Convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein offered to help former JPMorgan executive Jes Staley get his daughter into a graduate program at Columbia University, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The 22-page internal document — compiled by JPMorgan after Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges — revealed the disgraced financier would get in touch with various Columbia officials and offered to connect Staley to university president Lee Bollinger at the Davos World Economic Forum in 2011, the outlet reported.
Staley, 66, forged a long-term relationship with Epstein while working for JPMorgan for 30 years before leaving the bank in 2013.
He has two daughters, Alexa and Sophia. According to LinkedIn, Alexa completed her undergraduate degree at her father’s alma mater, Bowdoin College, before graduating with a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University.
In 2011, the same year Alexa started at Columbia, her father wrote to Epstein: “You have paid a price for what has been accused,” according to an email in the report reviewed by The Journal.
Staley continued: “But we know what u have done for us. And we count you as one of our deepest friends. And most honest of people.”
The Post has reached out to Columbia and Bollinger for comment.
“There was no meeting between the president and Staley. Nor did the president know Epstein, then or later,” a Columbia spokesman told The Journal. “There is no factual basis for these assertions.”
The documents surfaced as the bank fights a lawsuit brought by the US. Virgin Islands alleging the Wall Street giant ignored red flags about Epstein’s behavior because he was bringing in wealthy clients for the bank. Last week, the JPMorgan agreed to pay $290 million to settle a similar lawsuit brought by an unnamed woman on behalf of herself and other Epstein victims.
JPMorgan declined to comment.
Epstein died in a Manhattan federal prison in 2019 from an apparent suicide while awaiting trial.
Staley is facing a lawsuit from JPMorgan for allegedly “personally observing” Epstein as he assaulted his sex-trafficking victims and failing to disclose information to his bosses about the illegal venture.
The bank wants Staley to be on the hook for damages incurred as a result of JPMorgan’s litigation related to the Epstein case, which includes a lawsuit brought by the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned two islands — including one named “Pedophile Island” that reportedly served as the headquarters of his abusive regime.
JPMorgan is also attempting to recoup back wages Staley earned “from at least 2006 through 2013.”
The sum likely totals more than $80 million.
The suit came after it was revealed that Staley exchanged around 1,200 emails with Epstein from his work account between 2008 and 2012, and even visited the convicted sex offender in prison.
“I’m in the hot tub with a glass of white wine … I owe you much. And I deeply appreciate our friendship. I have few so profound,” one of the emails read, according to a lawsuit filed by the US Virgin Islands against JPMorgan.
Shortly after, Staley allegedly wrote to Epstein to say how great it had been to give him “a long, heartfelt hug,” after which Epstein supposedly sent Staley two pictures of young women.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said during his two-day deposition that Staley is to blame for the bank’s involvement with Epstein, who was a client from 1998 to 2013.
During his questioning under oath, Dimon reportedly maintained that he never had any dealings with Epstein, and didn’t even know he was a JPMorgan client until his 2019 arrest.
Staley has contradicted the claim, and said that Dimon did communicate about Epstein both in 2006, when Epstein was first arrested, and again in 2008, when he pleaded guilty for soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
