Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to free her from a 20-year sentence, the Justice Department’s release of grand jury transcripts has brought the focus back to the victims who helped secure her conviction.
The Release of the Transcripts
The Justice Department began posting the files that make up the so-called Epstein Files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed last month after months of public and political pressure. The release came after the department admitted it had missed a congressionally mandated deadline to make all records public. In a statement on Wednesday, the department said it may need “a few more weeks” to release the full trove after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents.
The first batch of transcripts was published this week. Some of the documents were heavily redacted; a 119-page file marked “Grand Jury-NY” was entirely blacked out. Updated versions were posted over the weekend, but many pages still contain obscured victim names and other identifying details.
Victims Speak Out
The release has sharpened the focus on Maxwell’s crimes among the survivors. “I’ve heard things that would make your blood curdle,” said Epstein accuser Danielle Bensky, who has been in daily discussions with about two dozen other victims. Bensky said the group is clear that Maxwell “is a criminal who was 1,000% engaged in sexual acts.”
Bensky also noted that she was sexually abused by Epstein two decades ago but was never personally abused by Maxwell. “I just had a conversation with a survivor last night who said she was the puppeteer,” Bensky added.
The victims fear that the public release of the transcripts could lead to a pardon for Maxwell. The survivors’ testimonies have been the cornerstone of the 2021 conviction, and they remain vigilant that any new evidence could undermine their case.
FBI Agent Testimony
An FBI agent’s testimony in the grand jury proceedings foreshadowed the statements that four women would later give at Maxwell’s trial. The agent described interviews with Epstein victims, including a girl who met Maxwell and Epstein as a 14-year-old at a Michigan summer arts camp in 1994.
Flight logs showed Epstein and Maxwell flew to the school sponsoring the camp because Epstein was a donor. The agent, whose name was redacted, said the girl had a chance encounter with the pair one day. After learning the girl was from Palm Beach, Florida, Epstein mentioned he sometimes gave scholarships to students and asked for her phone number.
Once home, the girl visited Epstein’s estate with her mother for tea. The mother was impressed when Epstein said he provided scholarships, so she called him a “godfather.” The agent said the girl began visiting the estate regularly, where Epstein and Maxwell “groomed” her with gifts and trips to the movies.
Epstein paid for the girl’s voice lessons and gave her money that he said she should give to her struggling mother. The agent said the girl thought the relationship was strange, but Maxwell normalized it for her. “She was like a cool, older sister and made comments like, ‘This is what grownups do,'” the agent recounted.
Eventually, the agent testified that the girl saw Maxwell topless at the pool. When the girl told Maxwell she hoped to be an actor and a model, Epstein told her he was best friends with the owner of Victoria’s Secret and that she would have to learn to be comfortable in her underwear and not be a prude. The agent said the girl asked Epstein what he meant, and the financier pulled her into his lap and masturbated.
After that, the agent added, the girl’s encounters with Epstein began to include sexual contact, particularly in his massage room. Maxwell was sometimes there with other girls. One of the girls would begin massaging Epstein, and Maxwell would tease the girls, grab their breasts, and direct them on what to do. The agent said Maxwell’s attitude was “very casual; she acted like this was normal.”
The released testimony mirrored the testimony at Maxwell’s 2021 trial by a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.” At trial, Jane said Maxwell also participated in group sessions between multiple females and Epstein that usually began with Epstein or Maxwell leading them all into a bedroom or a massage room at the Palm Beach residence.
Judge Engelmayer’s Response
The judge, Paul A. Engelmayer, scolded Maxwell for failing to remove victim names and other identifying information from her court papers. He said future filings must be kept sealed and out of public view until they have been reviewed and redacted to protect victims’ identities.
Maxwell filed a habeas petition two weeks ago, asking a federal judge to free her on grounds that “substantial new evidence” has emerged proving that constitutional violations spoiled her trial. She claimed exonerating information was withheld and that witnesses lied in their testimony. The petition was filed on her own, without the assistance of a lawyer.
Engelmayer’s admonition comes as the Justice Department continues to release the files. The judge’s comments underscore the importance of protecting victim privacy while the public examines the evidence.
Legal Proceedings and Future Filings
Maxwell’s petition was filed in the same week that the Justice Department began releasing the grand jury transcripts. The petition argues that new evidence shows constitutional violations that could have impacted the outcome of her trial.
If the judge were to grant the petition, Maxwell would be released from a 20-year sentence she received in December 2021. However, Engelmayer’s warning that future filings must be sealed suggests that any additional evidence will be scrutinized carefully.
The Justice Department’s release of the transcripts has also highlighted the delay caused by the need to obscure victims’ names. The department said it had missed the deadline to release all records, a failure attributed to the time-consuming process of redacting identifying information.
The department’s statement that it may need a few more weeks to release the full trove comes after discovering a million potentially relevant documents. This development surprised officials who had previously suggested they had already accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.
Key Takeaways
- Grand jury transcripts released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act reveal an FBI agent’s testimony that aligns with the 2021 trial statements.
- Victims, including Danielle Bensky, continue to voice concerns that Maxwell may be pardoned and that new evidence could undermine their case.
- Judge Paul A. Engelmayer has warned that future filings must be sealed until reviewed and redacted to protect victims’ identities.
The public release of the transcripts has reignited scrutiny of Maxwell’s role in Epstein’s abuse, the legal process that led to her conviction, and the ongoing efforts to protect the privacy of survivors while ensuring transparency.
Closing
As the Justice Department continues to publish the Epstein Files, the focus remains on how the new evidence will impact Maxwell’s legal standing and the survivors’ pursuit of justice. The release of the grand jury transcripts has once again put Maxwell’s actions under the microscope, reminding the nation that the fight for accountability and victim protection is far from over.
