(FLORIDA) — A federal judge in Florida has granted the Trump administration’s motion to unseal grand jury transcripts from the initial federal investigation of Jeffrey Epstein in the mid-2000s. The order also grants the government’s request to modify any protective orders in place that would inhibit public disclosure.

U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith – a Trump appointee – determined that the language of the recently-enacted Epstein Transparency Act  “overrides” federal rules prohibiting the public disclosure of grand jury materials.

“The Act applies to unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials that relate to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Smith wrote in an order Friday. “Consequently, the later-enacted and specific language of the Act trumps Rule 6’s prohibition on disclosure. Accordingly, it is ORDERED that United States’ Expedited Motion to Unseal Grand Jury Transcripts and Modify Protective Order…is GRANTED.”

Smith is one of three federal judges asked by the DOJ to unseal grand jury materials in cases involving Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Smith is the first to rule. Two judges in New York are expected to issue their decisions next week.

This is the second time the DOJ has gone to those courts asking for the grand jury materials to be unsealed. Those earlier attempts – before the Epstein Transparency Act was passed, requiring the disclosure of materials related to Epstein’s cases within 30 days with certain exceptions — were rejected by each court.

Smith’s order does not address redactions to the records to protect the privacy interests of Epstein’s victims.  It will be up to the DOJ to make those redactions, as administration officials have promised to do before disclosing records to the public.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida used two separate grand juries during their initial probes in the mid-2000s of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking of minors.  Neither grand jury was asked to indict Epstein, and there was never a federal criminal prosecution of Epstein in Florida.  Instead, Epstein and federal prosecutors negotiated a non-prosecution agreement which resulted in Epstein’s guilty pleas in state court.

Witnesses express concerns about privacy in New York cases

In the New York cases, the courts have received input and objections from witnesses, victims and others expressing concerns about personal privacy, redaction of victim information and the potential impacts the court’s rulings could have on public disclosure of the Epstein files.

Annie Farmer – a witness who testified against Maxwell at her criminal trial in 2021 – urged the judges to make “abundantly clear” that any decision they make about the DOJ’s motions “does not affect the Department of Justice’s ability to release documents subject to the [Epstein] Transparency Act,” including materials contained in the 300 gigabytes of data the government has said it has in its possession.

“While Ms. Farmer remains hopeful that the instant motions reflect a bona fide desire by the Government to provide greater transparency into Epstein’s crimes, she is wary of the possibility that any denial of the motions may be used by others as a pretext or excuse for continuing to withhold crucial information concerning Epstein’s crimes,” wrote Sigrid McCawley, counsel for Farmer and other Epstein and Maxwell accusers.

The Epstein Transparency Act contains a number of exceptions that could allow the DOJ to withhold or redact certain records, including records that could result in victim identification or a “clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” There is also an exception for records related to any “active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution.”

The DOJ faces a Dec. 19 deadline to comply with the law’s provisions.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer – who will decide the DOJ’s motion on the Maxwell docket – also received letters from attorneys for two men; one a potential witness at the Maxwell trial who wasn’t called and another whose name had been contained in court files in civil litigation against Maxwell but who had successfully argued for his name to be redacted when those records were unsealed.

“I submit that all personally identifiable information regarding my client is within the ambit of the Act’s permitted withholdings and that this information must be redacted pursuant to the Act, because that disclosure without redaction would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of my client’s personal privacy,” wrote Avrom Robin, an attorney for the witness who wasn’t called.

The attorneys for both men argued that the language of the Epstein Transparency Act contains no specific mention of grand jury materials and that the government’s motion to unseal those records should be denied. Absent such a ruling, they argue that the names of their clients should be redacted or remain under seal.

The Department of Justice has been ordered by the courts to respond to the concerns raised in the letters by Monday.

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(TENNESSEE) — A Tennessee mother is facing a criminal charge and her two children were removed from her custody after investigators said they consumed her THC hemp gummies, leading to their hospitalization. 

The children, both under the age of 8, have been placed under the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services after their mother failed a drug test for methamphetamine, according to the district attorney general. 

Candice Hickson is being charged with child neglect and endangerment, according to an arrest warrant. Her bail is set at $25,000, according to the warrant.

“Our Office will prosecute this case within the letter of the law, balancing the need to help Ms. Hickson get treatment for her addiction, so that she can eventually reunite with her children in a safe environment,” District Attorney General Frederick Agee said in a statement.

Hickson called 911 to report a possible overdose after her two children consumed her gummies last week at their home in Milan, Tennessee, according to the arrest warrant. When officers arrived on the scene, both children were unresponsive. 

Hickson told officers the children were able to reach the gummies when she went to the bathroom and she was not sure how many the children had consumed, according to the arrest warrant. 

The children were then taken to Le Bonheur Hospital in Memphis and released within 48 hours, according to the district attorney general.

THC hemp gummies are legal for adults 21 years and older in Tennessee, according to state law. 

“Although we take any case where children are harmed very seriously, we are unaware of any incident in Tennessee or the U.S. where a child, teenager, or adult has died solely from consuming legal Hemp THC gummies,” Agee said. 

He added, “However, this is a cautionary reminder to parents to secure legal substances that might cause adverse reactions away from their children, especially those drugs with more potent and addictive effects like Oxycodone, Xanax, Hydrocodone, and other opioids.”

Hickson is expected to appear again at Gibson County General Sessions court on Dec. 16. No attorney was listed for Hickson.

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(NEW YORK) — A teenager is facing a federal arson charge for allegedly setting a sleeping homeless man on fire on a New York City subway train, officials said.

Hiram Carrero, 18, was arrested on Thursday night and appeared in Manhattan federal court on Friday, authorities said.

The 56-year-old victim was asleep on a 3 train when, around 3 a.m. Monday, the suspect walked into the car at 34th Street Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, according to police. Surveillance images released in the federal complaint show the victim completely alone in the subway car.

Carrero allegedly approached the victim and set his legs on fire, investigators said. Carrero then allegedly fled the train right when the doors were closing, according to the complaint.

The victim was still covered in flames when he exited the subway car at Times Square, the next stop, the complaint said. Surveillance footage showed him sitting on the platform with flames rising from his upper legs.

Law enforcement responded and extinguished the blaze and then rushed the victim to a hospital in critical condition, the complaint said.

On Friday, Carrero made his initial appearance in court where a federal magistrate ordered him released. Prosectors are appealing to a district court judge.

Carrero was initially arrested on state charges including attempted murder.

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