Which names in the Epstein files have been the subject of confirmed, open criminal investigations by U.S. prosecutors since the release?
Executive summary
Since the Justice Department’s multi‑million‑page release of the Epstein files, no U.S. prosecutor has publicly confirmed an active, open criminal investigation into a new, named third party from those files beyond the long‑running cases tied directly to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; major news outlets reporting on the release emphasize that appearances in the files do not equal criminal charges and that many names were mentioned only in passing [1] [2] [3].
1. What the public releases show — prosecutions already known
The documents predominantly document the two primary criminal matters prosecutors pursued: investigations into Jeffrey Epstein that produced a 2019 indictment and the later prosecution and conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell in 2021, both of which are referenced repeatedly in the file dumps and in DOJ descriptions of the sources of the records [4] [5]; reporting across outlets makes clear those prosecutions are the backbone of the accumulated records rather than an array of newly opened U.S. criminal cases against other powerful individuals [6] [7].
2. Media roll‑call versus legal reality
News organizations and broadcasters highlighted high‑profile names — from former presidents and business magnates to royals — that appear in the records, but they also explicitly reported that “none have been charged with a crime connected to the investigation,” underlining the difference between being named in correspondence or logs and being the subject of a criminal inquiry by prosecutors (PBS; [1], [9]4).
3. Redactions, withheld material and what that means for identifying targets
Independent coverage and legal observers note that the law authorizing the release permits redactions for identities of victims and for information “under active criminal investigation,” meaning some portions withheld from the public could reflect ongoing probes; however, the DOJ’s public statements about the release do not list new targets, and journalistic audits have not produced confirmation that U.S. prosecutors have opened and publicly acknowledged new criminal investigations into specific named third parties from the recent dumps [5] [8].
4. Instances of reported inquiry or investigation outside the U.S. and ambiguous follow‑ups
Some names prompted investigations or probes outside the United States — for example, British authorities opened inquiries related to contacts shown in the files, and reporting has described a Metropolitan Police criminal inquiry into Peter Mandelson after documents surfaced [3] [6] — but those are not U.S. prosecutor‑led matters and therefore fall outside the user’s narrow question about confirmed U.S. criminal investigations.
5. Ongoing journalistic and civil litigation scrutiny, and how that can differ from a U.S. criminal probe
Civil suits and media investigations have followed the releases, and outlets have identified allegations that could warrant criminal scrutiny; but multiple reporting threads note that civil actions, public accusations, and news reporting do not equate to U.S. prosecutors opening formal criminal investigations — the Manhattan district attorney and federal prosecutors have not publicly named additional targets tied to the new DOJ release [7] [1].
6. Bottom line and reporting limits
Based on the DOJ’s public release and major outlet reporting, there are no publicly confirmed, open criminal investigations by U.S. prosecutors into newly named third parties from the Epstein files since the release; that conclusion is constrained by what DOJ has chosen to make public and by redactions that could obscure ongoing probes, so absence of public confirmation should not be read as definitive proof that no investigative activity exists behind sealed or withheld material [5] [8] [1].