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The attorney general for the U.S. Virgin Islands has filed suit 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 (JPM) 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 US Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George, according to CNN.
“Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JPMorgan,” the lawsuit states. In addition, the complaint 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.
The island’s civil action comes on the heels of lawsuits filed last month 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 $105 million.
Epstein was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019. A medical examiner ruled that he died by 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 his Palm Beach estate, and allegedly paying girls as young as 14 for sex,” the outlet continued.
Epstein’s partner in crime, so to speak, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced earlier this year to 20 years in prison over her role in securing young girls, recently broke her silence regarding former President Bill Clinton, who was often in the company of Epstein.
In an interview from prison, Maxwell talked about some other famous names and their friendships, including Clinton, The Daily Mail reported.
“It was a special friendship, which continued over the years,” she said of her friendship with the former president.
“We had lots in common. I feel bad that he is another victim, only because of his association with Jeffrey. I understand that he, like others, can no longer consider me as a friend.
“I said in open court in my statement that meeting Jeffrey Epstein was the greatest mistake of my life,” she said.
“And obviously, if I could go back today and I would avoid meeting him, and I would say that would be the greatest mistake I’ve ever made, and I would make different choices for where I would work. Obviously,” she said.
“I think there are many women who can identify with my story. Many have either fallen in love with or had relationships with men that in hindsight they look back on and say ‘What was I thinking?’ I imagine there’s not a woman on the planet who would not think that about one or other of their boyfriends,” the former socialite said.
“There were things to mention here about him that I cannot discuss because of the appeal, but I can’t say anything more than that. All this is a fictional version of me,” she added.
