JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon aware of Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking, lawyer says

An lawyer for the U.S. Virgin Islands argued successful national tribunal that JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and ex-top slope enforcement Jes Staley were alert of sex trafficking by the bank's notorious lawsuit Jeffrey Epstein.

The lawyer's statement pushed backmost astatine JPMorgan's determination earlier this period to displacement immoderate ineligible work for its concern narration with the precocious Epstein onto Staley alone.

"Jamie Dimon knew successful 2008 that his billionaire lawsuit was a sex trafficker," lawyer Mimi Liu told Manhattan U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff astatine a proceeding precocious Thursday, referring to the twelvemonth Epstein was archetypal criminally charged with enactment crimes.

"If Staley is simply a rogue employee, wherefore isn't Jamie Dimon?" Liu said astatine the hearing, which dealt with JPMorgan's efforts to disregard the Virgin Islands' suit against the slope implicit its narration with Epstein.

The lawyer continued: "Staley knew, Dimon knew, JPMorgan Chase knew" astir Epstein's transgression conduct.

Liu said determination were aggregate currency transactions and ligament transfers by Epstein, including sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to respective women, which should person been officially flagged arsenic suspicious.

"They broke each regularisation to facilitate his enactment trafficking successful speech for Epstein's wealth, connections and referrals," Liu argued

"This lawsuit was not conscionable Jes Staley … determination volition beryllium galore documents that spell acold beyond his bureau to the enforcement suite," she said. 

A lawyer for JPMorgan disputed those arguments, "in peculiar the constituent astir Jamie Dimon having immoderate circumstantial knowledge."

Dimon is not a named suspect successful the suit against the bank.

JPMorgan spokeswoman Patricia Wexler successful a connection said, "It is unfair for CNBC to study lawyers' unsubstantiated arguments arsenic facts."

Wexler besides said, "Jamie Dimon has nary recollection of reviewing the Epstein accounts."

Staley has denied knowing astir Epstein's amerciable conduct. He was CEO of Barclays from 2015 until precocious 2021, erstwhile he quit aft a probe by British fiscal regulators into his ties to Epstein.

Attorneys for the Virgin Islands antecedently person highlighted an August 2008 interior email astatine JPMorgan which suggested that Epstein's relationship would beryllium closed that twelvemonth due to the fact that of concerns implicit his conduct.

"I would number Epstein's assets arsenic a probable outflow for '08 ($120mm oregon so?) arsenic I can't ideate it volition enactment (pending Dimon review)," an unidentified worker wrote successful that email, mentioned successful the Virgin Islands' lawsuit.

That email came 2 years aft JPMorgan's Global Corporate Security Division recovered respective paper articles "that item the indictment of Jeffrey Epstein successful Florida connected felony charges of soliciting underage prostitutes," the suit noted.

The Virgin Islands' suit against the slope alleges that Epstein's 15-year lawsuit narration with the slope helped him transport young women, whom helium and others past sexually abused astatine his spot successful the Virgin Islands.

The suit was filed 3 years aft Epstein, who was a erstwhile person of ex-Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, died by termination successful a Manhattan jailhouse portion awaiting proceedings connected national kid enactment trafficking charges.

JPMorgan has said Dimon was not progressive successful decisions related to Epstein's relationship astatine the bank.

Last week, the slope sued Staley, its erstwhile main of concern banking, alleging that helium is legally liable for lawsuits from the Virgin Islands and Epstein's victims related to Epstein's narration with JPMorgan. The suit seeks to claw backmost much than $80 cardinal successful compensation Staley received.

In arguments Thursday, a lawyer for the slope said "all roads spell to Mr. Staley."

"He volition beryllium astatine the halfway of this lawsuit whether determination is 1 oregon two" trials for each lawsuit, the lawyer said.

Epstein was a backstage wealthiness lawsuit of the slope until 2013, astatine slightest partially due to the fact that Staley had vouched for him.

But successful 2008, Epstein pleaded blameworthy to a Florida authorities complaint of procuring an underage prostitute, a transgression that was extensively reported astatine the time. He aboriginal served 13 months successful jail.

"In 2013 — the twelvemonth that JP Morgan terminated its narration with Epstein — JPMorgan flagged successful Epstein's past that '[p]er slope policy, felons [like Epstein] are considered precocious hazard and necessitate further approval,'" the Virgin Islands' suit notes.

Rakoff, the judge, did not regularisation connected the question to disregard the suit Thursday. He said helium would regularisation connected that question by the extremity of March.

But Rakoff did regularisation against JPMorgan connected different issue, uncovering that the Virgin Islands has the close to record a suit connected behalf of anyone who was a nonmigratory of the territory.