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New York, New York - The Department of Justicerecently urged a judge to deny a request to release the identities of two individuals that notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein sent large payments to as he was being prosecuted.

The Justice Department recently asked a judge not to release the names of two individuals Jeffrey Epstein (r.) sent payments to as he was being prosecuted. © Collage: IMAGO / Imagn Images & AFP PHOTO / FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT/HANDOUT

According to NBC News, Epstein sent large payments of $100,000 and $250,000 to two unidentified associates back in 2018.

This payoff came on the heels of alleged victims making statements to the Miami Herald in which they publicly criticized a plea deal the disgraced financier had made with federal prosecutors in his Florida sex offense trial.

As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed not to prosecute the two unnamed individuals Epstein had paid off.

On August 26, NBC News filed a request with a federal judge to finally unseal the identities of the payment recipients.

NBC argues that there "does not appear to be any basis for keeping the names redacted," and suggests that releasing the identities would "give the public a better understanding of the case."

But on Friday, the DOJ wrote a letter urging the judge to deny the request so as to "protect the privacy interests" of the two associates.

The request comes as President Donald Trump and his administration face ongoing backlash for refusing to fulfill their promise to publicly release the files on Epstein to the public.

The president was a close friend of Epstein's for decades and has faced accusations of being named in the files, along with other powerful individuals.

Jeffrey Epstein may have been paying off witnesses, prosecutors suggest

News of the payments to the individuals was first made public after Epstein was indicted and arrested in New York in 2019 in a separate sex abuse case. When Epstein requested to be released on bail, prosecutors argued he should remain in jail to prevent him from tampering with witnesses.

In a memorandum filed in July 2019, the prosecutors described the unidentified individuals as potential co-conspirators to Epstein's alleged crimes, and argued that such payment "suggests the defendant was attempting to further influence co-conspirators who might provide information against him in light of the recently re-emerging allegations."

Later that same year, Epstein allegedly committed suicide in his prison cell while awaiting trial.

US District Judge Richard Berman, who is overseeing the current Epstein litigation, has given NBC News until September 12 to respond to the DOJ's request not to reveal their identities.

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