Dozens of Epstein victims’ names exposed in files released by Congress

Lawyers for the women have asked two federal judges who oversaw the prosecutions of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to ensure that the victims’ privacy is protected in any additional document releases by the Justice Department.

Judge Richard Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday evening ordered the government to provide him a detailed description of its privacy process, including redactions the government seeks to employ, to protect the rights of Epstein victims. He attached a copy of a letter from the victims’ lawyers.

Berman handled proceedings in the government’s 2019 case against Epstein, which was cut short when Epstein died in jail. Berman must approve requests to unseal documents from the case. Another federal judge in New York oversaw the prosecution of Maxwell and will decide the fate of sealed documents from that case.

The Justice Department is reviewing its records and working on redactions after Congress overwhelmingly passed a law mandating the agency to release documents tied to Epstein. The measure passed over the initial objections of President Trump and top Justice Department officials, who had said earlier this year there were no additional records that warranted public release.

Bradley Edwards and Brittany Henderson, lawyers who have represented hundreds of Epstein’s accusers, said in the letter to the court that Epstein’s estate and the Justice Department had failed to redact several of their clients in documents recently made public by the House Oversight Committee. “Many of the victims believe this is being done intentionally," they wrote.

A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee said its subpoena instructs the Justice Department to redact victims’ information. Representatives for the Justice Department and Epstein’s estate didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

In one document provided by the Justice Department, there were at least 28 names of victims left unredacted, including individuals who were minor children at the time of their abuse, according to the letter.

The victims’ lawyers and many of their clients have supported efforts to release more Epstein records. “Our request is simply that the identity of all victims be protected," the attorneys wrote in the letter. “These women are not political pawns. They are mothers, wives, and daughters."

The Epstein estate exposed the names of some victims as a result of a software error, according to the letter, and the parties are working to ensure the mistake isn’t repeated.

The Justice Department hasn’t disclosed its redaction process and is likely working from an incomplete list of victims, according to the letter. Edwards and Henderson said that prosecutors in 2007 included victims in Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement without realizing Epstein was funding their lawyers to keep them quiet. They also said the Justice Department’s 2019 investigation didn’t focus on adult women Epstein trafficked after 2008, including many from Europe and Russia.

The lawyers said they have a list of more than 300 victims that could be securely provided to the government to ensure that the women are protected.

The issue of redactions created conflict earlier this month when the House Oversight Committee released a batch of Epstein emails. It began when Democrats released a selection of emails from Epstein. In one message, Epstein wrote about Trump spending hours with a woman whose name was redacted by Democrats.

Republicans soon released the same email showing the unredacted name was Virginia Giuffre, who previously had said that she never saw Trump participate in any abuse. Republicans and the White House said Democrats were selectively leaking information to smear the president.

Write to Khadeeja Safdar at khadeeja.safdar@wsj.com