Innocently entangled

THE release of Epstein files by the US Department of Justice has sent reverberations around the world — including Yorke Peninsula — as people have been innocently entangled in and by the contents of the more-than 3,000,000 documents.

There are local people, including the Ellis family (publishers of the Yorke Peninsula Country Times) who have been made the subject of unsubstantiated, wrong and untruthful claims against them recorded in the released documents.

The YPCT knows the claims against the Ellis family (such as any sense can be made of them) are completely and utterly false, and none of these have ever previously been put to or raised against any of the Ellis family.

The YPCT certainly does not suggest any wrongdoing by any other persons whose names appear and will not be publishing any other names of local people wrongly accused.

As pointed out in other media, simply having one’s name appear in the files does not imply any relationship with Epstein, or that any crimes have been committed.

The unverified claims in question here appear to have been made by a South Australian woman who seems to allege an international sex abuse ring, conspiracy to plot murder, organised crime, money laundering, fraud, blackmail and theft.

There is no context to these ridiculous and completely false claims and, although it is unknown to YPCT, it seems very unlikely that any authority took them further with any investigation.

The strange position many now find themselves in, with their names included, is all a result of the huge tranche of documents being released at once — with no vetting or verification undertaken.

It is mind blowing to think a person in South Australia can communicate with US authorities to make various allegations, have none of the claims investigated, let alone tested or verified, yet all the allegations can be released at some later date, with the distinct possibility of innocent people having their good name smeared.

I categorically assure all readers of the YPCT that the entire Ellis family have no connection to Epstein or to the woman making these wild and fanciful claims.

Michael Ellis
Managing director, YP Country Times