Federal Judge Orders Release of Ghislaine Maxwell Grand Jury Records

Fri Jan 16 2026 06:01:14 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A New York federal judge has mandated the unsealing of grand jury materials related to Ghislaine Maxwell as part of a broader transparency effort involving the Epstein case.

In a significant ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer has allowed the release of grand jury records related to Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking charges. This decision follows a recent law passed by Congress mandating the public release of documents associated with Jeffrey Epstein's investigations. The judge emphasized the need to protect victims' identities while enhancing transparency. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her involvement in Epstein's exploitation of underage girls.

A federal judge in New York has ruled that the U.S. Department of Justice can publicly release grand jury materials from Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking investigation.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer announced the decision in light of a recent law enacted by Congress that requires the justice department to publish files related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein by the end of next week.

While issuing the ruling, Judge Engelmayer stated that the court will implement measures to safeguard the identities and privacy of victims affected by the released materials.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, her former boyfriend, who died in prison in 2019.

Prosecutors have accused Maxwell of having recruited and groomed girls, some as young as 14, between 1994 and 2004, enabling their abuse by Epstein.

Currently, Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence and was recently moved from a facility in Florida to a minimum-security prison in Texas. This transfer occurred after she was interviewed by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche regarding Epstein.

Maxwell's legal representatives informed Judge Engelmayer that she would not oppose the motion to release the grand jury material.

Representative Robert Garcia, a high-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, called the unsealing of these records a "victory for transparency." He added, These files are now part of the Epstein files held by the Department of Justice and must be turned over to the Oversight Committee in response to our subpoena.\

This decision comes just days after a Florida judge ruled in favor of unsealing documents related to an earlier investigation into Epstein that began in 2005.

In November, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the release of unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigatory materials associated with Epstein and Maxwell. The Department of Justice is now required to publicly share all information regarding federal investigations into Epstein by December 19, although certain files can be withheld if they pertain to ongoing criminal investigations or raise privacy concerns.

Previously, both Florida and New York judges had declined to unseal grand jury materials linked to Epstein, citing rules that stipulate the confidentiality of grand jury processes. However, following the passage of the new legislation, the justice department sought the release, arguing that the law's explicit directive supersedes these confidentiality concerns.