A new decision by a federal US judge in New York has again blocked the release grand jury material from Jeffrey Epstein‘s criminal case. US District Judge Richard Berman’s big no to the issue marks the third and final time a judge has rejected the request to unseal information related to the late controversial financier.
Having long faced backlash for backtracking from its initial claims to release the so-called ‘Epstein Files,’ the Donald Trump administration was hoping to tap these materials to set off a redemption arc in the pubic eye. However, Berman’s denial stemmed from concern for the convicted sex offender’s victims.
Why US Judge Richard Berman denied DOJ’s request to unseal Epstein grand jury materials
He further noted in his official 14-page declaration that the Department of Justice, though constantly demanding the grand jury materials, already has a vast collection of files related to the disgraced billionaire. “The instant grand jury motion appears to be a ‘diversion’ from the breadth and scope of the Epstein files in the Government’s possession,” calling the grand jury testimony “merely a hearsay snippet of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged conduct.”
The US judge added the complete information, making for thousands of pages, the US government has in its possession “would better inform the public about the Epstein case,” as opposed to the mere 70 pages of Epstein grand jury information.
“A significant and compelling reason to reject the Government’s position in this litigation is that the Government has already undertaken a comprehensive investigation into the Epstein case and, not surprisingly, has assembled a ‘trove’ of Epstein documents, interviews, and exhibits. And, the Government committed that it would share its Epstein investigation materials with the public,” he wrote.
Berman’s opposition to unsealing the grand jury material was further empowered by how the Trump administration didn’t provide sufficient notice to victims. He said the records being released could lead to “possible threats to victims’ safety and privacy,” especially some identities remain anonymous.
Richard Berman was the judge during Epstein’s 2019 case
Berman of US District Court for the Southern District of New York presided over the convicted pedophile’s criminal case in 2019 on child sex trafficking charges. Epstein died in his federal prison cell just weeks after Berman denied the motion for the financier’s release on bail during the then-ongoing trial.
As per his account, the materials linked to Epstein’s case include 70 pages of manuscript, featuring an FBI agent’s testimony (though he “had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case and whose testimony was mostly hearsay”), a PowerPoint slideshow and call logs and letters from victims and their legal representative presented to the grand jury at the time.