Bank of America has agreed to a massive payout to Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors who accused the financial institution of helping him fund his sex-trafficking operation.
A lawsuit filed last year accused the nation’s second-largest bank of enabling and profiting from Epstein’s crimes, and Bank of America agreed to pay $72.5 million but did not admit to liability in the terms of the agreement, reported NBC News.
“While we stand by our prior statements made in the filings in this case, including that Bank of America did not facilitate sex trafficking crimes, this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs,” a bank spokesperson told NBC News.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff will hold a hearing next month to determine whether to approve the settlement, which covers all women “who were sexually abused or trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, or by any person who is connected to or otherwise associated with Jeffrey Epstein or any Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking venture” between June 30, 2008, and July 6, 2019, according to a filing by the victims’ lawyers.
At least 60 women were victimized by Epstein during that period, according to the lawyers.
The lawsuit also accused Bank of America of providing banking services to convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein associate Leon Black, the former CEO of Apollo Global Management.
Black, who a victim’s attorney described as a “critical witness” but was not listed as a defendant in the complaint, had been scheduled for an eight-hour deposition this month, but he was able to avoid testifying after the court was notified of the settlement last week.
The Epstein survivors allege that Bank of America failed to properly monitor accounts related to Epstein and his associates and did not file suspicious activity reports in timely manner.
Survivors have also filed similar lawsuits against JPMorgan Chase and Deutsche Bank that were later settled for $290 million and $75 million, respectively.
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