Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George was removed from her post just days after she sued JPMorgan Chase in connection with her Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The territory’s Governor, Albert Bryan, a Democrat, fired George on New Year’s Eve as Joe and Jill Biden were vacationing on the island.
George’s lawsuit was filed in New York after she reached a more than $105 million settlement with Epstein’s estate, Law and Crime reported. The AG accused the bank of having “facilitated, sustained, and concealed” Epstein’s human trafficking network.
Her heavily redacted 30-page lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase was filed on Dec. 27.
“JP Morgan turned a blind eye to evidence of human trafficking over more than a decade because of Epstein’s own financial footprint, and because of the deals and clients that Epstein brought and promised to bring to the bank,” the lawsuit alleged. “These decisions were advocated and approved at the senior levels of JP Morgan, including by the former chief executive of its asset management division and investment bank, whose inappropriate relationship with Epstein should have been evident to the bank. Indeed, it was only after Epstein’s death that JP Morgan belatedly complied with federal banking regulations regarding Epstein’s accounts.”
Epstein victims, who sued anonymously in a pair of class action complaints, previously had accused JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank of “complicity” in the sex trafficking scheme. Though Epstein died in jail before his trial, his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell was tried, convicted, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Bryan reportedly appointed Assistant Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs, who also worked on the Epstein case, to serve as acting attorney general.
The governor confirmed George’s termination in a statement to news outlets, but did not provide an explanation for it.
“I relieved Denise George of her duties as attorney general this weekend,” Bryan wrote in the statement. “I thank her for her service to the people of the territory during the past four years as attorney general and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
A spokesman for the governor declined to elaborate any further, telling Law&Crime: “I am not at liberty to discuss details on personnel matters.”
According to local media, George had not informed the governor about her JPMorgan Chase lawsuit.
“People familiar with the situation said Mr. Bryan had been frustrated with Ms. George for sometime and that her action against the bank was the final straw,” the Virgin Islands Consortium reported.
Epstein banked with JPMorgan Chase for fifteen years— from 1998 to 2013, according to the Daily Mail.
A spokesperson for the bank reportedly said: “The company ended its relationship with Epstein long before his ongoing misconduct became known. Since then, JPMorgan Chase has cooperated with investigations into Epstein and others.”
The Bidens coincidentally arrived in St. Croix on Dec. 27 for a short vacation, and returned to the White House on January 2.
“It’s an epic and historic occasion for a sitting president of the United States to visit the territory,” Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. told local reporters ahead of the visit. “President Biden’s return is proof of his love and longstanding commitment to our islands, people and our way of life. We are honored to have him and hope that he will be back annually to grace our shores.”