A recent court ruling has accused former Barclays CEO Jes Staley of sexually assaulting a woman at Jeffrey Epstein's Virgin Islands retreat. The ruling alleges that Staley "used aggressive force in his sexual assault of [anonymous victim 'JPM Jane Doe'] and informed [her] that he had Epstein's permission to do what he wanted to her." Staley, 66, has acknowledged a friendship with Epstein but denied involvement in sexual assaults on women trafficked by the late financier.
The filing in New York's Southern District intensifies pressure on JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon by allowing claims from multiple Jane Does and the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned a house on a private island, to proceed. The claims assert that JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank bear legal liability for their alleged facilitation of Epstein's sex crimes and "knowingly benefited from participating in a sex-trafficking venture."
US District Judge Jed S. Rakoff stated, "The claim of plaintiff the Government of the United States Virgin Islands that defendant JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. knowingly benefited from participating in a sex-trafficking venture…remains as part of the case."
Between 2008 and 2012, Staley exchanged 1,200 emails with Epstein, some of which are said to have contained images of young women in "seductive" poses. During this period, Staley also visited Epstein's Little St. James Island in the US Virgin Islands, known as "pedo island," where LinkedIn billionaire Reid Hoffman was also entertained, as reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
Conchita Sarnoff, an investigative journalist who has written extensively about Epstein, said, "This ups the ante for Dimon and Jes Staley since human trafficking is a globally profitable business and banks are the engine that keeps human trafficking networks – great and small – operational."
Victims claim that Epstein agreed to introduce wealthy clients to JP Morgan in exchange for Staley, who led JP Morgan's private banking division from 2000 to 2009, using his influence within the bank to protect Epstein and his illegal human trafficking and sex crimes. Last month, a federal judge ordered JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to set aside two days for depositions about his knowledge of the bank's relationship with Epstein.
The US's largest bank faces lawsuits seeking damages from women who allege that Epstein sexually abused them, as well as from the US Virgin Islands, where the late financier owned a home. A trial is scheduled for October 23.
JP Morgan is also separately suing Staley, accusing him of concealing all he knew about Epstein from the bank. In response to the accusations, JP Morgan has stated that Dimon "had no involvement with Epstein or his accounts" and does not recall ever meeting, speaking, or communicating with him. Staley's lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, has called the allegations "slanderous" and warned of "astronomical" potential damages.