Jes Staley Lied About Cutting Off Epstein: Court Filing
Former Barclays CEO and 'Disney princess' aficionado Jes Staley lied about cutting off communication with now-deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and instead used an intermediary 'for years,' according to new legal filings seen by Bloomberg.
The filings contradict what Staley told the Barclays board about the pair's relationship, along with a US regulatory probe that found no evidence of contact after October 2015.
The documents, filed in the now-concluded US Virgin Islands lawsuit against Staley's former employer, JPMorgan Chase, the go-between - whose identity is redacted - "acted as an intermediary for messages between Staley and Epstein" for several years after joining Barclays.
Epstein emailed the go-between in November 2016 and February 2017 with questions for Staley. Epstein’s messages were passed on to Staley verbally, before the intermediary passed on his reply, according to the documents submitted by JPMorgan as part of a court filing. The bank, which through Staley served Epstein as a client, settled the case last year for $75 million.
In the first partially redacted email — sent about a year after Staley joined Barclays — Epstein wrote to the intermediary in an apparent attempt to discuss the appointment of the Treasury Secretary in Donald Trump’s incoming administration. -Bloomberg
"Could you ask [REDACTED] if he would like to considered for treasury [sic]," Epstein wrote the go-between on Nov. 27, 2016 - weeks after Trump's surprise win over Hillary Clinton.
"Will do. He’s on a plane to London right now but I’ll reach him after," was Staley's reply.
The intermediary later added: "Spoke with him. He said not yet, but thanks."
Then in Feb. 2017, Epstein once again emailed the intermediary in order to get an opinion on Staley's former JPMorgan colleague.
"Can you ask [REDACTED] his opinion of Véronique Weill she wants to join rothschild [sic]," wrote the pedophile.
"Will do. I will speak with him today and get back to you," the go-between replied.
"Thx," Epstein replied.
Later that day, the intermediary wrote to Epstein: "He thinks she is great and is a big fan of hers. Good recommendation for rothschild [sic]."
The documents are a clear indication that Epstein and Staley's relationship continued on for much longer than previously known - as years of direct emails and phone calls suddenly transitioned to the use of said intermediary.
When asked in a New York deposition last June in a separate case, Staley insisted that he had last spoken with Epstein in October or November of 2015.
"Being CEO of a major British bank is a very, very visible job, and I thought it was not appropriate to deal at all with Epstein in that role," said Staley, claiming that he had come to realize that Epstein had a "very, very terrible past."
Which happened five years after Staley emailed Epstein about Disney princesses.
"That was fun," Staley allegedly wrote to Epstein. "Say hi to Snow White."
To which Epstein replied: "[W]hat character would you like next?"
"Beauty and the Beast."
Epstein also emailed Staley photos of young women in seductive poses, according to a filing in the Virgin Islands case.
Staley, according to the filing, "visited Epstein’s properties in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere," and "exchanged hundreds of messages with Epstein from his JPMorgan email account in full view of JPMorgan, including some with photos of young women, discussed Epstein’s provision of services to him during his travel on dates that closely corresponded with Epstein’s payments to the same young woman from his JPMorgan accounts, and discussed young women or girls procured by Epstein using the names of Disney princesses."
In 2023, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority established that Staley and Epstein were in frequent contact in the months leading up to October 2015.