Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with JPMorgan Chase illustrates how America’s largest bank placed profits above ethics, enabling a convicted sex offender while reaping vast financial rewards. Between 1998 and 2013, JPMorgan processed more than $1.1 billion in transactions for Epstein, despite glaring red flags.

The bank facilitated wire transfers and cash withdrawals that directly funded Epstein’s trafficking network. Records show:

• $450,000 wired to an 18-year-old victim in Eastern Europe.

• Nearly $300,000 sent from an account linked to procuring women.

• Routine monthly cash withdrawals of $40,000–$80,000, totaling $750,000 in 2006 and $1.75 million by 2008, much of it used to pay underage girls.

Epstein wasn’t just a client — he was a moneymaker.

• In 2003, he generated over $8 million in fees, making him the top revenue source in JPMorgan’s private banking arm.

• He arranged JPMorgan’s 2004 Highbridge Capital acquisition, pocketing $15 million in referral fees.

• He funneled ultra-wealthy clients to the bank, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who deposited more than $4 billion in assets.

• Even after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor, JPMorgan extended him a $50 million credit line.

Compliance officers began flagging suspicious activity in 2003. By 2011, even General Counsel Stephen Cutlerrecommended cutting ties. Yet executives including Jes Staley and Mary Erdoes repeatedly overruled these warnings — at least four times — prioritizing Epstein’s revenue stream.

Over 15 years, JPMorgan opened 134 accounts for Epstein, his companies, associates, and even victims, often without proper verification. The bank’s services effectively laundered his reputation as well as his money.

The fallout came only after Epstein’s death. In 2023, JPMorgan paid $290 million to victims and $75 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands. For a bank earning $50 billion annually, the settlements were a minor dent — and included no admission of wrongdoing.

The JPMorgan-Epstein saga underscores a broader problem in global finance: when profit eclipses due diligence, oversight collapses. By ignoring internal alarms and enabling a predator, JPMorgan’s actions show how financial institutions can perpetuate abuse — so long as the money keeps flowing.