Deutsche Bank maintained a close financial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein from 2013 until shortly before his 2019 arrest, despite his status as a convicted sex offender. Internal compliance teams flagged numerous suspicious activities, including large cash withdrawals and payments to alleged co-conspirators, but bank executives reportedly chose to override or ignore these warnings. In 2020, the New York Department of Financial Services fined the bank $150 million for “significant compliance failures,” stating the bank processed hundreds of transactions linked to potential sex trafficking and shell companies without appropriate oversight. Yet despite the seriousness of the allegations and the staggering amount of activity Epstein conducted through his accounts, the regulatory fallout amounted to a financial slap on the wrist.

Years later, a class-action lawsuit brought by Epstein survivors alleged that Deutsche Bank played an active role in enabling and profiting from Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. The bank settled that lawsuit for $75 million in 2023, but no senior executives faced criminal charges, and there has been no public indication of further investigative pressure. While the fine and settlement offered symbolic accountability, critics argue the case exemplifies how the financial sector continues to operate with impunity, even when aiding known predators. The deeper web of who at Deutsche Bank facilitated or turned a blind eye to Epstein’s finances remains buried, as does any broader effort to expose the systemic enablers who kept his operation afloat.


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source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/business/jeffrey-epstein-deutsche-bank.html