Former JPMorgan Exec Jes Staley described his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as “profound.”
Years of email correspondence between Staley and the late Epstein have been scrutinized as Staley faces lawsuits from JPMorgan and the British regulatory probe, Bloomberg reported.
Two months after Jeffrey Epstein was registered as a sex offender in 2011, Staley wrote him an email expressing his gratitude for their friendship.
“You have paid a price for what has been accused,” Staley wrote. “But we know what you have done for us. And we count you as one of our deepest friends. And most honest of people.”
Staley worked for JPMorgan for more than 30 years until departing in 2013, and Epstein had been a client of the bank since 1998. In 2004, Epstein helped Staley land a $7 billion stake in a hedge fund known as Highbridge Capital Management. This boosted Staley’s career at the bank.
Over the course of their relationship, Staley stayed in several of Epstein’s private properties, including his infamous retreat in the U.S. Virgin Islands, nicknamed “pedo island.”
While sailing on his yacht with his wife and two daughters, Staley sent an email to Epstein expressing his love for the island.
“When I retire, I’m going to put a mooring in front of your dock for my boat. Amazing place,” Staley wrote.
In June, Staley denied any knowledge of Epstein coercing young women and girls to have sex with him, Reuters reported.
However, in 2008, Epstein was jailed for 18 months in Florida for soliciting a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him. In response to the news, Staley emailed him, “I miss you. The world is a tough place. Hang in there.”
JPMorgan terminated its relationship with Epstein in 2013. The banking giant recently settled an alleged sex trafficking ring lawsuit and paid out victims of Epstein nearly $290 million, Breitbart reported. The lawsuit asserts that Epstein was using the bank’s financial services to facilitate his alleged sex trafficking ring.
“We all now understand that Epstein’s behavior was monstrous, and we believe this settlement is in the best interest of all parties, especially the survivors, who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of this man,” the bank said.
In connection to the sex trafficking accusations, Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019.
