JPMorgan, US Virgin Islands fight heats up

0

The former attorney general for the US Virgin Islands filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase regarding the bank’s financial dealings with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, alleging that the Wall Street finance behemoth benefited from his sex trafficking escapades 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”, says the complaint filed by former US Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George.

“Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,” the lawsuit states. The complaint alleges the bank concealed “wire and cash transactions that raised suspicion of a criminal enterprise whose currency was the sexual servitude” of young girls.

Virgin Islands Governor Bryan fired George after the lawsuit against JPMorgan was filed two months ago.

Attorneys for JPMorgan responded in court to the US Virgin Islands, alleging the territory “did nothing to stop” Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation and is deflecting blame by suing the bank for facilitating the now-dead financier’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 in the filing. “Yet USVI had access at the time to the same information, allegations, and rumors about Epstein on which it alleges JPMC should have acted”.

“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’s attorneys wrote.

JPMorgan alleged in court that the Virgin Islands government “granted Epstein and his businesses lucrative privileges and massive tax incentives”.

In another suspicious move, US Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan fired AG George after the lawsuit against JPMorgan was filed in December.

The island’s civil action comes on the heels of lawsuits filed in December by two women against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank who also accused Epstein of sexual abuse, claiming that the financial institutions benefitted from the late pedophile’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 civil action stated.

“Without the financial institution’s participation, Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme could not have existed”, the lawsuit noted further.

“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”, Bradley Edwards, a lawyer in the case against Deutsche Bank, told The Wall Street Journal.

“These victims were wronged, by many, not just Epstein. He did not act alone”, the attorney added.

CNN noted further:

The lawsuit claims that JPMorgan Chase failed to make proper regulatory filings that could have tipped off the government to Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring of underage girls through private islands he owned in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In particular, the government argues that JPMorgan Chase should have given Epstein closer scrutiny as a client after he entered a guilty plea to soliciting prostitution with a minor in Florida in 2008.

The outlet noted further that George’s lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase comes less than a month after she settled a separate lawsuit with Epstein’s estate for US$105 million.

Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019. A medical examiner ruled that he died by suicide.

Previous reports noted that former President Bill Clinton hung out with Epstein far more than previously known.

Epstein allegedly visited Clinton frequently at the White House.

Unearthed visitor logs also show that Epstein visited the Clinton White House at least 17 times during Clinton’s first term in office.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here