A new report from the Wall Street Journal suggests that Cecile de Jongh - the former first lady of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) - helped deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to carry out his alleged sex trafficking operation.
The Journal's report is based on a new court filing from JPMorgan Chase.
The filing states:
Plaintiff Government of the United States Virgin Islands (‘USVI’) is complicit in the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein could have lived anywhere in the world. He chose USVI. Discovery obtained in this case reveals why. For two decades, Epstein maintained a quid pro quo relationship with USVI’s highest ranking officials.
JPMorgan Chase, in the filing, goes on to provide email communications that took place between Epstein and de Jongh.
Epstein, as a registered sex offender, moved to the USVI in 2010 after serving his prison sentence for procuring a minor for prostitution. The USVI is the location of the infamous Little St. James Island, where Epstein allegedly brought underage girls for sexual purposes.
In 2019, Epstein was charged with sex trafficking, and, roughly a month later, he was found dead in his cell.
Although Epstein did not face the legal consequences of his alleged misconduct, at least one of his associates has. Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.
The lawsuit referred to at the outset stems from USVI. The lawsuit was filed against JPMorgan in December 2022 for allegedly facilitating Epsteins sex trafficking operation by keeping Epstein as a client.
Now, however, it appears that USVI's lawsuit may be backfiring.
The Journal reports that the emails, from JPMorgan's latest filing, show that "the former first lady of the U.S. Virgin Islands helped Jeffrey Epstein's victims get visas and lined up English-language classes for them, facilitating his alleged sex-trafficking scheme."
The relationship between de Jongh and Epstein is said, in the court filing, to go as far back as 2000. De Jongh helped Epstein to navigate immigration law and to carry out his business operations, and, in exchange, de Jongh received upwards of $100,000 per year from Epstein.
De Jongh also helped Epstein on the political side of things and Epstein returned the favor, including by donating to her husband and his political allies.
De Jongh has yet to comment on the allegations. A spokesperson, however, for the USVI attorney general has.
The spokesperson told the Journal:
JPMorgan Chase has cherry-picked and mischaracterized Epstein’s interactions with U.S. Virgin Islands officials and residents in an attempt to distract and shift blame away from its role in facilitating Jeffrey Epstein’s heinous crimes.
