Frequently Asked Questions

What is this site?

Epstein Files Search is a free tool that lets you search through over 30,000 declassified court documents from the Ghislaine Maxwell case. We've processed the raw OCR text to make it searchable, extracted named individuals, and mapped connections between people who appear in the same documents.

Where do the documents come from?

All documents are from official public releases:

  • U.S. Department of Justice - Court filings from United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell (Southern District of New York)
  • Internet Archive - OCR-processed text versions of the document PDFs

We do not host any private, leaked, or illegally obtained materials.

How does the search work?

The search performs full-text search across all 30,536 documents. Results are ranked by relevance, considering:

  • Exact phrase matches (highest priority)
  • All search terms present
  • Partial matches

Use quotes for exact phrases: "palm beach"

How are people identified in the documents?

We use a combination of methods:

  • Curated whitelist - Known individuals (Epstein, Maxwell, victims, lawyers, associates) are matched first
  • Pattern extraction - Additional names are found using strict "Firstname Lastname" patterns with common first names
  • Minimum threshold - Names must appear in at least 3 documents to be included

This approach prioritizes accuracy over completeness.

What does a "connection" mean?

Two people are shown as "connected" when they appear in the same document. The connection strength (line thickness in the graph) reflects how many documents mention both individuals.

Important: A connection does NOT imply wrongdoing, collaboration, or guilt. It simply means both names appear in shared court documents - they could be witnesses, lawyers, or mentioned in completely different contexts within the same filing.

Why is someone missing from the People list?

There are several reasons someone might not appear:

  • They appear in fewer than 3 documents
  • Their name wasn't captured by our extraction patterns
  • OCR errors in the source documents made their name unrecognizable
  • Their name was redacted in the court documents

We prioritize accuracy - it's better to miss some names than include false positives.

Are there OCR errors in the text?

Yes. The documents were originally scanned PDFs, and the OCR (optical character recognition) process isn't perfect. You may encounter:

  • Misspelled words
  • Numbers confused with letters
  • Missing or garbled text from poor scan quality
  • Formatting issues

If you can't find something, try alternate spellings or partial searches.

Can I download the documents?

This site provides searchable text versions. For the original PDF documents, visit the Internet Archive where the full document collection is available for download.

Is this site affiliated with any organization?

No. This is an independent project created to make public court documents more accessible. We are not affiliated with any government agency, news organization, or political group.

Do you track users or collect data?

No. We do not use analytics, tracking cookies, or collect any personal information. Your searches are not logged or stored.

How can I report an error or suggest an improvement?

Use the contact form on the About page. We welcome corrections, especially for:

  • Incorrectly identified names
  • Missing important individuals
  • Technical bugs or usability issues

Legal disclaimer: This site provides access to publicly released court documents for research and educational purposes. The presence of any name in these documents does not imply guilt or wrongdoing.