- JPMorgan filed a 2019 suspicious activity report flagging roughly 4,700 transactions over $1 billion linked to Epstein and trafficking concerns.
- The SAR noted political sensitivities and ties to powerful figures, yet authorities reportedly failed to act on years of bank alerts.
In a stunning revelation that underscores the tangled web of Jeffrey Epstein’s financial empire, JPMorgan Chase has been confirmed to have alerted U.S. authorities to over $1 billion in transactions potentially tied to human trafficking by the disgraced financier.
The disclosures, buried in unsealed court records from Thursday, paint a picture of a banking giant that repeatedly raised red flags about Epstein’s dealings – only to see them seemingly ignored for years.
The filings, obtained through persistent legal battles by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, include a critical suspicious activity report (SAR) submitted by JPMorgan in the summer of 2019.
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This came mere weeks after Epstein’s shocking death by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
The report spotlighted approximately 4,700 transactions totaling more than $1 billion, which the bank deemed suspicious in light of mounting reports about Epstein’s alleged involvement in human trafficking.
What makes this filing particularly explosive?
It explicitly noted “sensitivities around Epstein’s ‘relationships with two U.S. presidents,’” a veiled reference to his well-documented associations with Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
Epstein’s infamous “Lolita Express” jet and his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands were hubs for the elite, and these political ties have long fueled speculation about the depth of his influence.
The report also flagged wire transfers from Epstein to Russian banks, adding an international layer to the intrigue amid ongoing global scrutiny of illicit finance.
A Trail of High-Profile Connections
The 2019 SAR didn’t stop at Epstein’s inner circle.
It zeroed in on transactions involving some of Wall Street’s most powerful names:
- Leon Black, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management, who stepped down from the firm in 2021 amid fallout from his Epstein ties.
- Glenn Dubin, the prominent hedge fund manager whose wife, Eva Andersson-Dubin, had been linked to Epstein socially.
- Alan Dershowitz, the high-profile attorney and Epstein’s former lawyer, who has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
- Trusts controlled by Leslie Wexner, the Victoria’s Secret magnate and Epstein’s longtime patron, who gifted him vast wealth and properties.
One standout detail: The report highlighted $65 million in wire transfers from the mid-2000s that shuttled funds between multiple banks connected to Wexner’s trusts.
While specifics on the other individuals’ transactions remain sparse in the documents, the sheer volume – and the bank’s decision to bundle them with trafficking concerns – has reignited questions about complicity in elite networks.
Importantly, none of these figures have faced criminal charges related to Epstein’s crimes.
Representatives for those named were quick to distance themselves.
Devon Spurgeon, a spokesperson for Dubin, told The New York Times that “the transactions in question were unrelated to Epstein’s crimes.”
Dershowitz, for his part, insisted that “the only funds he received from Epstein were payments for legal services.”
A representative for Black declined to comment, and The Guardian reported that Wexner’s team had not yet responded to inquiries.
These defenses come as no surprise in a saga riddled with legal jousting.
But the unsealed SARs add fresh weight to accusations that Epstein’s enablers operated in plain sight.
JPMorgan’s Rocky Epstein History Under the Microscope
JPMorgan’s entanglement with Epstein dates back 15 years, a partnership that has drawn fierce lawsuits and congressional hearings.
The bank managed Epstein’s accounts from 2004 until 2013, when it finally severed ties amid growing unease over his 2008 conviction for procuring underage girls in Florida.
Even after that, Epstein funneled money through JPMorgan-linked entities until his 2019 arrest.
The documents also reveal earlier SARs filed by the bank in the years leading up to Epstein’s downfall, including alerts about massive cash withdrawals that raised eyebrows.
These pre-2019 reports, combined with the post-death filing, suggest JPMorgan was proactive – at least on paper.
In a statement to reporters, Patricia Wexler, a spokesperson for JPMorgan, emphasized the bank’s diligence: “The SARs do confirm what’s been inferred all along: the bank filed SARs about Epstein early on, and specifically when it exited Epstein from the bank in 2013 – and repeatedly between 2013 and 2019, as required. It does not appear that anyone in the government or law enforcement acted on those SARs for years.”
That last line stings.
Despite the alerts, federal probes into Epstein’s network didn’t gain real traction until his 2019 arrest – and even then, his death halted the proceedings.
Critics, including victims’ advocates, argue this points to systemic failures in how banks and regulators handle predator financiers.
Echoes of a 2023 Lawsuit Settlement
These revelations stem from a broader trove of records tied to a 2023 civil lawsuit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands government – where Epstein’s Little St. James island served as an alleged trafficking hub – and on behalf of his survivors.
JPMorgan settled that case, along with a related class-action suit from victims, for a combined $365 million without admitting wrongdoing.
The payouts were a fraction of the potential damages but enough to quiet the suits.
Yet the SARs’ release feels like unfinished business.
As one legal expert following the case noted (speaking on background), “This isn’t just about one bank or one monster – it’s a window into how money launders power.”
With midterm elections looming and renewed calls for transparency in financial oversight, the timing couldn’t be more charged.
Epstein’s shadow lingers over American institutions, from Wall Street boardrooms to White House guest lists.
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