{"id":6220,"date":"2026-08-04T18:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6220"},"modified":"2026-08-04T18:00:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:00:05","slug":"senate-democrats-say-banks-turned-blind-eye-to-suspicious-moves-by-jeffrey-epstein","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6220","title":{"rendered":"Senate Democrats say banks turned blind eye to suspicious moves by Jeffrey Epstein"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"slug-wrap\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/news\/\">News<\/a><br \/>\n    <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"storytitle\">\n<h1>Senate Democrats say banks turned blind eye to suspicious moves by Jeffrey Epstein<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORYTITLE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"story-meta\" class=\"story-meta has-byline\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one-inner\">\n<div class=\"dateblock\">\n    <time datetime=\"2026-08-04T13:43:06-04:00\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"date\">August 4, 2026<\/span><span class=\"time\">1:43 PM ET<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/time>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE-INNER\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-meta__two\">\n<div id=\"storybyline\" class=\"storybyline-wrap linkLocation\">\n<div class=\"bucketwrap byline\">\n<div class=\"byline-container--block\">\n<div class=\"byline byline--block byline--has-link\" aria-label=\"Byline\">\n<div class=\"byline__photo\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/2788801\/scott-horsley\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2012\/01\/03\/scotthorsley_1_sq-28ef9a0c5aee84c1b8d8338569a794c2d08f87fa.jpg?s=100&amp;c=85&amp;f=jpeg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Scott Horsley 2010\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2012\/01\/03\/scotthorsley_1_sq-28ef9a0c5aee84c1b8d8338569a794c2d08f87fa.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\"><br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<p class=\"byline__name byline__name--block\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/2788801\/scott-horsley\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n      Scott Horsley<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP BYLINE\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__TWO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"STORY-META\" CLASS=\"STORY-META HAS-BYLINE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\" class=\"storytext storylocation linkLocation\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-137286\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 8256;--source-height: 5504\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F90%2F63f834f841bfac537901a62294bb%2Fgettyimages-2260272847.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/8256x5504+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fad%2F90%2F63f834f841bfac537901a62294bb%2Fgettyimages-2260272847.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"This photograph taken in Le-Perreux-sur-Marne, outside Paris on February 9, 2026 shows undated pictures provided by the US Department of Justice on January 30, 2026 as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files. US authorities on January 30, 2026, released the latest cache of files related to the investigation into the late conviceted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files contained references to numerous high-profile figures. (Photo by Martin BUREAU \/ AFP via Getty Images)\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                A report from Senate Democrats says big banks had concerns for years about suspicious money transfers made by Jeffrey Epstein. But in most cases those worries went unreported until Epstein was charged with sex-trafficking.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Martin Bureau\/AFP<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><\/p>\n<p>              <b>toggle caption<\/b><br \/>\n            <\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Martin Bureau\/AFP<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A report from Senate Democrats says big U.S. banks had concerns for years about money moves made by Jeffrey Epstein \u2014 but largely kept those worries to themselves until after Epstein was arrested on sex-trafficking charges in 2019.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5919238-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5696975\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/03\/nx-s1-5696975\/what-to-know-epstein-files-latest\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/03\/nx-s1-5696975\/what-to-know-epstein-files-latest&quot;}\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3808x3808+952+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2F3f%2Fd7a526834c1581489429df284c67%2Fap26033829969315.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3808x3808+952+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2F3f%2Fd7a526834c1581489429df284c67%2Fap26033829969315.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3808x3808+952+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2F3f%2Fd7a526834c1581489429df284c67%2Fap26033829969315.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"A document that was included in the Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, photographed Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, shows a diagram prepared by the FBI attempting to chart the network of Epstein&apos;s victims and the timeline of their alleged abuse.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/law\/\">Law <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/03\/nx-s1-5696975\/what-to-know-epstein-files-latest\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/03\/nx-s1-5696975\/what-to-know-epstein-files-latest&quot;}\">Powerful people, random redactions: 4 things to know about the latest Epstein files<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5919238-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finance.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/wyden_wall_street_epstein_report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> from Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, which was released by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, says more than a dozen bankers at JPMorganChase, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank were aware of suspicious transactions Epstein made as far back as 2002.<\/p>\n<p>But in most cases, the report alleges bankers failed to alert the Treasury Department until years later, after Epstein was arrested and charged with sex-trafficking.  The report is based on a review of Treasury reports, internal bank records and legal filings. <\/p>\n<p>Under the Bank Secrecy Act, bankers are supposed to notify the government whenever they suspect a client is moving funds to launder money or carry out other illegal activities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;By failing to report\u2014or choosing not to report \u2014 his suspicious financial transactions to federal law enforcement, these banks allowed Epstein to send cash payments and wire transfers to his victims, friends, and collaborators around the world,&#8221; the report says.  &#8220;The bankers who needed to be asking questions didn&#8217;t ask them. Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s crimes were hiding in plain sight.&#8221;   <\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Dems are seeking answers<\/h3>\n<p>The report points to thousands of transactions over nearly two decades and totaling more than a billion dollars.  Some of the claims were previously reported by <em>The<\/em> <em>New York Times<\/em>, <em>The<\/em> <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> and Bloomberg.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5919238-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5707290\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/19\/nx-s1-5707290\/epstein-files-victims-interlochen-ghislaine-maxwell\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/19\/nx-s1-5707290\/epstein-files-victims-interlochen-ghislaine-maxwell&quot;}\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3002x3000+891+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1e%2F4d%2F60fa5ebe434fab41b83551573e82%2Finterlochen-final.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3002x3000+891+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1e%2F4d%2F60fa5ebe434fab41b83551573e82%2Finterlochen-final.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3002x3000+891+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1e%2F4d%2F60fa5ebe434fab41b83551573e82%2Finterlochen-final.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"This collage shows photos of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on a plane, as well as black-and-white photos of students playing in an orchestra and a girl near a cabin. There are also fragments of documents showing over $350,000 in donations from Epstein to the Interlochen Center for the Arts.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/national\/\">National <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/19\/nx-s1-5707290\/epstein-files-victims-interlochen-ghislaine-maxwell\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/19\/nx-s1-5707290\/epstein-files-victims-interlochen-ghislaine-maxwell&quot;}\">How Epstein and Maxwell used an elite Midwest arts school to prey on girls<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5919238-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Committee Democrats want the Justice Department to investigate why suspicious activity reports were not filed about Epstein in a more timely manner. They also call for tightening reporting requirements in the future. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If federal prosecutors are serious about preventing the next Jeffrey Epstein, they must hold Wall Street accountable,&#8221; the report says.<\/p>\n<p>Deutsche Bank responded to the report with a statement saying it regrets its historical connection to Epstein. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The bank takes its legal obligations seriously,&#8221; a spokesperson said in a statement to NPR. &#8220;We have cooperated with regulatory and law enforcement agencies regarding their investigations and have been transparent in addressing deficiencies and investing in strengthening our control environment in parallel.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<p>Bank of America denied any wrongdoing.  <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We take our legal and regulatory obligations seriously and, as we have previously said, the bank did not facilitate wrongdoing,&#8221; a spokesperson said in a statement to NPR.  <\/p>\n<p>JPMorganChase did not respond to a request for comment. The bank dropped Epstein as a client in 2013 due to human trafficking concerns, the report says, but the bank didn&#8217;t report suspicious transactions to the government until six years later, shortly after Epstein&#8217;s arrest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"share-tools share-tools--secondary\" aria-label=\"Share tools\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook\"><button class=\"fbStorynx-s1-5919238\" data-share-facebook=\"{&quot;storyId&quot;: &quot;nx-s1-5919238&quot; }\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;share&quot;,&quot;clickName&quot;:&quot;facebook&quot;}\"><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Facebook<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard\"><button class=\"storynx-s1-5919238\" data-share-flipboard=\"{&quot;storyId&quot;: &quot;nx-s1-5919238&quot; }\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;share&quot;,&quot;clickName&quot;:&quot;flipboard&quot;}\"><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Flipboard<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--email\"><button class=\"share-tools__email-link\" data-story-id=\"nx-s1-5919238\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;share&quot;,&quot;clickName&quot;:&quot;email&quot;}\"><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Email<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"SHARE-TOOLS SHARE-TOOLS-SECONDARY\" ARIA-LABEL=\"SHARE TOOLS\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"NEWSLETTER-ACQUISITION-CALLOUT-DATA\" DATA-NEWSLETTER=\"{&amp;QUOT;NEWSLETTERID&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;NEWS&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;TITLE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;UP FIRST&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;MARKETINGHEADER&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;FREQUENCY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;EVERY DAY&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;SHORTDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;THE STORIES YOU NEED TO START YOUR DAY, HAND-PICKED FOR YOU EVERY WEEKDAY. PLUS, THE BEST OF NPR EVERY SUNDAY.&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;STICKYDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR THE NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST HEADLINES AND UNIQUE STORIES FROM THE NPR NETWORK.&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;CONTENTIMAGE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;HTTPS:\/\/NPR.BRIGHTSPOTCDN.COM\/E1\/16\/E7434747460F8691603795B6FF1C\/SCREEN-SHOT-2025-08-20-AT-1-47-26-PM.PNG&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;STATICMARKUPDIR&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;\/BUCKETS\/TOPICS\/HEADER1001.HTML&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;BRANDINGDIR&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;\/BRANDING\/SECTIONS\/NEWS\/&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;BRANDINGLINK&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;HTTPS:\/\/WWW.NPR.ORG\/SECTIONS\/NEWS\/&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;RECAPTCHASITEKEY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;6LCDN9IZAAAAAOHT985BJJBZJKBJKSXDXK3GEKST&amp;QUOT;}\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap\" class=\"callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap\">\n<!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO-WRAP\" CLASS=\"CALLOUT-END-OF-STORY-MOUNT-PIANO-WRAP\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"END-OF-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"RECOMMENDED-STORIES RECOMMENDED-STORIES-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"END-OF-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT\" CLASS=\"RECOMMENDED-STORIES\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News Senate Democrats say banks turned blind eye to suspicious moves by Jeffrey Epstein August 4, 20261:43 PM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6220"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6222,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6220\/revisions\/6222"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}