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A recent filing by the Department of Justice revealed that both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s cases had testimonies from two law enforcement witnesses during grand jury proceedings. Officials are seeking the release of transcripts related to both sex trafficking indictments.
The Epstein grand jury heard from an FBI agent during its sessions in June and July 2019, as disclosed in a Tuesday filing in Manhattan federal court. The same FBI agent, along with a detective from the New York Police Department, also testified in front of the Maxwell grand jury in June and July 2020, and again in March 2021, according to court documents.
“In the Epstein grand jury proceedings, there was one witness—an FBI agent,” the filing stated. “In the Maxwell grand jury proceedings, there were two witnesses—the same FBI agent as well as a detective with the NYPD who was a Task Force Officer with the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.”
The filing was made in response to federal judges overseeing both cases requesting more information. The DOJ had previously asked to unseal grand jury transcripts, leading the judges to ask for additional details.
Grand jury transcripts are rarely released, unless it is deemed necessary for a legal proceeding.
However, the filing referenced a 1997 ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allows judges to use discretion in deciding whether to unseal transcripts, with public interest sometimes justifying their release.
The factors determining the release of transcripts “are designed to assist the Court in exercising its ‘careful judgment’ in balancing the interests in public disclosure in unique circumstances of strongly expressed and wide-ranging public interest and the traditional considerations concerning the secrecy of grand jury proceedings,” according to the filing.
“There is undoubtedly a clearly expressed interest from the public in Jeffrey Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes,” the filing continued. “Beyond that, there is abundant public interest in the investigative work conducted by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation into those crimes.”
The request to unseal the transcripts followed the DOJ’s announcement that no additional files related to Epstein’s sex trafficking case would be released, as stated in the filing, which aligns with the growing demand for more transparency in the matter.
Tuesday’s filing aimed to manage expectations regarding any new information in the transcripts by noting that “certain aspects and subject matters” had already been disclosed during Maxwell’s trial.
Two former Manhattan prosecutors also suggested that the transcripts would likely contain testimony from law enforcement members that supports details in both indictments, as reported by The Associated Press.
In 2008, Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement after pleading guilty in Florida to state charges related to soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. Nearly ten years later, he faced similar federal charges in Manhattan.
Maxwell, his longtime girlfriend and convicted accomplice, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Tallahassee for her involvement in Epstein’s sexual abuse schemes targeting underage girls. Last week, she met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to discuss Epstein’s crimes and answered questions about approximately 100 individuals, according to her attorney.
The meetings followed Maxwell receiving a subpoena to testify before the House Oversight Committee regarding Epstein. In a letter to Chairman James Comer, her attorney outlined conditions for her testimony, including requesting immunity, which the panel promptly rejected.
Maxwell is in the early stages of appealing her conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that she should have been included in Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement.
The DOJ and Maxwell’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
