New York: On Wednesday, a US court is expected to begin revealing the names of dozens of people with ties to the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, in a move that may reveal new details about his sex trafficking.
Epstein socialized with Wall Street titans, royalty and celebrities before pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008. He died in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Jeffrey Epstein poses for a selfie in 2013.credit: AP
Dozens of women have accused Epstein of forcing them to provide sexual services to him and his guests on his private island in the Caribbean Sea and homes he owns in New York, Florida and New Mexico.
It is expected that the names of more than 150 people named in the lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, will be released after it remained sealed for years.
Edward Friedland, executive director of the US District Court in Manhattan, said the unsealing is scheduled to begin on Wednesday. More than 50 names have already been announced.
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Some people who were friendly with Epstein, such as Britain's Prince Andrew and former Barclays CEO Jes Staley, have seen their reputations tarnished by their relationships.
JPMorgan Chase, where Staley also worked, and Deutsche Bank paid $365 million to settle accusations that they turned a blind eye to their former client's activities.
Prince Andrew, who has been stripped of most of his royal titles, is among those expected to be discussed in the unsealed documents. He settled a civil suit with Giuffre last year for an undisclosed sum and denied any wrongdoing.
