Freshly disclosed legal documents have revealed that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein bequeathed a substantial $5 million, equivalent to approximately £3.6 million, to his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell. This revelation forms part of a colossal release of over 3 million pages of material by the US Department of Justice, which occurred on Friday.
Details of the Epstein Estate Bequests
The specific allocation to Maxwell was detailed in section 2.3 of Epstein's last will and testament, explicitly titled "Bequests." The clause stated that the convicted child sex offender would leave the $5 million sum to Maxwell, contingent upon her surviving him. Maxwell, a prominent socialite who was subsequently imprisoned in 2022 for her role in procuring underage victims for Epstein's abuse, was listed among nine beneficiaries each slated to receive an identical $5 million payout following Epstein's death in 2019.
Other Named Beneficiaries and Censored Details
The document also identified several other recipients of Epstein's posthumous generosity. Karyna Shuliak, widely reported to have been Epstein's final girlfriend, was named as a beneficiary for the same $5 million amount. Furthermore, Epstein's long-time associate, Jean-Luc Brunel, who was found deceased in a Paris prison cell in 2022, was also due to receive the sum. Epstein's lawyer, Darren Indyke, was similarly listed to benefit from the estate.
It is important to note that several other recipients mentioned in the will had their names redacted or censored within the released paperwork. The Justice Department's extensive document dump, which includes a staggering 180,000 images and 2,000 videos, represents a significant expansion of publicly available information related to the investigations into Epstein's activities. Officials have emphasised that mere mention within the so-called "Epstein Files" does not, in itself, imply any guilt or wrongdoing.
Mounting Political Pressure Over Document Disclosure
The administration of former President Donald Trump has faced intense and growing scrutiny regarding its handling of the document release process. During his initial campaign for a second term in the White House, Trump and members of his team publicly urged Democratic officials to authorise the full disclosure of all files pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein.
A Surprising Shift in Stance
However, in a move that has baffled many political observers and supporters, President Trump's position appeared to shift markedly shortly after commencing his second term. He made clear his opposition to fellow Republicans who continued to advocate for the public release of the Epstein documents. This reversal was viewed as particularly puzzling by a segment of his voter base, some of whom had supported him partly on the promise of greater transparency in this high-profile case.
The eventual release of the documents last year was not voluntary but was legally compelled. A bipartisan coalition of enough Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats to pass legislation mandating the disclosure. Despite a legal requirement for the government to make the vast majority of these documents public by the end of December, only a minuscule one per cent of the total material had been released prior to today's significant data dump.
The context of these revelations remains the unresolved circumstances surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death, which occurred in a New York City prison cell in 2019 while he awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
