JPMorgan claims former First Lady of US Virgin Islands helped Epstein

The former First Lady of the U.S.
Virgin Islands has been accused by JPMorgan bank of assisting traffic young women and girls to the territory.

The bank has , despite being convicted of 'solicitation of prostitution with a minor' in 2008, and sentenced to jail.

The U.S.

Virgin Islands, which is managing Epstein's estate, accused JPMorgan of turning a blind eye to his activities and tortas enabling him: the bank on Monday reached a tentative settlement with his victims, paying up to $290 million as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. 

JPMorgan has said it regrets its relationship with Epstein but is not responsible for his crimes. 

On Thursday, published documents - filed late on Wednesday - by which the bank hit back, accusing the former First Lady of the territory of aiding Epstein.

Cecile de Jongh was First Lady of the USVI from 2007-15.

She worked for Jeffrey Epstein from at least 2000, earning $100,000 a year

Epstein owned this island in the USVI, Little St.

James. He bought it in 1998 for $7 million, and bought its larger neighbor, Great St. James, 18 years later. In May, both were sold to financier Stephen Deckoff for $60 million: he intends to turn them into a resort

Jeffrey Epstein is seen in December 2010 with Prince Andrew in Central Park, shortly after Epstein was released from prison 

Cecile de Jongh worked for Epstein from at least 2000, managing his USVI office.

She was paid $100,000 a year, plus $50,000 for her children's school fees.

Her husband, John de Jongh, was governor of the USVI from 2007-15.

According to additional documents obtained last month by , JPMorgan's attorneys accuse her of being Epstein's 'primary conduit for spreading money and influence throughout the USVI.' 

She is accused of guiding Epstein on 'how to buy control of the USVI political class.' 

The new filing claims that the Virgin Islands 'protected Epstein, fostering the perfect conditions for Epstein's criminal conduct to continue undetected.'

The bank states: 'Rather than stop him, they helped him.'

De Jongh was allegedly at the heart of Epstein's efforts to ingratiate himself in USVI power circles.

In December 2015, she wrote to him, according to the court filings: 'It is important to me that you know that I take this job, my management of your team and our implementation of your requests very seriously and that they be done in the most confidential of ways.'

Cecile de Jongh is pictured with her husband John, who was the governor of the territory from 2007-15

Epstein's victims were enrolled at the University of the Virgin Islands (pictured), with help from de Jongh

Epstein's island featured a strange blue and white temple-style structure

De Jongh helped get visas for several alleged victims of Epstein, JPMorgan said in court filings. 

She connected one woman to a local immigration lawyer, and worked to get others student visas by arranging special classes for them at the University of the Virgin Islands, the bank said.

The victims were enrolled in an English as a second language, or ESL, course at the university.

'They are structuring the class around the ladies.

Please let me know so that they know what to do or not to do,' de Jongh wrote to Epstein in June 2013, according to the court filings.

The $8,868 cost of the course would be covered, de Jongh told university employees. 

Two students would need a particular type of student visa, she told university staff. 

That same year, Epstein donated $20,000 to the university through one of his companies, JPMorgan said in its filing.

In 2014, De Jongh solicited political donations from Epstein and his employees for the congressional campaign of Stacey Plaskett, who was elected as a U.S.

representative.

Plaskett told the Journal that she has since donated his campaign contributions to charities for women and children. 

'Jeffrey Epstein's conduct was despicable,' said Plaskett. 

'As I've stated in the past, contributions made by Jeffrey Epstein to my campaign were donated to women and children-focused non-profits in the Virgin Islands.' 

De Jongh has not commented on JPMorgan's allegations.

A spokeswoman for the territory's attorney general said on Thursday that the bank was trying to shift blame away from itself. 

'JPMorgan Chase has cherry-picked and mischaracterized Epstein's interactions with U.S.

Virgin Islands officials and residents in an attempt to distract and shift blame away from its role in facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's heinous crimes,' the spokeswoman said.

The lawsuit settled by the bank on Monday was filed on behalf of one woman, but rewards anyone who was victimized by Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019. 

The number of victims who may stand to gain from the settlement could reach 100 though it's unclear if there is a limit on the number who can come forward, or whether each is limited in how much they can receive. 

The bank announced the settlement on Monday without disclosing how much the it had agreed to pay to Jeffrey Epstein's victims

'The parties believe this settlement is in the best interests of all parties, especially the survivors who were the victims of Epstein's terrible abuse,' said the bank in a statement released on Monday morning. 

David Boies, an attorney acting on behalf of Epstein victims, said: 'The historic recoveries from the banks who provided financial services to Jeffrey Epstein, speak for themselves. 

'It has taken a long time, too long, but today is a great day for Jeffrey Epstein survivors, and a great day for justice.' 

Sigrid McCawley, another of the victims' lawyers, said: 'The settlements that have been reached are both life-changing and historic for the survivors. 

'Money, which for far too long flowed with impunity between Jeffrey Epstein's global sex trafficking enterprise and Wall Street's leading banks, is decisively being used for good.

'The settlements signal that financial institutions have an important role to play in spotting and shutting down sex trafficking'. 

Brad Edwards, an attorney representing the Jane Doe who launched the case, said: 'The information and support the US Virgin Islands and its legal team provided to the survivors was enormously valuable, and we recognize the importance of the government's continued litigation against JPMorgan Chase to prevent future crimes.' 

Epstein is shown with former private banking chief, Jef Staley (far left), Larry Summers, Bill Gates (second right)  and Boris Nikolic (far right)

A spokesman for the US Virgin Islands government, which is still suing the bank over similar violations, said: 'We are gratified to hear about the settlement that will provide victims of Jeffrey Epstein some compensation for JPMorgan Chase's role in facilitating Epstein's crimes against them. 

'The US Virgin Islands will continue to proceed with its enforcement action to ensure full accountability for JPMorgan's violations of law and prevent the bank from assisting and profiting from human trafficking in the future. 

'The US Virgin Islands is committed to protecting women and girls who could otherwise become victims going forward.'

Epstein was a client at the bank between 1998 and 2013 - seven years after he was arrested and convicted of using underage prostitutes in Palm Beach, Florida. 

Bank employees were concerned about Epstein's large cash withdrawals, some of which were used to pay underage girls in exchange for sex, but he was allowed to remain a client for years. 

According to depositions that were part of the lawsuit, he would regularly withdraw between $40,000 and $80,000 a month. 

The withdrawals rang alarm bells among compliance officials, but he explained them away by claiming they were for fuel and landing fees for his private plane.

'The parties believe this settlement is in the best interests of all parties, especially the survivors who were the victims of Epstein's terrible abuse,' a statement released by JP Morgan on Monday said

The bank is still entangled in a separate lawsuit filed by the government of the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein kept a home and is said to have abused dozens of girls. 

Last year, the same lawyers successfully sued Deutsch Bank - which took Epstein on as a client after JP Morgan eventually cut ties with him in 2013 - over the same allegations. 

Deutsch Bank settled for a tentative sum of $75million and was fined $100million by New York regulators. 

Epstein died in custody while awaiting a sex trafficking trial.

In his absence, the only person to have faced criminal prosecution over his crimes is Ghislaine Maxwell. 

She is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence after being convicted of facilitating the abuse.