Epstein pals breathe sigh of relief as report suggests new files won't incriminate

Speculation is swirling after reports that a judge is planning to release a file that names some of Jeffrey Epstein's associates, possibly revealing some public figures who participated in his crimes.

But the truth is much less scandalous, the Associated Press reported.

As the AP points out, the majority of people named in the files are not accused of committing any crimes.

The files are being released thanks to a lawsuit filed against Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell by one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, who said Epstein abused her at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands and New Mexico.

The suit was settled in 2017, but files relating to the case were unsealed over the ensuing years. The last batch remained under seal due to concerns over privacy rights, but are due to be released as soon as Wednesday.

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"U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska, who evaluated the documents to decide what should be unsealed, said in her December order that she was releasing the records because much of the information within them is already public," the AP's report stated.

"Some records have been released, either in part or in full, in other court cases. Much of the rest involve topics and people who have been exhaustively covered in nearly two decades’ worth of newspaper stories, TV documentaries, interviews, books and testimony at Maxwell’s criminal trial."

Read the full report over at the Associated Press.