The Lawsuit Against JP Morgan Chase
Lawsuit claims JP Morgan Chase facilitated Epstein’s sex trafficking operations.
Photo credit: Aditya Chinchure
The name Jeffrey Epstein has firmly been at the centre of sex trafficking headlines in recent years. But this past week, the spotlight has shifted to an unsuspecting entity: JP Morgan Chase.
The lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase states that the bank “helped [Epstein] finance the illegal exploitation of women and children in the U.S. Virgin Islands and beyond.”
Filed on December 27, 2022, the lawsuit claims JP Morgan Chase:
“Knowingly facilitated, sustained, and concealed the human trafficking network operated by Jeffrey Epstein from his home and base in the Virgin Islands, and financially benefited from this participation, directly or indirectly, by failing to comply with federal banking regulations.”
“JP Morgan knowingly, negligently, and unlawfully provided and pulled the levers through which recruiters and victims were paid and was indispensable to the operation and concealment of the Epstein trafficking enterprise."
"Facilitated and concealed wire and cash transactions that raised suspicion of — and were in fact part of — a criminal enterprise whose currency was the sexual servitude of dozens of women and girls in and beyond the Virgin Islands."
“Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JP Morgan.”
“JP Morgan turned a blind eye to evidence of human trafficking over more than a decade because of Epstein’s own financial footprint, and because of the deals and clients that Epstein brought and promised to bring to the bank.”
"These decisions were advocated and approved at the senior levels of JP Morgan."
The lawsuit was filed by Denise George, a U.S. Virgin Islands lawyer, television news reporter and (now former) Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands. As Attorney General, she rightly represented public interests and did so by pursuing various cases against Jeffrey Epstein for example. This work continued on December 27th, 2022 with her lawsuit against JP Morgan Chase.
Then, on December 30, 2022, JP Morgan Chase “asked that a federal judge throw out lawsuits… alleging that big banks should have seen evidence of Epstein’s sex trafficking.”
Mysteriously, by January 3, 2023 (only 4 days later), Attorney General Denise George was fired by the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under what claims, they would not say.
Is it a coincidence that Attorney General Denise George got fired after attacking one of the biggest banks in the U.S.? It seems unlikely.
Which brings me to two potentially concerning observations about this story:
If these claims against JP Morgan are true, it’s insane that a big bank would – directly or indirectly – support and benefit from a human trafficking crime. My mind wanders further though. How many crimes are known, hidden and perpetuated by big banks? And how many people have been silenced, fired, or killed for exposing (or attempting to expose) these crimes?
I imagine we’d be afraid to know.
What's even more concerning and terrifying to me is the suspicious removal of a key lawmaker in this high profile case against a big bank. It took only 3 days for her to be removed, and not a single reason was given.
Both of these observations lead me to the same reminder, that with power comes greed, corruption and deception.
As regular citizens, we have a responsibility to stay informed, to be curious, to ask questions and ultimately to hold those in power accountable. Questions must be asked. And answers must be demanded.
So, if you’ve got a little time today – follow your curiosity; understand how banking works, how it profits, and how it can (directly or indirectly) support crime for profit. And do some digging of your own into the removal of the Virgin Islands Attorney General.
Wondering how to start? Check out these two links.
U.S. Virgin Islands Fire Attorney General in Epstein Case
Epstein's sex trafficking was aided by JPMorgan, a U.S. Virgin Islands lawsuit says