Epstein files: Amid growing pressure from the US lawmakers, the Department of Justice (DOJ), on Monday (local time), released more names in connection with the recently released documents related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, cnn reported.
The development follows a review by several lawmakers of the unredacted versions of multiple records. The Justice Department released the last tranche of Epstein files on 30 January. speaking to cnn,Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said that the department previously redacted the identities of several people named in a 2019 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document.
Whose names have been unredacted now?
Among those unredacted now are the names of billionaire business magnate Les Wexner, Epstein’s longtime assistant Lesley Groff, and former French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, each identified as a co-conspirator of Epstein.
Wexner is the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Victoria’s Secret parent company L Brands. He had previously hired Epstein as a money manager but said he cut ties with him in 2007. When Wexner’s name surfaced publicly for the first time in December, his attorney said the Assistant US Attorney overseeing the Epstein investigation had made it clear that Wexner was neither a target nor a co-conspirator in any capacity.
An attorney for Groff, considered a longtime Epstein associate, said that Groff had “never seen this document and was unaware of it.” He added, “In fact, neither Lesley nor her counsel was ever notified that she was considered a co-conspirator. On the contrary, after Lesley voluntarily spoke with prosecutors and answered every question asked of her, she was told that she was not being prosecuted.”
Brunel died in 2022 in his prison cell after being arrested on several charges, including raping a minor.
Other names unredacted
Some other names that have been unredacted include Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of DP World and an Emirati billionaire businessman, and four others identified as Nicola Caputo, Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, and Leonic Leonov, The Guardian reported.
These names were publicly revealed by Ro Khanna, the US congressman, during a floor speech on Tuesday (local time) and said, “If we found six men that they were hiding in two hours, imagine how many men they are covering up for in those 3m files.”
DOJ yet to clarify on redactions
According to the cnn report, the DOJ has not yet explained why it made the redactions in such a confused and inconsistent manner. The Justice Department has also not explained why it or the FBI did not charge anyone else besides Epstein, saying only that the available evidence did not support prosecutions of others.
DOJ faces criticism over Epstein files
Since US President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in November 2025, the Department of Justice has released a massive trove of documents, with the latest tranche consisting of over three million pages, 180,000 images, and at least 2,000 videos. The documents outline details from the sex-trafficking investigations involving Epstein and contain fresh information about his connections with powerful and wealthy individuals.
Meanwhile, congressional Democrats have criticized the Justice Department over how it handled the redaction of the files. While some have accused the department of over-redacting the files, attorneys representing Epstein survivors said that they failed to properly redact the survivors’ names before publishing the database, cbs news reported.
