JPMorgan Chase benefited financially from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation while failing to report suspicious activity by the convicted pedophile, according to a new lawsuit.
The US Virgin Islands government alleged JPMorgan Chase allowed the disgraced financier to funnel money among his various shell companies, which funded his illicit activities there, in the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday.
Epstein owned a massive property on Little Saint James, dubbed “Pedophile Island,” and was forced to register as a sex offender in the Virgin Islands after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida in 2008.
He died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.
“Over more than a decade, JPMorgan clearly knew it was not complying with federal regulations in regard to Epstein-related accounts as evidenced by its too-little too-late efforts after Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges and shortly after his death, when JPMorgan belatedly complied with federal law,” according to the complaint.
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly used JPMorgan Chase to funnel money to his various shell companies that financed his illicit activities, according to the lawsuit.Patrick McMullan via Getty Image
“Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,” the lawsuit stated. “JPMorgan knowingly, negligently and unlawfully provided and pulled the levers through which recruiters and victims were paid and was indispensable to the operation and concealment of the Epstein trafficking enterprise.”
The Post has sought comment from JPMorgan Chase. The co-executors of Epstein’s estate — New York-based attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn — were not immediately available for comment.
JPMorgan Chase provided high-end banking services to Epstein before the investment giant terminated the relationship in 2013.
Epstein’s residence in the US Virgin Islands, which was dubbed by locals “Pedophile Island,” was a focal point of his sex trafficking activities.BACKGRID
“Pedophile Island” was said to have been visited by celebrities and well-heeled friends of Epstein. It was also allegedly the scene of a litany of sex crimes involving victims as young as 12.
Epstein and his convicted pal Ghislaine Maxwell procured the girls through promises of financial support and help with scoring modeling gigs, among other perks.
The latest filing by the US Virgin Islands alleged Epstein “used his wealth and power to create the Epstein Enterprise, which engaged in a pattern of criminal activity by repeatedly procuring and subjecting underage girls and young women to unlawful sexual conduct, sex trafficking, and forced labor.”
Epstein “recruited” and “required” the girls and women to “marry other Epstein victims in order to maintain their immigration status and their availability to Epstein,” the filing alleges.
Epstein hanged himself in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.AP
Kahn and Indyke “authorized or directed many of the transactions in JP Morgan accounts held by Epstein or related entities,” according to the court filing.
As part of the deal, the estate will sell the two private islands once owned by the late pedophile — Little Saint James and Great Saint James — to independent third parties.
“This settlement restores the faith of the People of the Virgin Islands that its laws will be enforced, without fear or favor, against those who break them. We are sending a clear message that the Virgin Islands will not serve as a haven for human trafficking,” said George.
Last month Epstein’s estate agreed to sell his properties on Little Saint James and Great Saint James islands in the US Virgin Islands.AP
“Through this lawsuit and settlement, the Attorney General’s Office, acting on behalf of the Government, is using its authority to enforce the laws of the Virgin Islands against criminal enterprises and to protect public safety.”
