NEW YORK — A new batch of unsealed documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of teenage girls was released Thursday, adding several hundred pages to the fountain of information detailing how the financier leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.
The 19 documents, or about 300 pages, were half as many as the over 40 documents released Wednesday. The documents so far — with more to come — were sprinkled with names of celebrities and politicians who socialized with Epstein or worked with him in the years before he was publicly accused nearly two decades ago of paying underage girls for sex.
Most of those names were familiar to anyone who has followed the scandal closely, including the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was Epstein's former girlfriend, household manager and chief recruiter of young, vulnerable females.
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What do the names on Epstein documents mean?
Among the names on the documents included former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, and Prince Andrew.
Neither Trump nor Clinton were accused of any misconduct involving Epstein, who lived part-time in Palm Beach County.
The documents in total, including material yet to be unsealed, are expected to include nearly 200 names, including some of Epstein's accusers, prominent business people, politicians and potentially more. Epstein was accused of sex trafficking of young women, including in Palm Beach County.
The first batch of documents didn’t appear to contain any bombshell revelations. Much of the information in them has already been released through media reports and other court proceedings. But this is the first time these documents, filed with a court, have been released through the legal system.
WPTV reporter Ethan Stein, who has looked over the first batch of documents, reported there are people mentioned who live in Palm Beach County, including house workers, a doctor and some who live on Palm Beach island.
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WPTV legal analyst Michelle Suskauer told Stein said there might be some new revelations but because there are thousands of pages it's like finding a needle in a haystack.
The newly unsealed documents include such filings as depositions from Maxwell and Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American woman who claimed Epstein sexually abused her as a minor and worked as a 16-year-old spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago,
Attorneys for Maxwell said in a statement on Wednesday: "She has consistently and vehemently maintained her innocence."
There is also a deposition from Johanna Sjoberg, who in the document described Prince Andrew touching her breast in a joking manner while taking photos.
Sjoberg's story has been public, but this is the first time her deposition has been unsealed. She worked sometimes for Epstein, and she has said that he pressured her to go beyond her comfort level at times in giving sexualized massages.
Prince Andrew and Giuffre previously reached an out-of-court settlement in her sexual abuse lawsuit against him, according to a court document filed by her attorneys Tuesday. Andrew has denied the allegations against him.
Sjoberg recalled in her 2016 deposition that Epstein spoke to her about Bill Clinton.
"He said one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls," she said.
When asked if Clinton was a friend of Epstein's, she said she understood Epstein had "dealings" with Clinton.
A spokesman for Clinton confirmed in 2019 that the former president had flown on Epstein's private plane but said Clinton knew nothing of the financier's "terrible crimes."
A Clinton spokesman on Wednesday reiterated that 2019 denial and told CNN that it has now "been nearly 20 years since President Clinton last had contact with Epstein." Clinton has not been accused of any crimes or wrongdoing related to Epstein.
In her deposition, Sjoberg also recalled a time she was with Epstein on one of his planes and pilots informed them they needed to land in Atlantic City. Epstein then suggested they contact Donald Trump.
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Video archives: Jeffrey Epstein coverage from 2007-2009
"Jeffrey said, 'Great, we'll call up Trump and we'll go to – I don't recall the name of the casino, but – we'll go to the casino," Sjoberg said.
Sjoberg later said in her deposition she never gave a massage to Trump. He is not accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein in the documents.
CNN has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
Other records unsealed are legal motions filed by the attorneys.
Giuffre alleged in her deposition that Maxwell directed her to have sexual contact with people including former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Prince Andrew, tech guru Marvin Minsky, well-known French modeling scout Jean-Luc Brunel and American investor Glenn Dubin.
A Dubin spokesperson said in a statement in 2019, when Giuffre's allegations were previously made public, that "Glenn and Eva Dubin are outraged by the allegations against them in the unsealed court records and categorically reject them." The statement was widely reported at the time, including in the Washington Post, the Hill and Vanity Fair.
The same portion of that deposition still has three unnamed people who were not revealed Wednesday. Giuffre alleges Maxwell directed her to have sexual relations with an "unnamed prince," the "owner of a large hotel chain" and a completely redacted name.
It is not clear from the document whether Giuffre subsequently had sexual contact with any of the people named.
This is the first set of documents to be unsealed as part of a Dec. 18 court order.
Many of the alleged victims and associates have given public interviews and have already been identified in the media. Inclusion in the newly unredacted documents is not an indication of wrongdoing or lawbreaking.
Some victims' names remain redacted due to the sensitive nature of the crimes, according to court filings.
Epstein was indicted in 2019 on federal charges of operating a sex trafficking ring in which he allegedly sexually abused dozens of underage girls.
Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Prosecutors in New York indicted Maxwell on sex trafficking charges involving multiple victims. She was convicted in 2021.
Local, state and federal authorities first investigated Epstein for alleged sexual activity involving minors as early as 2005.
After extensive negotiations with state and federal prosecutors, Epstein avoided federal prosecution. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge involving prostitution and prostitution involving a minor. He was sentenced to serve just 18 months, much of it in a Florida work-release program run by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
After his release in 2009, Epstein, then a registered sex offender, appeared with influential, powerful and wealthy people.
