Jeffrey Epstein and ex-JPMorgan senior executive Jes Staley (Photo of Epstein via DOJ; Staley via Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Then-top JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staley allegedly abused "some" of Jeffrey Epstein's victims — and received a "sexually suggestive" photograph of one young woman from the now-deceased pedophile, a judge indicated in a ruling.
Released on Monday afternoon, Senior U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff's 54-page opinion and order explains why he advanced claims alleging that JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank knowingly profited from Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking scheme. Rakoff revealed new details about the bank, and its former executives, in explaining his reasoning.
The most prominent among these bankers is Staley, who later moved on to become the CEO of Barclays Bank, before resigning amid scrutiny of his Epstein ties.
JPMorgan has tried to shift the blame to Staley in a separate lawsuit, claiming that their former executive disguised his Epstein ties for personal reasons. Jane Doe, the anonymous woman suing JPMorgan in a proposed class action, claimed in a deposition that Staley sexually abused her.
Rakoff's ruling suggests that she's not his only accuser.
The judge noted that the women in the class allege that "Mr. Staley himself abused some of Epstein's victims, including JPM Jane Doe herself," abbreviating JPMorgan.
"JPM Jane Doe claims that 'one of Epstein's friends' — whom she later identified as Mr. Staley — 'used aggressive force in his sexual assault of her and informed [JPM Jane Doe] that he had Epstein's permission to do what he wanted to her,'" the ruling states.
In a separate lawsuit, the Virgin Islands government unsealed eye-opening details about Staley and Epstein's relationship. The attorney general's office there claims that Epstein "exchanged approximately 1,200 emails" with Staley's work email address between 2008 and 2012.
"These communications show a close personal relationship and 'profound' friendship between the two men and even suggest that Staley may have been involved in Epstein's sex-trafficking operation," the Virgin Islands lawsuit states.
In December 2009 — well after Epstein's conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor — Epstein allegedly sent Staley two emails, each showing a photograph of a young woman. Those images are redacted entirely in the Virgin Islands complaint, but Judge Rakoff describes one of them in his ruling.
One of them, dated Dec. 5, 2009, "attached a picture of a young woman in a sexually suggestive pose," the judge said.
The ruling notes that another email from Dec. 20, 2009, "consisted entirely of a picture of a young woman."
Staley's attorney Kathleen Harris declined to comment.
This is a developing story.
Read the ruling here.
Follow Law&Crime:
