The Jeffrey Epstein list should start being released today. Some big names are expected

Editor's note: New documents were released Thursday, with references to powerful politicians, celebrities and billionaires. You can read the updated report here.

The names of nearly 200 friends, associates, victims, and opponents of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein will begin to be released Wednesday, a senior court official told USA TODAY.

The list of names, which is believed to include top figures in entertainment, politics, and business, were culled from hundreds of sealed court filings about Epstein, the accused sex trafficker who died by suicide inside a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.

"The unsealing should begin today," Edward Friedland, district executive at the U.S. district court in Manhattan, told USA TODAY.

A raft of prominent figures, including former presidents Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew have been linked to Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell was convicted in 2022 of sex trafficking girls for Epstein and is serving a 20 year sentence.

More: What's true and false about Jeffrey Epstein and the individuals on his list

The sealed documents containing the names were part of a defamation lawsuit brought by one of their accusers, Virginia Giuffre. Until now, people mentioned in the public documents from the case have been masked by the names "John Doe" and "Jane Doe."

On Dec. 18, Judge Loretta Preska issued an order that large swaths of information should be unsealed, but paused the order for 14 days so that any impacted "Does" would have the chance to appeal. After the pause, lawyers were asked to confer, prepare the documents for unsealing, and post them to the court docket.

Friedland said the disclosure of a small number of Does has been put on hold. With the exception of those Does, "the unsealing process will begin today."

Wednesday afternoon, Preska issued an order stating that she received inquiries from two Does who want to remain under seal. Preska has given one of them until Jan. 22 to provide support for the claim that unsealing her information would cause her physical harm, and Preska is currently reviewing the second inquiry, according to the order.

"With the exception of the documents relating to these Does, the parties have informed the Court that they will begin filing the unsealed records outlined in this Court's December 18 Order later today," Preska wrote.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will Jeffrey Epstein list come out? Starting today, official says