A New York federal judge is gradually unsealing a trove of court documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced late financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring that preyed on girls as young as 14. The papers could provide a deeper look at the criminal operation and the high-profile and powerful men associated with Epstein over the years.

The first two waves of records released Wednesday and Thursday span hundreds of pages and offer additional details into Epstein’s alleged criminal activity along with that of his longtime girlfriend and associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of child sex trafficking in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Thousands more pages of records with names currently under seal are expected to be disclosed in the coming days. It remains to be seen what insights or revelations will come from future disclosures.

Among those named in the documents released Wednesday were several prominent figures known to have associated with Epstein, including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, former Epstein lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew and late former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Other names disclosed include billionaire Tom Pritzker of the Hyatt Hotels Corp., late AI pioneer Marvin Minsky and entertainers David Copperfield and Michael Jackson.

Their names’ inclusion in the records is not an indication of criminal activity, however, despite internet-fueled expectations and conspiracy theories that the list would provide evidence of wrongdoing by powerful, public men. Many have previously denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal and predatory behavior.

The 19 documents released Thursday included few new names and revelations from the lawsuit that Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, filed in 2015 against Maxwell. Giuffre had sued Maxwell for publicly calling her a liar regarding her claims of abuse, and the parties settled out of court in 2017.

One document released Thursday includes an allegation by Giuffre that Clinton “walked into” Vanity Fair and “threatened them not to write sex-trafficing articles about his good friend J.E.”

The email including the allegation about Clinton was sent from Giuffre to her friend and journalist Sharon Churcher in May 2011. Churcher was coaching Giuffre through the process of writing a book about her experience. Giuffre wanted to gin up excitement for her book by giving some details to Vanity Fair for an article, but was concerned based on her allegation about Clinton.

A list of potential witnesses filed by Giuffre’s legal team included investor Ron Burkle, as well Clinton and the former president’s aide Doug Band, who were said to have traveled with Epstein and Maxwell. In a list of relevant documents, Giuffre’s team listed “all photos of Ghislaine Maxwell at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding.”

Although Trump was not mentioned in the documents released Thursday, they said that Giuffre’s team sought to interview “all staff and employees at the Mar-a-Lago Club” from 1999 to 2002. Giuffre alleged that she was lured into Epstein’s scheme by Maxwell while Giuffre worked as a locker room attendant at the Trump-owned resort.

Because many of the documents in the case were redacted or sealed, potentially vital pieces of a larger puzzle in understanding Epstein and his orbit remained missing. The Miami Herald, which published an award-winning investigative series on Epstein, and its parent company, McClatchy, sued in 2018 to make the documents public.

Records have been unsealed gradually over the years, though not in full, which the Herald has challenged. Last month, Judge Loretta Preska of the Southern District of New York ordered the public disclosure of the identities of about 150 people mentioned in court documents, where they were referred to as John and Jane Does.

The judge noted in her December order that part of the reason for the disclosure is that many of those names were made public over the years, including in media interviews, news and police reports, lawsuits and disclosures at Maxwell’s trial in New York two years ago.

The Does had until Jan. 1 to ask the judge to keep their names hidden. According to Preska, two of them sought to keep their names redacted, and their requests are under review. The names of three other Does who the Herald reported are not victims remain under seal for various reasons cited by the judge; the Herald is appealing that decision.

Lawyers for Dershowitz have also pressed the judge to release more of the sealed documents, arguing that the additional information would “circumvent potential reporting inaccuracies and misplaced assumptions.”

The records released so far include allegations of poolside orgies and insatiable sexual appetites on the part of Epstein and Maxwell. But as far as other supposed “clients” of the pair, details are relatively sparse. In addition, many of the people mentioned, including Jackson, Copperfield and actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and Bruce Willis, aren’t described as clients and aren’t accused of any improprieties.

Epstein, 66, died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019, weeks after he was arrested and federally charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. A watchdog report released in June found that negligence, misconduct and other failures at the jail contributed to his death.

More than a decade earlier, Epstein evaded federal criminal charges when he struck a plea deal with then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta in a South Florida case related to accusations that he molested dozens of girls. As part of the agreement, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges, including soliciting prostitution. He registered as a sex offender and served 13 months in jail but was allowed to leave six days a week to work at his office.

That deal became the subject of an investigative series by the Herald that brought renewed attention to his case. Called “Perversion of Justice: Jeffrey Epstein,” the series detailed accounts by more than 60 women who said they were victims of abuse as part of a sex ring run by Epstein.

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(Staff writer Ashley Ahn and Deputy Editor Jon Healey contributed to this report.)

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