(RightWing.org) – Now-deceased billionaire Jeffrey Epstein pled guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida in 2008. The plea made him a Tier 1 sex offender (¶ 22 on page 7/42) in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), where he maintained his estate (sometimes called Pedophile Island). Women and girls allegedly as young as 11 years old were trafficked to friends and business associates at the island paradise. The government of the USVI and several of his victims are suing JPMorgan Chase Bank, alleging that some of the highest-ranking employees were aware of what was happening years before they broke off business dealings with the pedophile.
Money Talks
According to the complaint filed in the federal Southern District of New York, the plaintiff claims the banking giant (through its employees) “knowingly facilitated, sustained, and concealed the human trafficking network operated by Jeffrey Epstein.” It also accuses them of ignoring it for more than 10 years because of the billionaire’s wealth and his network of rich and well-connected contacts.
Additionally, the lawsuit references a deposition under oath given by Mary Erdoes, the CEO of asset management at JPMorgan, where she testified the bank “was aware by 2006 that Epstein was accused of paying cash to have underage girls and young women brought to his home.” It also discusses an internal memo that mentions an account apparently set up for Jane Doe 1 that incurred charges for “lingerie and other sexually explicit material.” They also allege that executives were aware of media reports that claimed “Epstein purchased her at age 14.”
Another high-level executive mentioned in the court documents is Jes Staley, who headed up JPMorgan’s Private Bank and reportedly exchanged ~1,200 emails with Epstein between 2008 and 2012, some of which they claim show he was not only aware of the pedophile’s activity but may have participated in them. In summary, the government of the USVI is accusing some of the people who were running the bank of intent by generally ignoring several laws, including the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Bank Secrecy Act. By JPMorgan not enforcing those laws, Epstein was able to continue his worldwide empire that engaged in “the sex trafficking, forced labor, sexual assault, child abuse, and sexual servitude of these young women and children.”
The controversy surrounding Epstein did not end with his death in a New York City prison cell on August 10, 2019. It escalated after a private pathologist performed a second autopsy on his body and concluded that his death was not suicide, going against the official ruling. And, of course, his right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted on numerous conspiracy charges related to procuring underage girls and transporting them so they could “participate in illegal sex acts.” For her part in destroying the lives of so many girls, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
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