Jes Staley
James ‘Jes’ Staley is a senior American banker who most recently served as CEO of Barclays bank from 2015 to 2021. He previously worked at JPMorgan Chase for three decades, rising to head private banking.
The JPMorgan Period
Staley and Epstein’s relationship developed during Staley’s time at JPMorgan. Staley was one of the key relationship managers for Epstein’s JPMorgan accounts. The two developed what Staley described as a close personal friendship.
The Email Volume
Prosecutors found approximately 1,200 emails between Staley and Epstein. The volume and nature of these emails, exchanged over several years, illustrated the depth of their personal relationship.
Consequences at Barclays
When Barclays conducted due diligence on Staley before his appointment as CEO, the extent of the Epstein relationship was not fully disclosed. When the relationship became public, Barclays investigated. Staley resigned in 2021. UK regulators found that Staley had misled the bank about the relationship’s nature.
JPMorgan Litigation
JPMorgan later sued Staley in relation to what the bank argued was his enabling of Epstein’s access to JPMorgan’s banking and financial services.