Some Epstein file redactions are being undone with hacks

People examining documents released by the Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein case discovered that some of the file redaction can be undone with Photoshop techniques, or by simply highlighting text to paste into a word processing file.

Un-redacted text from these documents began circulating through social media on Monday evening. An exhibit in a civil case in the Virgin Islands against Darren K Indyke and Richard D Kahn, two executors of Epstein’s estate, contains redacted allegations explaining how Epstein and his associates had facilitated the sexual abuse of children. The exhibit was the second amended complaint in the state case against Indyke and Kahn.

In section 85, the redacted portion states: “Between September 2015 and June 2019, Indyke signed (FAC) for over $400,000 made payable to young female models and actresses, including a former Russian model who received over $380,000 through monthly payments of $8,333 made over a period of more than three and a half years until the middle of 2019.”

Prosecutors in the Virgin Islands settled its civil sex-trafficking case against Epstein’s estate, Indyke and Kahn in 2022 for $105m , plus one half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St James, the island on which Epstein resided and on which many of his crimes occurred. The DoJ press release announcing the settlement did not include an admission of liability.

Indyke, an attorney who represented Epstein for decades, has not been criminally indicted by federal authorities. He was hired by the Parlatore Law Group in 2022, before the DoJ settled the Epstein case. That firm represents Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and previously represented Donald Trump in his defense against charges stemming from the discovery of classified government documents stored at Trump’s Florida estate. Calls and email seeking comment from Indyke and the Parlatore Law Group have not yet been returned.

Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities and any wrongdoing.

Other sections further allege how Epstein’s enterprise concealed crimes.

“Defendants also attempted to conceal their criminal sex trafficking and abuse, conduct by paying large sums of money to participant-witnesses, including by paying for their attorneys’ fees and case costs in litigation related to this conduct,” reads one redacted passage.

“Epstein also threatened harm to victims and helped release damaging stories about them to damage their credibility when they tried to go public with their stories of being trafficked and sexually abused. Epstein also instructed one or more Epstein Enterprise participant-witnesses to destroy evidence relevant to ongoing court proceedings involving Defendants’ criminal sex trafficking and abuse conduct.”

Redactions of sections 184 through 192 of the document describe property taxes paid by companies incorporated by Epstein on properties that were not on the balance sheet for those firms.

“For instance, Cypress’s Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2018 did not reflect any assets other than cash of $18,824. Further, Cypress reported only $301 in expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018, despite it paying $106,394.60 in Santa Fe property taxes on November 6, 2018,” reads one redacted passage.

“Similarly, in 2017, Cypress reported as its only asset cash in the amount of $29,736 and expenses of $150, despite it paying $55,770.41 and $113,679.56 in Santa Fe property taxes during 2017.”

The Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law last month permits the Department of Justice “to withhold certain information such as the personal information of victims and materials that would jeopardize an active federal investigation”.

It was unclear how property material complies with the redaction standard under the law. An inquiry to the Department of Justice has not yet been answered.