Virgin Islands Attorney General Sues JPMorgan Chase Over Jeffrey Epstein Banking Services

New York
CNN
—

The U.S. Virgin Islands government filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase on Tuesday, alleging the Wall Street bank benefited financially from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and failed in its duty to report suspicious financial activity.

“For more than a decade, JPMorgan (JPM) knew clearly that it was not complying with federal regulations regarding accounts linked to Epstein, as evidenced by its efforts too little too late after the arrest of Epstein for sex trafficking Federal and shortly thereafter. his death, as JPMorgan (JPM) belatedly complied with federal law,” the lawsuit filed by U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George reads.

“Human trafficking was the primary activity of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit claims JPMorgan Chase failed to file proper regulatory documents that could have tipped off the government about Epstein’s alleged ring of sex trafficking of underage girls through private islands he owned in the US Virgin Islands. In particular, the government argues that JPMorgan Chase should have taken a closer look at Epstein as a client after he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution with a minor in Florida in 2008.

A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase told CNN the company had no comment on the lawsuit Wednesday night.

The lawsuit comes a month after two unnamed women who accuse the late Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse filed civil lawsuits against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank, claiming the big banks enabled and financially benefited from the alleged sex trafficking operation of Epstein.

The women accuse JPMorgan of « providing special treatment to the sex trafficking business, thereby ensuring its continued operation and the sexual abuse and sex trafficking of young women and girls ».

« Without the involvement of the financial institution, Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme could not have existed, » the lawsuit states.

The new lawsuit also comes less than a month after Attorney General George settled the US Virgin Islands lawsuit against Epstein’s estate for more than $105 million, along with a deal that the estate will sell the islands. of Epstein in the territory and will end business operations there.

Epstein was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.

When he died, Epstein was awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of operating a sex trafficking ring from 2002 to 2005 at his Manhattan mansion and Palm Beach estate, and allegedly paying off girls as young than 14 for sex.