Epstein Ties: Panel Probes Leon Black; USVI Accuses JPMorgan
In a major development, a Senate panel unveiled a yearlong investigation into the connections between Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black and the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The investigation has focused on a staggering $158 million that Black allegedly paid Epstein for tax and estate planning services.
Simultaneously, the U.S. Virgin Islands has leveled fresh accusations against financial giant JPMorgan Chase, raising concerns about the bank’s ties to Epstein.
The accusations include discussions among JPMorgan executives about Epstein’s association with individuals known as “nymphettes.”
In response to the U.S. Virgin Islands’ claims, JPMorgan has shifted blame back to the territory, accusing them of enabling Epstein’s sexual abuse of young women and teenage girls.
The bank contends that the U.S. Virgin Islands facilitated visas for Epstein’s victims and turned a blind eye to his questionable activities.
These contentious accusations came to light through dueling court filings in Manhattan federal court, as the U.S. Virgin Islands pursues a lawsuit against JPMorgan for at least $190 million, alleging that the bank overlooked red flags regarding Epstein due to his wealth and status as a lucrative client from 1998 to 2013.
Amid the ongoing legal battle, the Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Ron Wyden, expressed concerns over Black’s cooperation in the investigation.
Black has so far provided “inadequate responses” and refused to disclose details about his payments to Epstein, raising questions about their nature for tax purposes.
Responding to the committee’s inquiry, a spokesperson for Black maintained that all transactions were lawful and properly vetted by reputable law firms and advisors.
Black’s legal team also argued that the committee’s latest questions were intrusive and potentially beyond its oversight role.
This latest scrutiny into Leon Black’s association with Jeffrey Epstein marks another instance of prominent figures facing backlash due to their connections with the disgraced financier, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while facing child sex trafficking charges.
Mr. Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, wrote that the committee was dissatisfied with the information that Mr. Black, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management, had provided it to date and requested his cooperation.
“A significant number of open questions remain regarding the tax-avoidance scheme you implemented with Epstein’s assistance, including whether the exorbitant amounts paid to Epstein should have been classified as a gift for federal tax purposes,” wrote the senator.
Gifts exceeding an annual threshold in value are subject to federal taxes ranging from 18 to 40 percent.
Overnight, the U.S. Virgin Islands further accused JPMorgan Chase of enabling Epstein’s criminal activities, alleging that the bank had opened accounts and credit cards for two teenagers linked to Epstein, one of whom was described as a model and a friend of the financier.
Both parties, the U.S. Virgin Islands and JPMorgan, have filed motions for partial summary judgment in the ongoing lawsuit.
The territory has accused the bank of enabling and concealing Epstein’s human trafficking operation, while JPMorgan has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and claimed the territory helped Epstein carry out his crimes.
JPMorgan, which ended its banking relationship with Epstein in 2013, has recently agreed to pay approximately $290 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Epstein’s victims.
The USVI’s case against the bank is set to proceed to trial on October 23.
It’s been widely reported that Jeffrey Epstein, at the age of 66, took his own life in a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019, after being arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges.
Prior to this, he had pleaded guilty in 2008 to a Florida state charge of procuring sex from an underage girl and served about 13 months in jail.
The ongoing investigation and legal battles shed a little light into the gravity of Epstein’s actions and the repercussions (or lack thereof) faced by those associated with him.
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New York Times
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