Judge Blocks Government's Move to Unseal Epstein-Maxwell Records

A U.S. judge refused the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury documents related to Ghislaine Maxwell's indictment. The judge ruled the records offered no new insights into Jeffrey Epstein's or Maxwell’s criminal activities. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence, and conspiracy theories about Epstein's death persist.

On Monday, a New York judge declined the U.S. Justice Department's request to unseal records from the grand jury that indicted Ghislaine Maxwell, partner of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, on sex trafficking charges. The judge wrote that the records wouldn't resolve public doubts over Epstein's death or their alleged crimes.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer asserted that the documents presented no significant revelations beyond what was already public from Maxwell's trial. Currently serving a 20-year prison sentence following her 2021 conviction, Maxwell was accused alongside Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Despite President Trump's earlier calls for transparency, conspiracy theories persist surrounding Epstein's death. However, Judge Engelmayer emphasized that releasing the grand jury records would breach systemic protocols aimed at protecting the confidentiality of such proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)