The head of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, has denied ever meeting Jeffrey Epstein and said he was unaware that the bank was conducting an internal investigation into its former relationship with the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
Dimon made the remarks in a deposition in New York on May 26 for lawsuits filed by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands and an anonymous accuser that claim the bank knowingly benefited from participating in Epstein’s sex-trafficking venture.
Epstein, 66, died in a New York City jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had been a client of JPMorgan from 2000 to 2013.
“And the reason I remember that is I was surprised that I didn’t know about it before,” he added.
The lawsuit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands accuses JPMorgan of enabling Epstein’s sex trafficking by providing banking services to the financier after he had been convicted of sex charges.
It also accuses the bank of concealing suspicious wire and cash transactions, despite the fact that employees at the bank had raised concerns over its relationship with Epstein.
It also suggests that JPMorgan senior officials at the bank were aware of Epstein’s crimes on the private and secluded island of Little St. James in the territory, and of the bank’s role in advancing them.
JPMorgan Sues Staley
The anonymous woman, meanwhile, has claimed that multiple cash payments came from the bank to pay Epstein’s victims. She argues that JPMorgan opted to maintain a financial relationship with Epstein because he was a high-profile client.The bank has denied any wrongdoing or that it was aware of Epstein’s abuses and sought, unsuccessfully, to have the lawsuits dismissed.
Staley has claimed that he was unaware of Epstein’s sex crimes despite maintaining a friendly relationship while in his position as chief.
During his deposition, Dimon was asked if he has ever spoken with Staley after Epstein was indicted in Florida in the summer of 2006 on state felony charges of procuring underage girls for sex.
Epstein ultimately pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor and agreed to register as a sex offender.
The JPMorgan head said he had not spoken with Staley after Epstein’s indictment.
“I don’t recall ever having a conversation with him about Jeff Epstein,” he said of Staley before noting that he was also unaware that the bank was conducting an investigation to determine the status of Epstein as a bank client.
Dimon ‘Never Knew Epstein’
Elsewhere, Dimon denied ever meeting with Epstein after lawyers for the plaintiffs referenced an email from Epstein’s office that suggested he was scheduled to meet with Epstein and Staley at Epstein’s townhouse.“I have never had an appointment with Jeff Epstein. I’ve never met Jeff Epstein. I never knew Jeff Epstein. I never went to Jeff Epstein’s house. I never had a meal with Jeff Epstein. I have no idea what they’re referring to here,” Dimon said of the email.
“There are millions and millions of emails and other documents that have been produced in this case and not one comes close to even suggesting that he had any role in decisions about Epstein’s accounts,” the spokeswoman said.
“As we have said, we now know that Epstein’s behavior was monstrous, and his victims deserve justice. In hindsight, any association with him was a mistake and we regret it, but these suits are misdirected as we did not help him commit his heinous crimes,” she added.
“Conveniently, each banker points a finger at the other, claiming this hot potato was someone else’s fault. Regardless how unbelievable the finger-pointing or purported lack of knowledge is, responsibility rests with the bank,” Edwards said.
The Epoch Times has contacted JPMorgan for further comment.