A federal judge overseeing the sex trafficking case against financier Jeffrey Epstein has denied a government request to make grand jury transcripts public.
The ruling Wednesday by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, also turned down the government’s request.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women. Epstein died in jail awaiting trial.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Berman said the information contained in the Epstein grand jury transcripts "pales in comparison to the Epstein investigative information and materials in the hands of the Department of Justice.”
