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Previously sealed court documents naming more than 150 people tied to a settled lawsuit involving the late Jeffrey Epstein will be released as soon as Wednesday.

Jeffrey Epstein Names of Jeffrey Epstein associates and others unsealed in lawsuit documents The New York financier, who was facing multiple sex trafficking charges before his death by suicide in jail in 2019, had run in elite circles with prominent figures and politicians By Staff and wire reports • Published January 3, 2024 • Updated on January 3, 2024 at 11:13 pm BOOKMARKER NBC Universal, Inc. A federal judge ordered the identities of more than 150 people mentioned in court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein be made public. Here’s what you need to know. The first batch of previously sealed court documents naming people tied to a settled lawsuit involving the late financier and accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were released Wednesday, court records show. The forty exhibits released Wednesday evening in the first group encompass 942 pages of filings, some of which have not been disclosed in the case. Stream Philadelphia News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC10. WATCH HERE The vast majority of those whose names appear in the documents aren't accused of wrongdoing. Some names in the documents may already be public in the case, and are expected to include known associates of Epstein and alleged sexual abuse victims. The documents, expected to be released on a rolling basis, are part of a defamation lawsuit first filed in 2015 against Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. In her deposition, Maxwell disputes most of the accusations made by Giuffre and denies any knowledge of illegal behavior from Epstein. Maxwell was also unable to recall details about Epstein's contact with Britain’s Prince Andrew and former President Bill Clinton, who were part of his social circle. However, Giuffre alleged in her deposition that she was directed at different times to have sex with Prince Andrew, another prince, and the owner of a large hotel chain. A request from NBC News for a response from Prince Andrew was not immediately returned Wednesday night, but Andrew has long denied her allegations. In another 2016 deposition unsealed Wednesday, another Epstein accuser, Johanna Sjoberg, said Epstein spoke about Clinton. “He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls,” Sjoberg said in her deposition reads. Clinton has not been accused of wrongdoing. Sjoberg added she had never met Clinton and never saw him on Epstein’s island. In a statement to NBC News in 2019, a spokesman for Clinton said that the former president had not spoken to Epstein in over a decade and was unaware of any criminal activity at that time. Former President Donald Trump also appears in Sjoberg's deposition, but it contains no allegations of wrongdoing. On one occasion, Sjoberg testified she was on a plane with Epstein, Maxwell and Giuffre that landed in Atlantic City after the plane could not land in New York. "Jeffrey said, Great, we’ll call up Trump" and go to a casino, Sjoberg said in her deposition. She also said she never gave Trump a massage. Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday but has previously said he had not talked to Epstein for 15 years before his death. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska last month ordered the materials to be released after Jan. 1, although the names of minor victims who have not testified in the case or were not previously known to the public will remain sealed. Epstein was facing multiple sex trafficking charges when he hanged himself in a federal jail in New York in August 2019. More coverage Aaron Rodgers Jan 3, 2024 Jimmy Kimmel slams Aaron Rodgers over ‘reckless' claim of ties to Jeffrey Epstein News Sep 26, 2023 JPMorgan Chase settles Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking suit by U.S. Virgin Islands for $75 million Jeffrey Epstein Aug 23, 2023 Jeffrey Epstein's New Mexico ranch is sold for an undisclosed price to a newly registered company Who Is Jeffrey Epstein? A millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, Epstein was initially arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex. Dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse, but prosecutors ultimately allowed the financier to plead guilty in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program. Some famous acquaintances abandoned Epstein after his conviction, including former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but many did not. Epstein continued to mingle with the rich and famous for another decade, often through philanthropic work. Reporting by the Miami Herald renewed interest in the scandal, and federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking. He killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. The U.S. attorney in Manhattan then prosecuted Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison term. ...