December 21, 2025, 2:59 p.mDecember 21, 2025, 2:59 p.m
In the opinion of victim advocate John Scarola, the US Department of Justice did not comply with congressional requirements when publishing thousands of documents relating to the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. «It is a partial publication. “But the main problem is the redactions,” Scarola told “Spiegel”. The lawyer represents several victims of sex offender Epstein.
John Scarola is the lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.Image: imago stock&people
“From what I have seen so far, I am convinced that the documents were redacted to an excessive extent,” Scarola told the news magazine. In justifiable cases, redactions are necessary – to protect the privacy of the victims and the presumption of innocence of alleged perpetrators who have not yet been publicly known. “Nevertheless, the extent of these redactions goes far beyond anything I consider justified,” he said.
Lawyer: Partial publication increases the suffering of the victims
When asked whether he believed that the alleged perpetrators were protected by the high level of redactions, Scarola replied “yes”. From the perspective of the victims, this partial publication increases their suffering, he emphasized. They were repeatedly promised that the documents would be fully disclosed. But this promise was always broken.
From Scarola’s point of view, public pressure will continue to increase: “The public is not happy with the material published. There will continue to be strong calls for further investigation.” Beyond the release of files, the US Congress must conduct a comprehensive and complete investigation into the corruption in the civil justice system that played a role in the cases of Epstein and his former partner Ghislaine Maxwell. (sda/dpa)