By Ken Sweet
JPMorgan Chase agreed Tuesday to pay $75 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle claims that the bank enabled the sex trafficking acts committed by financier Jeffrey Epstein.
JPMorgan said that $55 million of the settlement will go toward local charities and assistance for victims. Another $20 million will go toward legal fees.
The Virgin Islands, where Epstein had an estate, sued JPMorgan last year, saying its investigation has revealed that the financial services giant enabled Epstein’s recruiters to pay victims and was “indispensable to the operation and concealment of the Epstein trafficking enterprise."
In effect, the Virgin Islands had argued that JPMorgan had been complicit in Epstein's behavior and did not raise any red flags to law enforcement or bank regulators about Epstein being a “high risk” customer and making repeated large cash withdrawals.
The settlement averts a trial that had been set to start next month.
The bank also said it reached an confidential legal settlement with James “Jes” Staley, the former top JPMorgan executive who managed the Epstein account before leaving the the bank. JPMorgan sued Staley earlier this year, alleging that he covered up or minimized Epstein's wrongdoing in order to maintain the lucrative account.
JPMorgan had already agreed to pay $290 million in June in a class-action lawsuit that involved victims of Epstein's trafficking crimes.
Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail in 2019.
The plans would include nearly 20,000 homes initially for 50,000 residents and could grow to 400,000 people.
In an annual assessment of global inequalities, Oxfam International said the first trillionaire could emerge within the next decade — as the anti-poverty organization pointed to the growing wealth gap that skyrocketed globally during the pandemic.
The Biden administration proposed a cost drop for overdrawing bank accounts, which it says could particularly relieve Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
With thousands of layoffs in tech and beyond, how workers can keep their skills sharp, plus reasons to be hopeful when looking at the job market.
Taking a look at investment strategy as the new year gets into full swing.
Americans stepped up their spending in December more than expected, closing out the holiday season and the year on an upbeat tone. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.6% in December compared with a November’s 0.3% increase.
A New York architect charged in a string of slayings known as the Gilgo Beach killings was accused in a 25-year-old Connecticut woman's death.
Uber purchased Drizly in a cash-and-stock deal for $1.1 billion in 2021. The drink delivery app will shut down in March, according to Uber.
After Donald Trump's victory at the Iowa caucus, Nikki Haley and DeSantis continue their campaigns as New Hampshire's primary looms.
Christine Short, VP of Research at Wall Street Horizon, shares insights on small and big banks earnings, a fresh round of layoffs in the tech world, and what to expect from upcoming rate decisions.
