Virgin Islands accuses JPM of facilitating Epstein sex trafficking
3 Min Read
The US Virgin Islands files a lawsuit against the bank and demands that JPM introduces changes to detect and prevent human trafficking.
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The logo of JPMorgan Chase bank on a wall in the background of individuals' silhouettes (AFP)
The US Virgin Islands demanded a $190 million compensation for the damage caused by the American financial giant JPMorgan Chase, accusing the bank of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking.
A lawsuit was filed last year by the Virgin Islands against JPM, accusing it of dismissing signs that Epstein was conducting suspicious activities by bringing wealthy clients to his island.
Last month, the largest bank in the United States agreed to pay a $290 million settlement in a similar lawsuit filed presented by an unnamed woman, representing herself and other victims.
Read more: US Virgin Islands subpoenas Musk over Epstein sex trafficking lawsuit
Just weeks before the Jane Doe case was concluded, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $75 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by women also accusing the German financial institution of facilitating sex trafficking carried out by Epstein.
According to court documents, Epstein was a JPMorgan client from roughly 2000 to 2013 and a Deutsche Bank client from 2013 to 2018.
An Investigation by The Wall Street Journal in April, citing obtained documents, revealed that Justin Nelson, a banker of Epstein's at JPMorgan, had many meetings with the convict at his home between 2014 and 2017. According to the report, Nelson also visited his property in New Mexico in 2016.
The American bank denied the charges, saying the government of the US Virgin Islands protected Epstein at his private residence, adding that it will challenge the lawsuit as the trial is set to begin in October.
Read more: New evidence unmasks Jeffrey Epstein's network of power
Virgin Islands authorities said on Friday that, in addition to damage payments, it will demand that JPM introduces changes in how it detects and reports human trafficking.
“Financial penalties, as well as conduct changes, are important to make sure that JPMorgan Chase knows the cost of putting its own profits ahead of public safety,” the US Virgin Islands’ attorney-general Ariel Smith said of the case.
The request also includes that the bank outsources an independent auditor to ensure that it “does not prioritize profits over its duty to report suspicious activities."
“I am gratified that the victims have received some measure of compensation from the bank, but more needs to be done to hold JPMorgan Chase accountable and to ensure this does not happen to another generation of women and girls,” Smith said.
In 2019, Epstein was charged with trafficking underage girls for sexual exploitation. He was later found dead in his jail cell with fatal neck injuries. It was alleged that his death was a suicide.
