Staff Reports
In a recent court order, a federal judge has mandated the redaction of photos that were "inadvertently disclosed" from publicly released records connected to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The New York Post reports that these images showcased girls and young women posing on Epstein's infamous Caribbean island. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska has directed the removal of these images from the court records, emphasizing that they should have been redacted. The judge has further instructed legal counsel to promptly re-file the document without the images.
The photos, captured in 2006 on Epstein's Little St. James Island, were submitted to the court by Epstein accuser Sarah Ransome. One of the images features Ransome wrapped in a white towel, which she subsequently shared on social media. Additionally, the photos include Epstein's sex crime accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, and his associate Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling scout found dead in a Parisian prison cell after facing charges of raping underage girls.
Judge Orders Deletion After Epstein Images That 'Should Have Been Redacted' Are 'Inadvertently' Released via @WestJournalism https://t.co/MOW38OJm9b
— Michael Ehline (@MichaelEhline) January 10, 2024
Sarah Ransome testified in Maxwell's criminal case in 2022, recounting her time on Epstein's island as a "sexual hell" where she felt trapped. Ransome handed over her photos to the court in 2015 as part of a lawsuit brought by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Maxwell. Giuffre's attorney contends that the photos unequivocally establish Maxwell's presence on Little St. James Island during the relevant time frame.
In the preceding month, Judge Preska ordered the release of a substantial cache of documents from the same case. These documents illuminate Ghislaine Maxwell's role in Epstein's operation, with Ransome testifying that Maxwell wielded control and made decisions. Ransome also asserted that Epstein and Maxwell targeted vulnerable girls from underprivileged families, offering them accommodation, food, and money in exchange for sex.
Jeffrey Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while facing charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex. The disclosure of these photos and documents continues to unveil the dark nature of Epstein's operation and the alleged complicity of prominent individuals in his illicit activities.
