Jes Staley, the former head of JPMorgan Chase’s private bank and asset-management unit, acknowledged sharing confidential bank information with Jeffrey Epstein, including $44 billion in private bank inflows over a two-week period.
In a closed-door interview with the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on July 24, Staley stated he believed he had the authority to disclose such details when he deemed it appropriate. The admissions were disclosed in a transcript released Wednesday.
Staley, who spent more than 30 years at JPMorgan before leading Barclays from 2015 until his resignation in 2021, also shared information regarding his compensation, pending deals, communications with the Federal Reserve, and client relationships. He testified that he informed Epstein about JPMorgan’s concerns over his large cash withdrawals and designated him as a high-risk client.
The former executive admitted to being named as a trustee of Epstein’s estate in 2014 and signing a trust amendment in 2015, though he later declined the role and received no compensation. Staley maintained that he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes at the time and described their relationship as a close professional one.
Epstein, a convicted sex offender and financier, died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. The disclosures come amid broader scrutiny of financial institutions’ past dealings with Epstein, including JPMorgan’s role as his primary banker. The committee’s investigation has also involved testimony from associates of Epstein, including Ghislaine Maxwell.
JPMorgan declined to comment on the record. Staley’s legal representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
