US Virgin Islands Seeks $150 Million in Penalties From JPMorgan Over Epstein Ties

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Virgin Islands (USVI) filed a claim with a US district court in New York seeking at least $150 million in civil penalties from JPMorgan Chase Bank in connection with the bank’s lucrative relationship with the deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

"The USVI seeks civil penalties consistent with the duration, egregiousness, and impact of JPMorgan’s violations," the court filing said on Friday. "The USVI will prove even greater participation by JPMorgan in Epstein’s sex-trafficking venture over more than a decade, and seeks at least $150 million in civil penalties."

Besides the financial penalty, the USVI seek an injunction to prevent the bank from participating in any sex trafficking ventures in the future and to protect potential future victims of traffickers, the filing said.

The USVI also seeks compensatory damages suffered by victims and its attorneys’ fees and costs, according to the filed claim.

In July 2020, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $150 million to the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) for significant compliance failures in connection with the bank’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The agreement between Deutsche Bank and the NYDFS has become one of the reasons the USVI used to substantiate the cause of the claim against JPMorgan Chase Bank.

In June, JPMorgan Chase, accused of knowingly benefiting from and facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, was prepared to pay $290 million to resolve claims by victims of the late sexual predator, according to media reports.

In July 2019, Epstein was charged with trafficking underage girls for sexual exploitation. Epstein was later found dead in his jail cell with fatal neck injuries, allegedly as a result of committing suicide.