Court Documents Suggest Billionaire Grocery Store Magnate Had Knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's Activities

Billionaire grocery store magnate Ron Burkle is one of several high-profile individuals mentioned in newly unsealed court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case.

The documents indicate that Burkle had knowledge about Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking operation, and that his name appeared in the financier’s black book and private log.

Court records released Thursday evening say the 71-year-old businessman had knowledge of Epstein and his co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell's "sexual trafficking conduct." The documents are from a defamation lawsuit filed against Maxwell, who procured young women for Epstein, by his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
Burkle has not been charged in connection with the Epstein case, but his name has turned up in past court records.
Burkle's name was discovered in Epstein's black book and on Epstein's private log — a fact that became part of the public record after the convicted sex trafficker's first conviction in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14.

Burkle joins former President Bill Clinton, billionaire Thomas Pritzker, and Michael Jackson on the list of individuals tied to Epstein. He is believed to have had suspicions about Epstein’s activities.

Epstein’s little black book, which became part of the public record after his first arrest, contains a who’s who of entertainment figures. In 2015, Gawker published the flight logs from Epstein’s jet, which showed that Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker and such powerful players as Bill Clinton and investor Ron Burkle took one flight to Africa. A source close to Burkle says he was invited by Clinton, assumed the ride was vetted and flew home on a commercial jet after finding Epstein to be “creepy.”

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Burkle is a prominent figure in the business and political world, known primarily for his success in the grocery and investment sectors with his firm, The Yucaipa Companies. He is worth about $3 billion, and is a prominent Democratic fundraiser. He is also known for his close association with Clinton.

This development is part of ongoing reporting on documents released on Wednesday revealing Epstein’s business contacts. The release was expected in December but was delayed.

Since United States District Court Judge Loretta Preska signed an order on December 18 ordering the unsealing of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's clients that were produced in a civil case brought against the madam by Virginia Giuffre, there's been great anticipation for those documents to be made public. It was thought that they would start being released on Tuesday, January 2, the first workday after the judge's 14-day stay to allow for appeals, but the day came and went without a single document being released.
Preska issued an order Wednesday, January 3, reciting the status of the case and stating that the parties have informed her that documents will start being uploaded to the docket "today."
So, why the delay?
It turns out that Doe 107, who appears to be a woman living in a foreign country, appealed the judge's ruling on December 20, and on December 21 Judge Preska issued a memo order giving Doe 107's attorney until January 22 to provide information related to her contention that she would be at risk of physical harm if the documents identifying her were unsealed.

As the world awaits further revelations expected to come from the unsealed documents, the story reinforces how deep Epstein’s activities reached into the highest echelons of society. With each new discovery, the public’s understanding of the scope of his atrocities illustrates the uncomfortable truth that power and privilege often protect people from some of the most heinous crimes imaginable.