JPMorgan seeks records from Manhattan DA in Jeffrey Epstein trials
JPMorgan Chase is seeking documents from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in connection with legal proceedings the bank is facing over its relationship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a former client, according to the records of the Federal Court.
Bragg’s lawyers, JPMorgan Chase; a former senior executive, Jes Staley; and the plaintiffs in the cases attended a conference call before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff on Tuesday. Rakoff instructed Bragg’s office to provide a so-called privilege log relating to documents sought by the Wall Street giant by Friday. It’s a list of documents that Bragg’s office says are privileged and not subject to discovery.
A spokesperson for Bragg said: “A protective order is in place, so we cannot comment on the nature of the documents requested.”
JPMorgan Chase did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The bank faces two lawsuits, filed last year by the US Virgin Islands and a woman identified as “Jane Doe 1”, accusing it of facilitating Epstein’s sex trafficking business.
“JPMorgan knowingly, negligently and unlawfully provided and operated the levers by which recruiters and victims were paid and was indispensable to the operation and concealment of Epstein’s trafficking business,” the US Virgin Islands alleged in their complaint.
Both lawsuits seek monetary damages. JPMorgan Chase denied any responsibility.
Deutsche Bank on Wednesday agreed to pay $75 million to Epstein’s victims to settle a lawsuit claiming he enabled Epstein’s conduct.
JPMorgan Chase sued Staley in March, saying he should be held liable for any damages he may suffer from the lawsuits. He accuses Staley – who worked at the bank for more than 30 years – of knowing about Epstein’s conduct and engaging in “sexual activity with young women bought by Epstein”.
Staley called for the lawsuit to be dismissed and said the bank was using him as a “public relations shield.” However, he expressed regret for his relationship with Epstein.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is expected to be deposed in lawsuits this month.
In a Bloomberg TV interview last week, Dimon said he was “so sad that we had any kind of relationship with this man.”
“You know, we had high-level lawyers who were evaluating, from the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission] the execution, the [Justice Department], you know, and obviously if we had known then what we know now, we would have done things differently,” Dimon said. “But it’s very unfortunate, and I have deep respect for these women.
“That doesn’t mean we are responsible for an individual’s action,” he added, “but I have deep respect for them. My heart is with them.”
On Thursday night, a JPMorgan spokesperson told NBC News: “Jamie Dimon has never met Epstein, never communicated with him, never emailed him, and never played games. role in any business with him.”
In court documents, the US Virgin Islands alleged that the company’s “banking relationship” was known to “the highest levels of the bank”. $120 million or so?), because I can’t imagine he’ll stay (pending Dimon’s review). »
Additional internal emails and memos filed as exhibits also revealed that bank officials were concerned about the financial institution’s relationship with Epstein dating back to 2006.
Financial records showed Epstein used his JPMorgan Chase accounts to transfer around $3 million to “women and girls” from 2003 to 2013, according to records the plaintiffs filed as exhibits.
Financial records do not disclose the names of those who received the transfers or their ties to Epstein.
Meanwhile, Epstein withdrew just over $5 million in cash, typically in amounts of $40,000, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, asked Dimon in a letter last week why the bank ignored “clear signs of activity. illegality of Epstein” and had maintained a relationship with Epstein.
“If true, JPMorgan’s decision to turn a blind eye to such gross misconduct raises serious questions about its role in facilitating Epstein’s abuse, and its willingness or ability to root out and prevent others less apparent cases of sex trafficking,” she said.