The majority of those whose names appear in the documents are not accused of wrongdoing and have been mentioned previously

When legal documents related to the case of convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were made public on Wednesday night, it caused an online frenzy that crashed the court website hosting the files in minutes.

More than 900 pages of papers were unsealed late in the day, identifying numerous Epstein associates and public figures as mentioned in proceedings of the case Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre filed against Ghislaine Maxwell in 2015.

Maxwell, the US-based British socialite and media heir, was convicted in New York in December 2021 of sex trafficking and similar charges for procuring teen girls for Epstein. In December 2023, a judge announced the documents would be unsealed in January 2024, sparking intrigue for followers of the case – many of whom expected the release would include a list of Epstein’s clients and co-conspirators.

However, the truth is less scandalous, as the majority of those whose names appear in the documents released on Wednesday are not accused of wrongdoing and have been mentioned previously in legal proceedings or news accounts.