JUST IN: Judge Orders Release of Ghislaine Maxwell Grand Jury Records and Scolds DOJ Over Treatment of Victims

A federal judge in New York scolded the Department of Justice over its treatment of victims while ordering the release of grand jury materials tied to Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday.

The motion to unlock the files was submitted last month by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who asked the judge to move quickly with a ruling before the deadline imposed by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled on Tuesday that the documents must be unsealed, but not before chastising federal prosecutors for what he described as disregard for the women at the center of the case.

Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting and grooming girls for Epstein, did not oppose the move, though her lawyers warned that releasing grand jury files could undermine her efforts to secure a new trial.

Victims had urged the court to allow public access while insisting that their identities be protected. Engelmayer said their concerns “regrettably have a basis in fact,” citing the Justice Department’s failure to notify them before pushing for disclosure.

“DOJ, although paying lip service to Maxwell’s and Epstein’s victims, has not treated them with the solicitude they deserve,” he wrote.

He added that prosecutors had “misled victims — and the public at large” by implying the materials were critical to government transparency, even though they “would not add to public knowledge.”

Trump last month approved a congressional measure forcing the DOJ to release its Epstein files by December 19, though those do not include grand jury evidence. Judges in Florida and New York are now weighing similar requests to unlock material from previous failed cases against the disgraced financier.