Credit: U.S. Virgin Islands Government
The former Attorney General for the U.S. Virgin Islands filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase concerning the bank’s financial dealings with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
She alleges that the Wall Street finance giant benefitted from his sex trafficking, while subsequently failing to report suspicious activity to the authorities.
“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 (JPM) belatedly complied with federal law,” the complaint filed by former US Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George says.
The lawsuit also states that “human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan.”
The complaint also alleges that the bank concealed “wire and cash transactions that raised suspicion of a criminal enterprise whose currency was the sexual servitude” of young girls.
George was fired by the Virgin Islands Governor after the lawsuit was filed against JPMorgan two months ago.
Attorneys for JPMorgan responded in court to the USVI. They allege that the USVI “did nothing to stop” Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation and is now deflecting blame by suing the bank for facilitating Epstein’s scheme.
“USVI’s lawsuit is a masterclass in deflection that seeks to hold JPMC responsible for not sleuthing out Epstein’s crimes over a decade ago,” attorneys for JPMorgan wrote.
“Yet USVI had access at the time to the same information, allegations, and rumors about Epstein on which it alleges JPMC should have acted.”
The attorneys also added, “Having sought and obtained more than $100 million from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate and businesses for damages caused by his sex-trafficking crimes, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) now casts farther afield for deeper pockets. USVI did nothing to stop Epstein during this period, notwithstanding the fact that he registered with the USVI as a Tier 1 sex offender.”
JPMorgan alleged in court that the Virgin Islands government “granted Epstein and his businesses lucrative privileges and massive tax incentives.”
In December, two women also filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank. They accused Epstein of sexual abuse and claimed that the financial institutions benefitted from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking.
They accused JPMorgan of having “provided special treatment to the sex-trafficking venture, thereby ensuring its continued operation and sexual abuse and sex-trafficking of young women and girls.”
The lawsuit noted further, “Without the financial institution’s participation, Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme could not have existed.”
Bradley Edwards, a lawyer in the case against Deutsche Bank, said, “the time has come for the real enablers to be held responsible, especially his wealthy friends and the financial institutions that played an integral role.”
“These victims were wronged, by many, not just Epstein. He did not act alone,” the attorney added.
Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in August 2019. A medical examiner ruled he died by suicide, but many people are skeptical of that analysis.
