Deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s close ties to JPMorgan had him intimately involved with business deals and meetings with government officials, according to an internal report obtained by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Epstein orchestrated meetings between JPMorgan executives and officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and U.K. governments to facilitate business deals and international expansion, the bank’s 2019 internal report about its Epstein connections documented, WSJ reported Monday.
Sitting Democratic US Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. “facilitated donations” by Jeffrey Epstein to the territory’s schools and little leagues in 2018, the year he was elected Governor, a new court filing claims. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/AOaGrXex3I
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) June 17, 2023
Epstein tried to connect British politician Peter Mandelson and UAE Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem to disgraced former JPMorgan executive Jes Staley, who allegedly had a close relationship with Epstein. The two exchanged thousands of emails from 2008-12, with cryptic references to Disney characters and alleged photographs of young women, court filings disclosed. Staley shared non-public information with Epstein and the pair spoke about deals the bank was looking to execute, the internal report shows. Epstein and Staley even referred to each other as “family” in email exchanges, according to the court filings. (RELATED: Democrat Governor Allegedly Sought Out Jeffrey Epstein Donations For Schools Right Before He Got Elected, Filings Say)
In December 2009, Epstein emailed bin Suleyem and Staley to schedule a meeting between them and offered Staley advice on how to deal with the Sultan, WSJ reported. Epstein told Staley in an email “sultan is laying the groundwork for you to establish a serious presence. jpm reputation in the region is poor,” according to the outlet.
Bin Suleyem was scheduled to visit Epstein’s infamous Manhattan townhouse on several occasions from 2011-14, WSJ found. He did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment. (RELATED: Jeffrey Epstein’s Sex Trafficking Operation Was Allegedly Aided By Former US Virgin Islands First Lady)
JPMorgan Chase reviewed its ties to Jeffrey Epstein in 2019 and found that he had regularly given advice to onetime executive Jes Staley and invited him to meetings with foreign officials https://t.co/VfmimFPsLR
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 19, 2023
Epstein’s correspondence with Mandelson and Staley in 2010 focused on the bank’s effort to purchase the Royal Bank of Scotland’s stake in Sempra Energy, as well as a mining deal in the Congo, according to WSJ. Mandelson said to the outlet he regrets “having been introduced to Epstein” and “never had any kind of professional or business relationship with Epstein in any form.”
Staley was not the only JPMorgan executive in regular contact with Epstein, the bank’s 2019 internal report concluded. The bank’s head of asset and wealth management, Mary Erdoes, had “regular communication with Jeffrey Epstein related to certain strategic initiatives and business proposals” beginning in 2011, according to the internal report. The report found “occasional personal emails between Erdoes and Epstein interspersed” in their communications, according to WSJ.
Epstein was given advice in May 2012 by JPMorgan bankers about helping his client purchase Edvard Munch’s famous painting, “The Scream,” which was later purchased by alleged longtime Epstein associate Leon Black, WSJ reported. Black told the outlet Epstein and the bank had no involvement in the nearly $120 million deal. (RELATED: Why Hasn’t Anyone From Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Little Black Book’ Been Arrested Yet?)
Black paid Epstein $158 million for financial advice from Epstein from 2012-17, despite knowing about Epstein’s history as a sex offender, an internal report by private equity firm Apollo found, according to CNBC. Black stepped down as the firm’s chief executive in March 2021 after his close ties to Epstein came to light.
JPMorgan recently settled a lawsuit filed by alleged Epstein victims for $290 million and remains embroiled in a legal fight with the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) over the bank allegedly enabling Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. JPMorgan has accused the USVI of complicity in Epstein’s crimes and claimed Epstein paid off the island’s political establishment, according to June court filings.
“We all now understand that Epstein’s behavior was monstrous, and we believe this settlement is in the best interest of all parties, especially the survivors, who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of this man,” JPMorgan said in a June 12 statement.
“Any association with him was a mistake and we regret it. We would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes,” the bank added. JPMorgan did not provide WSJ with additional comment.
JPMorgan prepared the 2019 report after Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges brought by federal prosecutors. Epstein was previously sentenced in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution in Florida.
Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell a month after his arrest, a death officially classified as a suicide. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime partner, was sentenced in June 2022 to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.