V.I. Court Mulls Releasing Epstein Files

It took an act of Congress to compel the release of details about the sex crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. A Virgin Islands judge was weighing this week whether to make grand jury records and other yet-unreleased evidence public.

The information given to a grand jury is usually kept secret and is likely outside the scope of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, made law in November 2025, argued attorneys representing the Epstein estate. The estate has sought to keep the files private, saying their release may unfairly expose victims and people not accused of any crime to “undue harassment.”

Attorneys for two news organizations seeking the files’ full release told Superior Court Judge Simone Van Holten-Turnbull Monday to have the court blackout the names of victims. Allowing public inspection of the redacted files both met the needs of society — exposing the reach of Epstein’s influence — and demonstrate the court’s power to protect victims through redaction.

“In releasing files relevant to the Epstein investigations and prosecutions, the Department of Justice and three federal courts have shown that redaction is the most appropriate mechanism for both protecting privacy and honoring the public’s right of access to judicial documents,” St. Croix attorney Kevin Rames wrote to the judge in documents published Tuesday.