A newly revealed email shows that convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein once suggested including Prince Andrew, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former UK Labor MP Peter Mandelson as part of his “advisory business” venture, the UK Daily Mail reported.
According to the Mail, in July 2009, after serving an 18-month sentence for soliciting an underage prostitute, Epstein emailed former JPMorgan exec Jes Staley telling him he needed to “gear up my advisory business.” He floated possible options, including hiring “5-10 stars” like Summers, Mandelson, and Prince Andrew.
The Mail reported that none of the men took any role in Epstein’s firm.
The emails were obtained as part of the lawsuit the government of the US Virgin Islands filed against JPMorgan Chase.
The US territory filed suit against the bank in December, alleging that JPMorgan “turned a blind eye” to Epstein’s trafficking activities at his private island Little St. James in the US Virgin Islands.
The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that the bank failed to report suspicious activities by Epstein while providing the billionaire with services typically reserved for its wealthy clients even after his 2008 conviction for soliciting an underage prostitute.
According to the complaint, an investigation by the US territory’s Justice Department found that the bank “knowingly, negligently, and unlawfully” provided the “levers” Epstein used to pay recruiters and victims and “was indispensable to the operation and concealment” of Epstein’s trafficking operations on Little St. James.
A similar lawsuit was brought against JPMorgan Chase by some of Epstein’s trafficking victims, alleging that the bank both enabled and benefited from Epstein’s trafficking by giving him “special treatment.” The victims argued that Epstein’s trafficking operation would not have been possible but for the participation of JPMorgan Chase.
In June, attorneys for JPMorgan and the victims reached a settlement in the case, CNBC reported.
