JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, alerted the US government about more than $1bn in transactions linked to Jeffrey Epstein that were potentially related to human trafficking, newly released court documents have confirmed. The bank filed a suspicious activity report (SAR) in 2019, just weeks after Epstein was found dead in a New York jail cell, flagging approximately 4,700 transactions totalling over $1bn.
The SAR, filed during the last Trump administration, also noted sensitivities around Epstein's relationships with two US presidents. It identified transactions involving prominent business figures, including Leon Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management; hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin; lawyer Alan Dershowitz; and trusts controlled by retail tycoon Leslie Wexner. The report highlighted $65m in wire transfers from the mid-2000s that appeared to move between multiple banks linked to Wexner's trusts, but did not detail transactions involving Black, Dubin, or Dershowitz.
The documents were unsealed on Thursday following requests from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and were part of a 2023 litigation filed by the US Virgin Islands on behalf of Epstein's victims. JP Morgan settled the cases without admitting liability. Patricia Wexler, a spokesperson for JPMorgan, said the SARs confirmed that the bank had alerted regulators about Epstein early on and repeatedly between 2013 and 2019, but that no action appeared to have been taken by the government or law enforcement.
None of the individuals named in the report have been charged with crimes related to Epstein. Representatives for Dubin and Dershowitz said the transactions were unrelated to Epstein's crimes or were for legal services, while a representative for Black declined to comment.
