In one series of documents, each of the 255 pages is redacted in black.
More than 550 pages of documents released by U.S. authorities regarding financier Jeffrey Epstein (1953-2019) have been completely blacked out, CBS reports.
The U.S. Department of Justice released part of the case materials over the weekend in compliance with a law supported by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
In one series of documents, each of the 255 pages is redacted in black, the network reports. Another document, consisting of 119 pages, which is marked as grand jury materials in New York, also remains fully redacted. Additionally, at least 180 redacted pages are in files that have undergone only partial redaction.
Epstein was charged in the U.S. in 2019 with trafficking minors for sexual exploitation and conspiracy to commit these crimes, facing a sentence of over 40 years. According to prosecutors, from 2002 to 2005, he engaged in sexual relations with dozens of underage girls, some of whom he recruited to help find new victims. Among the victims were girls under the age of 14.
Shortly after his arrest, a New York court denied Epstein bail, and in late July 2019, he was found unconscious in his jail cell, followed by reports of his death. An official investigation confirmed that Epstein had committed suicide.
The Trump administration had previously promised to declassify files related to Epstein's case but did not do so, leading to a wave of criticism. The FBI and the Department of Justice claim that Epstein did not blackmail influential individuals and did not maintain a client list, although former Attorney General Pam Bondi stated otherwise.
A portrait of Bill Clinton in Monica Lewinsky's dress from Epstein's home appeared online the day before. The so-called "black book" of Epstein was also published.
Jeffrey Edward Epstein was an American financier and registered sex offender. He began his financial career at the investment bank Bear Stearns and later founded his own firm, J. Epstein & Co. In 2008, he was arrested and pleaded guilty to two charges of soliciting prostitution. Jeffrey Epstein was born in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family.
On July 23, 2019, Epstein was found in a semi-conscious state with signs of strangulation on his neck. Based on the nature of the injuries, it was concluded that he had attempted to hang himself, although there was also a theory that he was attacked by a fellow inmate. Ultimately, Epstein was placed in a suicide prevention cell. However, on July 29, 2019, Epstein was returned to a regular cell. When Epstein was placed in the cell, the prison informed the Justice Department that he would have a cellmate for suicide prevention and that a guard would check on him every thirty minutes. However, these measures were not followed. On August 9, 2019, Epstein's cellmate was transferred to another cell, and guards did not check on him for more than three hours, falsifying the corresponding records.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found without breath. Guards called for an ambulance and attempted to perform resuscitation measures. However, it was too late, and Epstein was pronounced dead.
