Three key names lawmakers confirm were in unredacted Epstein files

In a legal and political firestorm that continues to singe the upper echelons of the American justice system, the Department of Justice (DOJ) finds itself under renewed scrutiny over its handling of the voluminous Jeffrey Epstein investigative files. While the Department has publicly framed the release of these records as a definitive move toward “full transparency,” a growing chorus of lawmakers alleges that the government is still actively shielding powerful figures through a series of “improper” redactions and legal maneuvers.

The friction reached a fever pitch this week as newly unredacted documents began to circulate, offering a harrowing glimpse into the late financier’s digital correspondence. Among the most chilling revelations is an email sent by Epstein on April 25, 2009, which concludes with the cryptic and disturbing line: “Where are you? Are you ok I loved the torture video.”

The Battle Over Redactions: Accountability vs. Privacy

The Department of Justice is currently sitting on a mountain of evidence—roughly 3.5 million pages—related to the Epstein trafficking operation. Under intense pressure from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who have reviewed the non-public versions of these records, the DOJ has begun the slow process of unmasking names previously hidden from public view.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has been a vocal critic of the DOJ’s pace, took to social media to challenge the agency’s integrity. Massie contends that the FBI labeled several individuals as “conspirators” in internal 2019 documents, only for those names to be scrubbed before the files were released to the public.

“What I saw that bothered me were the names of at least six men that have been redacted that are likely incriminated by their inclusion in these files,” Massie told CNN, noting that it took “some digging” through the cache to identify the inconsistencies.

The accusation sparked a rare public spat with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Responding to Massie’s claims online, Blanche argued that the redactions were necessary to protect the identities of victims. “The document you cite has numerous victim names,” Blanche stated. “We have just unredacted all non-victim names from this document. The DOJ is committed to transparency… DOJ is hiding nothing.”

Massie, however, fired back with a sharp rebuke, suggesting that the DOJ was conflating the protection of victims with the protection of high-profile associates. “Our law requires victim’s information to be redacted, not information of men who sent Epstein torture porn!” Massie retorted.

The Unmasked: Alleged Conspirators and Gatekeepers

Despite the ongoing disputes, the newly released records have officially linked several prominent figures to the FBI’s list of alleged conspirators. While Ghislaine Maxwell remains the only individual to face federal criminal charges—currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role as Epstein’s primary recruiter—three other names have now been fully unredacted in the 2019 documents:

• Les Wexner: The 88-year-old billionaire and former CEO of L Brands (the parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works) has long been under fire for his decades-long relationship with Epstein. Wexner, who once gave Epstein sweeping power over his personal finances, has maintained that he severed ties with the financier years before his 2019 arrest. A legal representative for Wexner told NBC that the U.S. Attorney’s office confirmed in 2019 that Wexner was “neither a co-conspirator nor target.” Wexner has publicly condemned Epstein’s “abhorrent behavior” and claimed Epstein misappropriated vast sums from his family.
• Lesley Groff: For over twenty years, Groff served as Epstein’s executive assistant at his Palm Beach estate. Described by Epstein himself in a 2005 New York Times profile as an “extension of my brain,” Groff has consistently denied any knowledge of her boss’s illicit activities. However, the unredacted documents place her in the crosshairs of the FBI’s 2019 conspiracy investigation. While civil lawsuits from victims accused her of facilitating abuse, her attorney, Michael Bachner, maintains that law enforcement never notified her of “conspirator” status and that she was told she would not be prosecuted after voluntarily speaking with authorities.
• Jean-Luc Brunel: The French modeling scout, also identified as a co-conspirator, was arrested on charges of raping minors and sex trafficking. His involvement in the orbit ended abruptly in 2022 when he was found dead in his Paris prison cell. While authorities ruled the death a suicide by hanging, his legal team claimed his death was a reaction to a “profound sense of injustice” rather than an admission of guilt.

The “Sultan” and the “Torture Video”

Perhaps the most sensational development involves the identity of the person Epstein was communicating with regarding the “torture video.” As the DOJ and Massie debated the legality of redacting email addresses, the sender’s identity was ultimately traced to Ahmed bin Sulayem, the Emirati businessman and CEO of DP World.

While the “torture video” mentioned in the April 2009 email remains a mystery—with no official confirmation as to whether the content was fictional, snuff, or some other form of illicit material—the exchange underscores the high-level international connections Epstein maintained.

The DOJ insists that bin Sulayem’s name was available in the files and that the redaction was a standard procedure for personally identifiable information (PII) within an email address. Lawmakers, however, view the secrecy as a persistent obstacle to understanding the full scope of Epstein’s influence.

The Path Ahead

The investigation into the Epstein files is far from over. Reports suggest that at least four key players identified in the 2019 documents remain hidden behind black bars. As the pressure for total disclosure mounts, the central question remains: Is the Department of Justice protecting the integrity of a sensitive investigation, or is it shielding a global network of power from the consequences of their associations?

The American public, and the victims who have waited decades for justice, are still waiting for a version of the truth that doesn’t come with redactions.

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