JPMorgan on 15 June filed unredacted emails between Jeffrey Epstein and former US Virgin Islands first lady Cecile de Jongh in a move to potentially boost its legal argument that she peddled influence for the convicted paedophile.
Emails between former first lady De Jongh and Epstein showed De Jongh apologising for USVI’s sex offender legislation that passed without language supplied by Epstein, and a “game plan” to help him avoid obstacles.
The pair also traded emails about dealing with a “difficult” customers official and getting Visas for some of Epstein’s young female guests.
The unredacted emails also included remarks from officials about a query from the New York Times sparking too much scrutiny.
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The emails were filed as exhibits in JPMorgan’s defence in federal court in the suit in US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
A spokesperson for Venetia Velazquez, the attorney general of the US Virgin Island, said, “JPMorgan Chase has cherry-picked and mischaracterised Epstein’s interactions with US Virgin Islands officials and residents in an attempt to distract and shift blame away from its role in facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes.”
The spokesperson added that JPMorgan failed to fulfil its legal responsibility to report the evidence in its possession of Epstein’s human trafficking and it should be held accountable for breaking the law.
JPMorgan Chase is the defendant in a federal lawsuit filed by the US Virgin Islands, which claims that it provided banking services to Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for human trafficking.
The exhibits provided more evidence of contact between de Jongh and Epstein after JPMorgan Chase alleged last month that de Jongh was peddling influence for Epstein.
In a separate legal action, JPMorgan Chase is suing its former wealth unit chief Jes Staley for his ties to Epstein as a banker.
This article was published by MarketWatch, part of Dow Jones
