Explained | Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues ‘beyond the grave’. Here’s all you need to know

Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's associates have become public knowledge. On Wednesday (Jan3rd), aNew York judge began to unseal the identities of people linked in court documents tothe US financier,who had committed suicide a couple of years back.

This comes as last month (on Dec 18), Manhattan federal court judge Loretta Preska ordered the New York Court to "unseal in full" the names of around 180 people associated with Epstein.

Here's everything you need to know about financier Epstein and the controversy that surrounds him...even after his death.

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Unsealing names

Judge Preska's order is part of a defamation proceeding between Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, and known accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and plaintiff Virginia Giuffre, who had sued the duo in 2015.

The names of more than 150 associates mentionedin the lawsuit, many of them appearing under the pseudonym "John Doe" or "Jane Doe", are now being released, after their identities remained a secret from the public for so long. The rest of the names will be kept sealedas the individuals objected to them becoming public knowledge.

The unsealing, as per AFP, includes names of Epstein's associates, suspected accomplices and his victims.

In December, noting that many of the names are already public due to interviews and other media coverage, the judge, as per CNS News, said that the substance in question was not salacious and should not be kept sealed.

However, given that some "J.Does" are minors and possible victims of the paramours, the Judge said their information would remain sealed.

Among Epstein's known associates are the Duke of York Prince Andrews, former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

According to the ruling, the names were to be made public on January 1, 2024, individuals were given 14 days to appeal against the revelation of their names.

Court documents explicitly allowed "impacted Doe the opportunity to appeal."

The crimes of Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein was a financier with a powerful network in the United States and abroad. He has been accused of sexually assaulting minor girls and running a sex trafficking network with his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

In the 1990s, the duo reportedly exploited a large number of girls — some of them as young as 14 years, grooming them into having sex with wealthy clients.

The allegations of sexual battery against Jeffrey Epstein started in 2015, when a woman contacted Florida's Palm Beach Police Department, alleging that her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been taken to Epstein's manor by an older girl. She alleged that the teenager was paid $300 to undress.

Following this, the Palm Beach Police began a thirteen-month undercover investigation of Epstein. This included a search of his home, which uncovered a large amount of pictures of young girls, along with two hidden cameras.

Soon, the FBI became involved, launching its own investigation nicknamed "Operation Leap Year". In June 2007, the federal agency submitted a 53-page indictment against him. Subsequently, Epstein agreed to plead guilty in Florida, registering as a sex offender.

In 2008, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to a state charge of procuring for prostitution a girl below age 18.

On July 6, 2019, he was arrested on sex trafficking charges by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force. He was jailed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

A subsequent search of his Manhattan townhouse turned up evidence of sex trafficking, and also found "hundreds – and perhaps thousands – of sexually suggestive photographs of fully – or partially – nude females". On July 8, prosecutors with the Public Corruption Unit of the Southern District of New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors for sex.

He sought release on bail, but the request was denied on July 18 by US District Judge Richard M Berman, who said Epstein posed a danger to the public and a serious flight risk to avoid prosecution.

On July 23, 2019, he was found injured in his cell, with marks around his neck. Finally, awaiting trial over charges of one count of sex trafficking conspiracy and one count of sex trafficking with underage females, Epstein committed suicide in jail on August 10, 2019. Soon, Epstein's death became the subject of widespread controversy and debate. Many believe that his death was a homicide.

Virginia Giuffre v. Epstein andVirginia Giuffre v. Ghislaine Maxwell

As per British media reports, the defamation claim which dates back around nine years was settled in 2017. In an affidavit, VirginiaGiuffre (then known as Virginia Roberts) alleged that at age 17, she was sexually trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell. Giuffre said that she was used by Epstein and others, including Prince Andrews and retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz.

She also claimed that the duo and others had sexually abused her and that the FBI may have been part of a cover-up against her.

Apart from this, numerous other cases were filed against himby alleged victims under pseudonyms and other entities.

His paramour, Maxwell, was convicted in December 2021 in New York of trafficking underage girls for sex and was sentenced in 2022 to a 20-year prison term.

(With inputs from agencies)