DOJ Pulls Thousands of Epstein Files After Victim Identities Accidentally Exposed

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has removed several thousand documents and media files from its public Epstein files website after they inadvertently included victim-identifying information.

The DOJ’s dedicated Epstein files website section went offline temporarily amid the fallout. Judge Richard M. Berman scheduled a conference for February 4, 2026, to address the redactions.

In a filing to New York federal judges overseeing the Epstein and Maxwell cases, attorneys Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards—representing victims—described the situation as an “unfolding emergency” and potentially “the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in United States history.” They noted that the errors affected nearly 100 survivors, turning their lives “upside down” through media intrusion, harassment, and real threats.

Sworn statements from anonymous “Jane Doe” victims highlighted the harm:

• One called the release “life threatening.”
• Another reported receiving death threats after her private banking details appeared in 51 separate entries, forcing her to immediately cancel credit cards and shut down accounts.
• Others described being bombarded with “disgusting messages,” media contact despite never having come forward publicly, and ongoing risks that escalated within hours or days of the release.

This action followed the DOJ’s release of a major new batch of Jeffrey Epstein-related records on Friday, January 30, 2026, as part of compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act (signed into law by President Trump in November 2025). That release included over 3 million pages, along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images drawn from various investigations, including Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal cases, FBI probes, and inquiries into Epstein’s death.

By Monday, February 2, 2026, the DOJ responded to flags raised by victims and their lawyers, as well as its own internal reviews, pulling down the problematic materials due to “technical or human error” in redactions. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton (Southern District of New York) stated in a letter to federal judges that nearly all flagged items had been removed, along with a substantial number identified independently by the government. The DOJ has revised its review protocols iteratively and aims to evaluate concerns and repost redacted versions “ideally within 24 to 36 hours.

“Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized in a Sunday interview that such issues affected only about 0.001% of the total materials, and the department acted immediately on victim notifications to rectify them.The errors sparked significant outcry, with victims’ attorneys describing the exposure as re-traumatizing survivors and, in some cases, turning their lives “upside down.”

Lawyers for nearly 100 survivors reportedly urged judges to order the site’s takedown due to widespread redaction failures. Separately, in an ongoing New York sex trafficking trial involving defendants Tal, Oren, and Alon Alexander (unrelated to Epstein but with names appearing in unredacted Epstein documents), defense counsel sought a mistrial, arguing the releases prejudiced their clients; the judge tentatively rejected the request, though some documents were confirmed withdrawn.

A section of the DOJ’s Epstein files website hosting public court records from the Epstein and Maxwell cases became inaccessible as of Monday. Remaining unreleased documents primarily involve civil litigation and may require additional judicial approval for disclosure.This episode highlights ongoing challenges in balancing public transparency with victim privacy in the long-running Epstein case, even as the DOJ described the recent release as likely its final major tranche under the transparency law.