“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,” reads the complaint filed by U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George.
“Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,” the lawsuit continues.
The lawsuit accuses JPMorgan Chase of failing to alert government officials about activities that could have led authorities to uncover Epstein's sex trafficking operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the billionaire owned a private island. It also accuses the bank of failing to monitor Epstein, who died of apparent suicide in his jail cell in 2019, after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution with a minor.
A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase refused to comment when contacted by CNN on Wednesday evening.
The move presents another headache for the Wall Street bank, which was recently served a lawsuit alongside Deutsche Bank by two anonymous women similarly claiming the banks enabled and profited from Epstein's illegal activities.
The women alleged the two companies “provided special treatment to the sex-trafficking venture, thereby ensuring its continued operation and sexual abuse and sex-trafficking of young women and girls.”
“Without the financial institution’s participation, Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme could not have existed,” their lawsuit states.
The latest string of lawsuits also comes less than a month after the U.S. Virgin Islands settled its lawsuit with Epstein’s estate for over $105 million dollars, along with an agreement that the estate will sell Epstein’s islands in the territory and wind up its entire business operation.
