Department of Justice (DoJ) officials were tasked with redacting all sexually explicit photos or any information which could identify victims before the latest tranche of Epstein files was due to be published over the Christmas period.
Ahead of the deadline set by Congress, deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the files would not be published on time, citing the extra work needed to guard victims’ identities. “We are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce making sure every victim – their name, their identity, their story, to the extent that it needs to be protected – is completely protected,” he said at the time.
BBC Verify has separately found the identities of several people have been revealed in medical information and legal statements published in the files.
One name was shown in full in two videos showing foetal ultrasound scans. The time, date and what appears to be the location of the scans, as well as the gestational age of the foetus, were also clearly visible.
Another document contained a recording of Epstein being questioned in which a lawyer mentioned the name of at least one victim.
Lawyers for Epstein’s victims have heavily criticised the DoJ for its failure to adequately protect hundreds of women identified in the files.
“We are getting constant calls from victims because their names – despite them never coming forward, being completely unknown to the public – have all just been released for public consumption,” Brad Edwards, one of the attorneys, said on Sunday.
“It’s literally thousands of mistakes.”