Two women alleging sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein have filed lawsuits against JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank.
They accuse the banks of ignoring “red flags” over their client and profiting from the late financier’s alleged sex trafficking operations.
The disgraced financier took his own life in a jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Both lawsuits were filed as class-action lawsuits in New York on Thursday.
They were brought by lawyers who have represented dozens of accusers of the late billionaire.
The women, who are also seeking monetary damages, are not named in the files, first reported by the Wall Street Journal newspaper and viewed by the BBC.
According to allegations in the lawsuit filed against JP Morgan Chase, a woman described as a former ballet dancer was molested by Epstein and his associates between 2006 and 2013.
It is alleged that JP Morgan knew its accounts were being used for human trafficking due to the identities of the individuals making the large withdrawals and “Epstein’s well-documented criminal history”.
JP Morgan Chase declined to comment when contacted by BBC News.
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In a separate lawsuit against Deutsche Bank, another woman alleges she was trafficked by Epstein for sex for 15 years, beginning in 2003 when she first moved to New York.
It is claimed that in some cases Epstein would pay the woman directly in cash for sexual acts.
The lawsuit suggests that the wealthy Epstein turned to Deutsche Bank when ties with JP Morgan were severed around 2013.
It also references previous findings by New York banking regulators about Deutsche Bank’s deal with Epstein.
They concluded that “although the bank correctly classified Epstein as high risk, [it] failed to investigate activity in the accounts for the types of activity apparently related to Epstein’s past.”
Deutsche Bank previously admitted it made a “critical error” in hiring Epstein as a client.
However, a spokesman for the investment bank said on Thursday: “We believe this allegation is unfounded and will present our arguments in court.”
One of the attorneys, Bradley Edwards, said in a written statement: “Epstein and his co-conspirators could not have been harassed without the help of wealthy individuals and financial institutions. We will not stop fighting for the survivors until everyone is held accountable. This is a big step, but not the end.
He added: “It’s time the real trailblazers were held accountable, particularly his wealthy friends and the financial institutions that played an essential role.”
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