. 

That agreement, which had not been disclosed to his victims, was under investigationat the time of his death.

Among the documents released Thursday is a 2016 deposition from Joseph Recarey, a former detective with the Palm Beach Police Department who led the investigation into allegations against Epstein of sex abuse and trafficking that culminated in the 2008 plea deal. 

In the deposition, Recarey states that he interviewed around 30 girls who were either asked to or gave massages at Epstein's home. 

"When they went to perform a massage, it was for sexual gratification," Recarey testified. And of the 30-33 young women he interviewed, he said, only one, whom he described as "older," had massage experience, and "the majority were under" 18. Some told him they were recruited with the prospect of becoming a model for Victoria's Secret, Recarey said. He also said the young women told him they were offered money to recruit more girls. The 18-page released deposition has large gaps where pages were not included.

Who else's names are among those released in the Epstein-related documents?

A name's inclusion in the documents does not indicate the person has committed or has been accused of any wrongdoing. In addition, some of the people whose names appear are witnesses who were staff members, provided medical care or were in law enforcement, for example.

• Juan Alessi and Alfredo Rodriguez: Alessi, a longtime manager of Epstein's Palm Beach estate, and Rodriguez, his former butler who died in 2015, are both named in the documents as having offered testimony.

• Jean-Luc Brunel: A onetime close friend of Epstein, Brunel was found dead in a French jail in 2022 while being investigated by that country's authorities. He was accused of helping procure women and underage girls for Epstein and was also alleged to have raped and assaulted womenhe knew from the modeling world. In the documents, one witness mentioned in a deposition asking him for a job, and several others were asked about him.

• Bill Richardson: The former governor of New Mexico, Richardson diedin September. He had been previously reportedto have visited Epstein's sprawling Zorro Ranch in New Mexico at least once. Richardson denied accusations made by Giuffre, who in a previously unsealed depositionsaid that she was directed to have sex with him. He called the accusation "completely false" and said he had never met Giuffre.

• David Copperfield: In her deposition, Johanna Sjoberg said she had dinner with magician David Copperfield at Epstein's home. Copperfield is not accused of any wrongdoing. Sjoberg said Copperfield asked her "if I was aware that girls were getting paid to find other girls," but testified he told her no specifics about that.

• Donald Trump: A witness said in a deposition that Epstein mentioned calling Trump and said the group would go to his casino when a storm forced his jet to land in Atlantic City during a 2001 trip. The witness was asked if she gave Trump a massage, but said no. Newsweek reported a Trump spokesperson said claims regarding Trump's relationship with Epstein were "thoroughly debunked." Trump said in 2018 that he knew Epstein "like everybody in Palm Beach knew him. … He was a fixture in Palm Beach." Trump said at the time, "I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan." 

• Alan Dershowitz: Attorney Alan Dershowitz defended Epstein in the 2008 criminal case. In one of the documents, lawyers discuss sworn testimony by two household employees, one of whom said Dershowitz visited Epstein's Florida mansion "pretty often" and allegedly got massages while he was there. According to the court document, the other employee testified Dershowitz visited Epstein's home without his family when young girls were present. Dershowitz has previously denied wrongdoing. Ahead of the documents' release, Dershowitz warned against inferring anything about their contents in a livestream on his personal YouTube channel Tuesday, saying "the important thing is not to assume guilt by association or guilt by accusation." He said in the half-hour livestream that, as Epstein's lawyer, he had been on the plane many times and he had been to the island once, with his wife and daughter, when no young people were present.

• Michael Jackson: In a deposition released Jan. 3, Sjoberg is asked if she's met anyone famous when she was with Epstein, and she said she met Michael Jackson at Epstein's house in Palm Beach. She said she did not give him a massage and did not accuse him of any wrongdoing.

• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Alessi testified in his witness deposition, released Jan. 5,that he saw Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at the house, but did not specify when. The independent presidential candidate, who is not accused of wrongdoing, has previously said that he traveled twice on Epstein's plane with his family.

• Leslie Wexner: Among the handwritten phone messages from Epstein's staff, also released Jan. 5, were notes that Leslie Wexner or his office had called. Epstein had for years worked as the personal money manager and business adviser for Wexner, the founder and CEO of Victoria's Secret parent company L Brands. Wexner has saidhe regretted ever crossing paths with Epstein and denied knowing about Epstein's misconduct.

In:

• Ghislaine Maxwell

• Jeffrey Epstein

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at cara.tabachnick@cbsinteractive.com

Court documents reveal names of powerful men allegedly linked to Jeffrey Epstein

January 04, 2024

• Brian Mann

• Jaclyn Diaz

This March 28, 2017, image provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP)

Court documents made public on Wednesday disclosed the names of dozens of powerful men with alleged connections to convicted sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019.

Federal Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan unsealed the documents, revealing the names of numerous individuals described in a 2015 civil lawsuit as associates, affiliates or victims of Epstein.

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The documents include references to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, the magician David Copperfield, Prince Andrew, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, actor Kevin Spacey, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, the late New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Vice President Al Gore, among others.

The fact that people were named in these documents doesn't mean any of them face allegations or evidence of wrongdoing.

Many of the most prominent individuals, including U.S. politicians, British royalty, tech tycoons and bankers, were already known to have links to Epstein because of previous court cases or disclosures in the media.

Most of those publicly named have denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities previously.

Britain's Prince Andrew, pictured in 2021, is listed as a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein. (Steve Parsons/AP)

These troves of records do offer more details on a case that has drawn huge public attention and provide new, salacious allegations about these powerful men's behavior.

Federal prosecutors say Epstein — who worked for decades as a private financier for a secretive list of wealthy clients — also operated an underage sex-trafficking ring based in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla.

Epstein allegedly developed a scheme to identify and exploit "dozens" of vulnerable girls and young women, some as young as 14 years old, beginning around 1994 and continuing at least until 2004.

Some of his victims later claimed in civil lawsuits that Epstein instructed them to have sex with a who's-who of powerful men.

According to one suit filed in 2014, Epstein arranged sexual encounters for "numerous prominent American politicians, powerful business executives, foreign presidents, a well-known Prime Minister, and other world leaders."

The more than three dozen documents naming Epstein's associates were compiled as part of a 2015 civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was one of Epstein's underage victims.

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One of the more notable names, former President Bill Clinton, is mentioned frequently in the documents.

They say that Clinton allegedly took a trip to Thailand with Epstein and include allegations from one witness who testified Epstein told her "Clinton likes them young, referring to girls."

Angel Ureña, a spokesman for Clinton, said it had been nearly 20 years since Clinton last had contact with Epstein and that the former president has never been accused of any wrongdoing. Ureña referred NPR to a previous statement made in 2019 on behalf of Clinton in response to allegations of ties to Epstein.

Growing suspicions as federal prosecutors delay prosecution

Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned in 2019 after questions were raised about his role negotiating a federal non-prosecution deal for Jeffrey Epstein. Former President Trump has also acknowledged a long acquaintance with Epstein. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Local, state and federal authorities in Florida first investigated Epstein for alleged sexual activity involving minors as early as 2005.

Some women later claimed Epstein raped them repeatedly.

"I was forced into his car, taken to his mansion and raped," said Sarah Ransome in a 2021 interview with NPR. "He knew exactly where I was. It didn't matter where I was."

But after extensive negotiations with state and federal prosecutors, Epstein avoided federal prosecution. He was allowed to plead guilty to relatively minor state charges involving prostitution and prostitution involving a minor.

He was sentenced to serve just 18 months, much of it in a Florida work-release program.

After his release in 2009, Epstein, then a registered sex offender, continued to hobnob for nearly a decade with influential, powerful and wealthy people.

A Wall Street Journal investigation published last month found that after his conviction, Epstein was often accompanied "by attractive women in their late teens or twenties" to meetings with billionaires, celebrities and politicians.

In 2018, Epstein's world unraveled when the Miami Herald newspaper published an expose of Epstein's criminal activity and the legal deal-making that helped him avoid lengthier prison time.

Epstein, then 66 years old, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges. Justice Department officials say he took his own life in prison a month later while awaiting trial.

After Epstein's death, secrecy and growing conspiracy theories

Virginia Giuffre speaks during a news conference outside a Manhattan court in New York in August 2019. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)

The papers were sealed after the Giuffre case was settled in 2016 for an undisclosed amount of money.

The Miami Herald then waged a five-year legal battle to have all documents linked to the case made public.

According to the newspaper, thousands more pages will be released by the court in the coming days.

Posting on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Giuffre also praised Preska's decision to release the names.

"There's going to be a lot of nervous [people] over Christmas and New Years ... who's on the naughty list?" Giuffre wrote. "This wouldn't be possible without the Honorable Judge Preska."

The details released Wednesday offer a paper trail that points to alleged friendships and associations between Epstein and these notable figures, some of which allegedly continued on even after Epstein became a registered sex offender.

After Epstein's suicide, his case spawned a cascade of conspiracy theories.

As recently as this week, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rogers suggested in a public appearance that talk show host Jimmy Kimmel might be named in the Epstein documents.

In a social media post, Kimmel fired back, saying he had no contact with Epstein and threatening to sue. "Your reckless words put my family in danger," Kimmel wrote.

Even without embellishment, it's clear Epstein's web of criminal activity operated in close proximity to some of the world's most influential individuals and institutions.

Flight manifests first published by the online journal Gawker show former President Clinton rode on Epstein's private plane more than a dozen times.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump pose for photos in New York, July 6, 2009. Both associated with Jeffrey Epstein and have denied any awareness of his criminal activity. (Ted Shaffrey/AP)

In a 2002 interview, Donald Trump told New York magazine that Epstein was a "great guy" and said they had known one another for 15 years.

"It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side," Trump said.

In a 2021 interview with CNN, Microsoft founder Bill Gates voiced regret for forming a connection with Epstein in the years after Epstein's 2008 conviction. "It was a huge mistake to spend time with him," Gates said.

According to Giuffre, she was instructed by Epstein to have sexual relations with a lengthy list of associates while she was still a minor.

In legal filings and depositions, she previously named billionaire Glenn Dubin, Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Gov. Richardson and computer scientist Marvin Minsky. All have denied any wrongdoing.

While Epstein and Maxwell alone faced criminal charges, the scandal has had widespread repercussions.

In 2019, then-U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, appointed by Trump, abruptly resigned. According to the Justice Department, Acosta played a "pivotal" role while working as a U.S. attorney in 2008, negotiating a deal for Epstein that helped him avoid federal sex-trafficking charges. Acosta denied any wrongdoing. A DOJ probe later concluded that Acosta used "poor judgment" in the case.

In November 2021, Jes Staley, then head of U.K.-based Barclays Bank, resigned after it was revealed that he maintained close ties to Epstein after Epstein's 2008 conviction for sex crimes. In a May 2023 report, British officials concluded Staley acted "recklessly and with a lack of integrity" while misleading regulators about his friendship with Epstein. Staley has denied any wrongdoing.

In February 2022, Prince Andrew reached a settlement with Giuffre, saying in court documents that he "regrets his association with Epstein" and agreeing to make a "substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights," according to a document filed by David Boies, an attorney for Giuffre.

In May 2023, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $75 million to settle claims by Epstein's victims that the bank was liable for "supporting, facilitating, and otherwise providing the most critical service for the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking organization." The settlement included no admission of wrongdoing by Deutsche Bank.

In May 2023, attorneys for JPMorgan claimed in legal filings that government officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein maintained a home, "knew of and facilitated Epstein's crimes." However, the bank later agreed to pay $75 million to the Virgin Islands government to settle claims linked to Epstein's activity.

In June 2023, JPMorgan agreed to pay roughly $290 million into a settlement fund for victims, after serving for more than 15 years as Epstein's go-to bank. JPMorgan has denied any wrongdoing. "We all now understand that Epstein's behavior was monstrous," bank officials said in a statement sent to NPR.

NPR's David Gura and Ximena Bustillo contributed to this story.

https://www.wbur.org/npr/1222130537/jeffrey-epstein-court-records-reveal-men-clinton-prince-andrew