What’s in a redaction?

 

“Conformity is stifling and is universally demanded by those who obscure the truth.” Dr. BLR

 

Friday, December 19, 2025, was scheduled to be the day the world would finally receive all of the Epstein files. While I wasn’t going to download them, I expected many Americans to be waiting with bated breath. As someone who's been involved in litigation, I knew the Trump administration would pull some bullshit and come up with an excuse to deny full access. Once the files were released and most were redacted, the fix was in. I watched complaints online and in the mainstream media, but like everyone else, I, too, wanted to see the final product. The 60-count indictment and the names of the rapist and co-conspirators weren’t included. As expected, black ink was strewn across essential documents that may have implicated President Trump or some of his wealthy friends. However, some files were inadvertently released and may come back to bite Attorney General Pam Bondi, whose job it was to review them and ensure nothing was released that shouldn’t have been. This was a deja vu moment for me. 

While I was litigating against the New Jersey State Police, the attorney general’s office released a treasure trove of documents to my attorney and me as part of discovery. I’ve always prided myself on paying attention to detail. I painstakingly reviewed the nearly 4,000 pages of documents in search of anything that would assist my lawsuit. I came across the one document that could prove I was being retaliated against and denied promotions, but it was redacted in total secrecy, similar to the Epstein documents. This was their way of using legal privilege to keep certain documents from reaching the court. However, I was not deterred and kept searching. Just when I was almost finished, I came across the document I was looking for, and this time it was unredacted. No doubt someone screwed up, but I wasn’t going to let my adversary know. I shared this information with my attorney, and he was pleased because he knew their error might tip the scales for us. The following is the original text of the document submitted to the attorney general to justify retaliating against me for whistleblowing. 

     On Wednesday, December 10, 2003, I attended a meeting with Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes and DSG Brian Royster #4232. DSG Royster had requested to meet with Colonel Fuentes regarding concerns he had with inappropriate individual behaviors and management practices within the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Investigations Unit, in which he is a member. 

     DSG Royster advised he had kept a diary pertaining to his perceptions of the EEO Investigations Unit's selection process in 2001 and his subsequent experiences as a member of the Unit. During this meeting, DSG Royster stated that he was the most qualified person, better educated with more investigative experience, than the trooper who was selected for the position. DSG Royster, who is a Black male, stated he believed Lt. Marshall Brown and DSFC Tim Goss, both Black males, scored him lower than the other members of the selection committee due to personal reasons. According to DSG Royster, Lt. Brown was a friend of DSG Rowe, the candidate who he scored higher, and DSFC Goss wanted to be the only Black male in the office. Lt. Brown has since been promoted to Captain and serves as the Affirmative Action Officer for the Division. DSFC Goss has been promoted to Lieutenant and is assigned to the Office of the Superintendent.

     In June of 2002, DSG Royster was transferred to the EEO Investigations Unit after a short-term assignment driving for Superintendent Santiago. Shortly after his transfer, Lt Brown told him he would be the next DSFC in the Unit because of his qualifications.

     Beginning in August of 2002, DSG Royster reported that Lt. Brown began making sexually inappropriate comments and gestures toward him. Repeated comments and gestures about sitting on his lap or touching his leg were reportedly made by Lt. Brown in August, September and November of 2002. DSG Royster explained that the comments made him uncomfortable but felt his career was in the hands of Lt. Brown so he chose to ignore these actions.

     *Details and names of witnesses to these actions are enclosed in the attached copies of diary pages submitted by DSG Royster at the request of Colonel Fuentes.

     Next, DSG Royster outlined concerns he had with Lt. Pat Reilly, a Staff Investigator with EEO. He alleged Lt. Reilly compromised his investigations by calling high ranking principals named in cases and providing a "heads up” as to what to expect. Also, he claimed Lt. Reilly failed to investigate selected cases for two years or more which he considered unfair to complainants. DSG Royster stated he advised both Captain Brown and SDAG Debra Edwards, DLPS Affirmative Action Officer, of his concerns with Lt. Reilly in December of 2002. However, little action was taken other than a mass email distributed by SDAG Edwards in January of 2003 advising all investigators there would be no "heads up" phone calls to principals.

     Another concern raised by DSG Royster was his perception of disparate treatment on the part of the Office of Professional Standards with regard to the discipline of white and Black troopers. He provided two examples of cases, one in which a white sergeant was promoted with a pending EEO allegation and a Black trooper was held up until the outcome of an investigation. Secondly, he cited two cases in which supervisors were found guilty of sexual harassment but with disparate disciplinary actions. He reported the Black supervisor received a two week suspension as compared to the white supervisor who was penalized with a written reprimand.

     In May of 2003, DSG. Royster outlined his perception regarding disparate treatment by preparing a special report. In a meeting to discuss this issue, he said he was dissuaded against submitting this report by SDAG Debra Edwards because of discovery concerns. SDAG Edwards advised that DAG Mamta Patel of State Police Affairs would conduct a statistical review of the data and he would be apprised of the outcome. 

     Since bringing these and other examples of inappropriate behavior to the attention of EEO/AA unit members, DSG Royster believes he has been shunned and failed to receive a promotion. DSG Royster explained the combination of the above-mentioned allegations and lack of appropriate remedies caused him to become physically ill and be placed on sick leave. He advised that he sought the assistance of a member of our employees assistance staff, as well as requested this meeting, in an attempt to remedy these ills. DSG Royster explained that he feels better due to the ability to disclose this information and wishes to return to work.

     In summary, DSG Royster articulated several issues of concern. The first is an allegation of inappropriate sexual comments and gestures by Captain Marshall Brown toward DSG Royster and other members of the EEO Investigation Unit. The second issue involved the improper investigative procedures of Lt. Pat Reilly during his assignment as a Staff Investigator for EEO. Another allegation was an observation of disparate discipline for Black supervisors as opposed to white supervisors. DSG Royster also raised personal concerns about the selection and promotional process within the EEO Investigation Unit.

     Colonel Fuentes discussed other assignments which may be of interest to DSG Royster to which he responded that he would like to continue with the EEO Investigations Unit. His only request was that these matters of concern be addressed. Colonel Fuentes assured him that appropriate measures would be taken. 

     On December 12, 2003, DSG Royster emailed a copy of his diary notes which contain details of the above issues discussed at the meeting. A copy of his typed notes are attached. 

Ultimately, I won my lawsuit because someone failed to be thorough in the cover-up. For those who expected more from President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and anyone else who claimed to want full transparency, I have a bridge to nowhere to sell you, because nothing will happen during this administration. The game will always be stacked against anyone seeking the truth. 

My case in no way compares to the trauma those underage girls endured. I cannot fathom how anyone investigating this matter isn’t distraught by what happened. As a country, regardless of political sway, there needs to be more outrage and a demand that anyone responsible for their involvement and/or cover-up be prosecuted. President Trump has daughters and granddaughters. I hope he understands that they will bear the brunt of ridicule and potential harassment for the rest of their lives, if it is found that he was involved. The world is watching.