US judge begins to unseal Epstein contacts, Prince Andrew among names

A New York judge on Wednesday began to unseal the identities of high-profile figures, including Prince Andrew, linked in court documents to Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. financier who killed himself in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes.

The legal documents contain a previously documented allegation of groping by Prince Andrew, which he has denied.

The incident was one of the specific events mentioned in an initial trove of previously redacted documents that otherwise provided limited new information regarding the scope of Epstein's alleged sex trafficking operations.

Notably included in the unsealed documents, which include almost 1,000 pages of depositions and statements, were former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, who have not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

The list of around 150 people include a host of Epstein associates previously identified as John or Jane Does in a lawsuit brought against Epstein's former mistress, Ghislaine Maxwell. It carries no allegation of complicity in Epstein's crimes.

The disclosure is part of a defamation proceeding between Maxwell, sentenced in 2022 to 20 years in prison, and a plaintiff against the duo, Virginia Giuffre.

Last month a judge listed in a 50-page document some 180 cases — under pseudonyms — ordering that their identities be made public within 14 days of the order.

Some individuals have objected to the disclosure of their identities in the case.

Lawyers for one individual, "Doe 107", wrote to the judge in the case arguing they could face victimization in their home country, and requested time to submit grounds for their name to remain sealed.

 Accomplices in sex crimes 

According to British media,...