Judge won’t release identities of two women once described as potential co

NEW YORK (AP) — The identities of two women once listed as potential co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein will remain sealed for their safety and privacy, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

In a written decision, Judge Richard M. Berman rejected an NBC News request to make their identities public after lawyers for the women and the U.S. Justice Department opposed the unsealing request. He wrote that threats to the safety of the individuals persist and releasing their names would threaten their safety and privacy.

In requesting the unsealing, attorney Alexander Ziccardi for NBC News cited the First Amendment and said there was a “presumptive right of access” requiring that the names redacted from a July 2019 government letter to Berman be released publicly.

The 2019 letter, filed by prosecutor