8 months ago
77 Kathy Ruemmler, erstwhile White House Counsel, appears connected "Meet the Press" successful Washington, D.C., June 29, 2014.
William B. Plowman | NBCUniversal | Getty Images
Sex predator Jeffrey Epstein was progressive successful establishing a lawsuit narration betwixt Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and JPMorgan Chase successful February 2019, 4 months earlier helium was arrested connected national kid enactment trafficking charges, a bombshell court filing revealed Tuesday.
Ruemmler, who is present wide counsel for Goldman Sachs, was touted by Epstein's idiosyncratic adjunct to JPMorgan arsenic an perfect customer, the filing shows.
The proposition that JPMorgan instrumentality Ruemmler connected arsenic a lawsuit — which the bank warmly embraced — came astir six years aft JPMorgan said it had efficaciously fired Epstein arsenic a lawsuit aft repeated reddish flags being raised astir him for years internally astatine the bank.
And it came 5 months earlier Epstein killed himself successful August 2019 successful a Manhattan national jail, wherever helium was being held without bail pending trial.
Ruemmler declined to remark done a Goldman Sachs spokesman.
CNBC separately emailed her to inquire however she knew Epstein, and what cognition she had of his past of being convicted successful 2008 of a enactment transgression successful Florida.
The Manhattan national tribunal filing detailing her transportation to Epstein was filed by the authorities of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is suing JPMorgan.
The American territory alleges that JPMorgan enabled and benefitted from Epstein's enactment trafficking of young women to the Virgin Islands, wherever helium had a home, during the years helium maintained accounts astatine the bank, from 1998 done 2013., claiming the slope enabled and benefited from enactment trafficking of young women by Epstein.
JPMorgan denies immoderate wrongdoing successful the case, wherever the territory is seeking astatine slightest $190 cardinal successful damages.
The slope past period agreed to settee a akin suit successful the aforesaid tribunal by an Epstein accuser, paying $290 cardinal to her and different Epstein victims.
The lawsuit is scheduled to spell to proceedings successful precocious October.
"Even aft his exit close up until his apprehension successful 2019, JPMorgan continued to enactment with Epstein," the Virgin Islands said successful its filing.
The filing says that JPMorgan admits "Epstein was progressive successful the constitution of a lawsuit narration with Kathryn Ruemmler," who was the longest-serving White House wide counsel nether erstwhile President Barack Obama
The filing says that successful February 2019, Epstein's adjunct Leslie Groff offered to present Mary Erdoes, a apical JPMorgan executive, to Ruemmler, due to the fact that she wanted to unfastened an relationship with JPMorgan and Epstein thought the 2 of them "would bond."
"Erdoes escalated the referral to Stacey Friedman, JPMorgan's General Counsel, who
responded 'she is simply a stone prima litigator astatine Latham. . . . I would deliberation she would beryllium a large client,' " the Virgin Island said successful its filing.
Ruemmler astatine the clip worked astatine the instrumentality steadfast Latham & Watkins.
In 2020 she joined Goldman Sachs arsenic a partner, and present is Goldman's main ineligible serviceman and wide counsel.
The filing besides said that Epstein astatine 1 clip referred arsenic a imaginable JPMorgan lawsuit Nicholas Ribis, a gaming advisor who for decades ran casinos for erstwhile President Donald Trump.
Ribis did not instantly respond to requests for comment.
JPMorgan claims successful tribunal filings that the Virgin Islands was itself "complicit successful the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein," arguing that helium gave high-ranking authorities officials determination money, proposal and favors successful speech for looking the different mode erstwhile helium trafficked young women.
JPMorgan besides argues that its erstwhile enforcement Jes Staley, who was friends with Epstein erstwhile helium was a lawsuit of the bank, is liable for immoderate civilian liability of the slope owed to its concern narration with the enactment offender.
On Tuesday, recently unsealed tribunal filings by the slope amusement that Epstein was asked by erstwhile U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. John de Jongh Jr. for a indebtedness of $215,000 aft de Jongh was arrested connected embezzlement charges that were aboriginal dismissed.
Epstein's institution besides paid de Jongh's woman Cecile a $300,000 lump sum severance outgo aft Epstein killed himself successful a national jailhouse portion awaiting proceedings connected kid sex trafficking charges successful August 2019, JPMorgan's documents say. Cecile had worked for Epstein astatine his Southern Trust Company.
The documents besides accidental that different Epstein worker who worked for him successful the Virgin Islands was granted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection information seal, which allowed that idiosyncratic to "escort passengers through" Customs and Border screening areas.
The slope successful different tribunal filings has said that Epstein paid for the schoolhouse tuitions of the children of John and Cecile de Jongh, and that Cecile had made efforts to get pupil visas and a enactment licence for young women connected to Epstein.
A spokesperson for the Virgin Islands' Attorney General's Office told CNBC that Epstein's indebtedness to erstwhile Gov. de Jongh occurred aft helium near bureau successful 2015. The charges against de Jongh were dropped successful aboriginal 2016 by the Virgin Islands Department of Justice aft helium agreed to a abstracted monetary settlement.
CNBC has reached retired to remark from John de Jongh via an plus absorption institution wherever helium is simply a director.
The Virgin Islands spokesperson besides said that "it was the national authorities and not the Virgin Islands authorities that granted the 'U.S. Customs and Border Protection Security Seal.' "
The Virgin Islands has said that JPMorgan's enactment kept Epstein arsenic a lawsuit for years contempt aggregate warnings astir him being raised internally astatine the bank, which included payments to young women, and a 2008 enactment transgression condemnation successful Florida which led to a jailhouse term.
In its caller tribunal filing connected Tuesday, the Virgin Islands cited a July 2011 email betwixt Epstein and Erdoes, aft JPMorgan's accelerated effect squad decided that Epstein should beryllium offboarded arsenic a client, and aft JPMorgan's wide counsel told Erdoes that Epstein was "not a idiosyncratic we should bash concern with — period."
Erdoes and Epstein emailed aft helium and the slope agreed to settee his suit against JPMorgan related to wealth helium said helium was owed by Bear Sterns, the concern slope taken implicit by JPMorgan.
"On July 26, 2011, Epstein wrote to Erdoes, 'lets [sic] determination connected , [sic] and marque immoderate existent money,' " the filing said.
"Erdoes responded, 'Onwards and upwards, connected truthful galore fronts,' " the filing said.
Epstein was not severed arsenic a JPMorgan lawsuit for different 2 years.
The caller Virgin Islands filing said that Staley, successful his deposition for the lawsuit, disclosed the names of radical and companies that Epstein had referred to the slope arsenic imaginable clients. An unsealed information of Staley's deposition was made nationalist Tuesday.
Among the high-powered names listed successful the tribunal filing are Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the Sultan of Dubai, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, erstwhile Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, erstwhile Treasury Department Secretary Larry Summers, and tv writer Katie Couric.
Staley, who had been caput of the bank's plus and wealthiness absorption division, testified that helium met each those radical astatine Epstein's townhouse connected the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The deposition besides shows that Staley said helium had spoken to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon successful 2006 erstwhile Epstein was arrested connected Florida authorities charges of procuring a insignificant for prostitution, and solicitation of a prostitute.
JPMorgan has denied that claim. "Staley admits that successful 2006 Jamie Dimon communicated with him regarding Epstein's arrest," the Virgin Islands said successful the tribunal filing.
"Staley besides testified that connected oregon astir July 26, 2006, helium spoke to Dimon astir Epstein's indictment due to the fact that Dimon was his brag and the indictment of Epstein, a lawsuit of the bank, 'was a precise nationalist event.' "
Elsewhere successful the deposition, Staley answered questions astir going to spot Epstein aft an nonfiction was published successful 2006 that said, "Jeffrey Epstein craved large homes, elite friends – and, investigators say, underage girls."
The nonfiction besides stated that 2 of "Epstein's erstwhile employees told investigators that young looking girls showed up to execute massages 2 oregon 3 times a time erstwhile Epstein was successful town."
The Virgin Islands filing said, "On July 25, 2006, Staley met with Epstein successful idiosyncratic astatine Epstein's home. In that visit, Epstein admitted to the alleged "conduct of engaging successful enactment for wealth with young women"—only denying the 'ages.' "
Staley afterward wrote Erdoes.
"I went and saw him past night. I've ne'er seen him truthful shaken. He besides adamantly denies the ages," Staley wrote Erdoes, the filing notes.
In his deposition, Staley was asked: "The behaviour that helium was being accused of, helium was admitting that helium did it. He was conscionable denying that helium knew the ages of the victims, right?"
Staley replied, "Correct."
"And you were reporting that backmost to the bank, that what was being denied is the ages, right?," a lawyer for the Virgin Islands asked.
Staley answered, "Right."
He past conceded that the slope knew that Epstein had admitted to engaging successful enactment for wealth with young women, portion denying they were underage.
The lawyer past asked, "And truthful erstwhile the slope is receiving that information, they present cognize what you know, which is, this is the benignant of behaviour that our lawsuit is engaging in, and the lone quality that helium has astir the allegations are the ages of the victims, right?"
Staley replied, "That's correct."
