A New York judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking the release of FBI records concerning the investigation and prosecution of financier Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes.
In a detailed 20-page decision, District Judge Paul G. Gardephe ruled that disclosing these documents could potentially interfere with the pending retrial of Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The FBI contended that making the documents public could impact witness testimony, prejudice the jury pool, and provide Maxwell with more access to investigative files than typically allowed during criminal discovery. Judge Gardephe agreed, stating the FBI had sufficiently demonstrated a connection between the contents of the records and the possible interference with ongoing law enforcement proceedings.
This lawsuit, initiated by online news outlet RadarOnline and its senior editor James Robertson, sought the Epstein documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). RadarOnline first filed the suit in 2017, following a FOIA request to the FBI that went unanswered.
In response, the FBI agreed to start releasing the documents at a rate of 500 pages per month. However, following Epstein’s arrest in July 2019, the FBI argued that the release of the remaining documents could hinder ongoing investigations, invoking Exemption 7(A) of FOIA to justify withholding the information.
Earlier this year, twelve of Epstein’s alleged victims filed a lawsuit against the FBI, accusing the agency of prolonged inaction that allowed Epstein and his associates to continue their sex trafficking operations for nearly 25 years. The victims claim the FBI had received numerous tips about Epstein dating back to 1996 but did not open a formal investigation until 2006.
Documents released earlier this year as part of the Epstein case included the names of over 150 individuals, such as former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, the late astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and the late pop star Michael Jackson.
