The former Virgin Islands attorney general, who recently secured a $105 million settlement from Jeffrey Epstein’s fortune, has spent months between her and a U.S. territorial governor over handling investigations into dishonorable investors. was recently fired after the friction of .People were briefed on the matter.
Former official Dennis N. George was sued by Virgin Islands governor Albert Bryan Jr. four days after her office sued JPMorgan Chase in federal court in Manhattan over its dealings with Epstein. Dismissed on New Year’s Eve. Died of an apparent suicide in 2019 while in federal custody.
The timing of George’s dismissal fueled media speculation in the Virgin Islands, speculating it was directly due to the lawsuit against JP Morgan.
However, while he was not allowed to speak publicly because Bryan’s office did not disclose the specific reasons for George’s dismissal, officials briefed on the matter said they had been briefed for some time. He said there was tension between the two officials.
Bryan also felt that George had not informed him about the investigation in a timely manner, according to one of the people involved. Generally, the Attorney General does not need to notify the Governor of any lawsuits the Governor is about to file.
George didn’t address the speculation, but her decision to sue the bank and ensure that the dozens of women who were victims of Epstein’s sexual abuse as teenagers or young adults are properly compensated. defended the work done by her office to
In a statement to the New York Times, George said, “I am convinced that the lawsuits I have filed against JPMorgan Chase in the pursuit of justice must continue.” “No institution, organization, or individual, no matter how wealthy or powerful, should be off limits.”
George also thanked Brian for appointing her to the role in 2019.
Bryan’s spokesman, Richard Motta, said in an emailed statement that “media reports citing JPMorgan’s lawsuit as a reason are not entirely accurate.”
A spokeswoman for JP Morgan declined to comment.
In an interview with a local newspaper in November after being re-elected for a second term, Bryan said he planned to make some changes to the cabinet, but did not name government officials.
During his four-year tenure, George led extensive investigations into Epstein’s activities. In November, her office secured a hard-fought settlement with his estate. This would return at least her $105 million to the Virgin Islands, where poverty rates are much higher than the U.S. national average. The territory stands to receive more money depending on the sale price the property can get for Mr. Epstein’s former private island residence, Little St. James.
George also summoned several of the wealthy men who did business with him, including Wall Street billionaire Leon Black. Black paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning services in the years before Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.
In late December, George’s office sued JP Morgan in federal court in Manhattan, while Epstein was charged with sexually abusing teenage girls and young women in Little St. James and elsewhere. He claimed that he had neglected to provide banking services to Epstein.in the United States
The lawsuit accused JP Morgan of facilitating and covering up wire and cash transactions that should have raised suspicions that Epstein was involved in sex trafficking of teenage girls and young women. The lawsuit alleges that the bank essentially “turned a blind eye” because Epstein’s actions were profitable.
JP Morgan, the largest U.S. bank by assets, was Epstein’s primary banker from the late 1990s until 2013. In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution from her teenage girls in Florida and had to register as a sex. Criminal in most jurisdictions.
George’s investigation was complicated by the fact that Epstein had a 20-year long relationship with the Virgin Islands, both as a resident and as a businessman.
Epstein donated to local politicians and one of his foundations to local schools. His business there received several favorable tax incentives that allowed him to avoid paying tens of millions of dollars in taxes.
Prior to becoming governor, Brian was chairman of the Economic Development Agency, which gave one of Epstein’s companies favorable tax breaks.
“The Virgin Islands Attorney General needs to prosecute or pursue lawsuits for violations of the law, just like elsewhere in the United States, and serve the people,” George said in a statement. Doing so should not be incompatible with doing the job of the Attorney General.”
There is no indication that the Virgin Islands are moving to dismiss the lawsuit against JP Morgan.
