Ghislaine Maxwell case details too ‘sensational and impure’ for public, judge says
A federal judge agreed with Ghislaine Maxwell’s request to keep certain details in the criminal case against her secret — finding that information would be too “sensational and impure” to reveal to the public.
US District Judge Alison J. Nathan issued a ruling on redactions that Maxwell had asked for regarding transcripts the government filed under seal last month.
“Those portions of the transcript, which were redacted in the civil matter, concern privacy interests and their disclosure would merely serve to cater to a ‘craving for that which is sensational and impure,’” Nathan wrote in the order.
The judge also granted redactions that prosecutors made when filing the transcript. Prosecutors had argued the redactions were necessary to “protect the integrity” of the investigation into Maxwell and to protect the privacy of third parties.
“The interest in protecting the safety and privacy of those individuals outweighs the presumption of access that attaches to those documents,” Nathan wrote.
Nathan also rejected some objections Maxwell had to the prosecutor’s proposed redactions.
“Though the Defendant contends that some of the information contained in the redactions is public, she furnishes no evidence to that effect,” the decision states.
Maxwell, 59, is charged with recruiting and grooming girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s — and for lying under oath.
She was busted last July and has been held in jail on the grounds that she’s a flight risk. Her trial is scheduled for July.
“Those portions of the transcript, which were redacted in the civil matter, concern privacy interests and their disclosure would merely serve to cater to a ‘craving for that which is sensational and impure,’” Nathan wrote in the order.
The judge also granted redactions that prosecutors made when filing the transcript. Prosecutors had argued the redactions were necessary to “protect the integrity” of the investigation into Maxwell and to protect the privacy of third parties.
“The interest in protecting the safety and privacy of those individuals outweighs the presumption of access that attaches to those documents,” Nathan wrote.
Nathan also rejected some objections Maxwell had to the prosecutor’s proposed redactions.
“Though the Defendant contends that some of the information contained in the redactions is public, she furnishes no evidence to that effect,” the decision states.
Maxwell, 59, is charged with recruiting and grooming girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s — and for lying under oath.
She was busted last July and has been held in jail on the grounds that she’s a flight risk. Her trial is scheduled for July.
