The US Virgin islands subpoenaed billionaire cars-to-rockets entrepreneur Elon Musk on Monday to obtain documents in its litigation into the role played by JPMorgan Chase bank in the activity of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a customer, according to a court filing.
The Virgin Islands government is suing the bank over sex trafficking by Epstein. The Virgin Islands has been trying to serve Musk with a subpoena, the filing noted, adding that Epstein “may have referred or attempted to refer” Musk to JPMorgan as a client.
“The Government contacted Mr Musk’s counsel via email to ask if he would be authorized to accept service on Mr Musk’s behalf in this matter, but did not receive a response confirming or denying his authority,” the filing said.
The government accuses the bank of “knowingly benefiting” from Epstein’s sex trafficking and other billionaires have been subpoenaed for information, too, Bloomberg reported. Epstein was ruled to have killed himself in a New York jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking-related offenses in 2019.
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According to the filing in US district court in Manhattan, the Virgin Islands issued a subpoena to Musk on April 28th.
The filing added that Musk, chief executive of electric car company Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX, owner of Twitter and one of the richest people in the world, may have been referred to JPMorgan by Epstein.
It did not provide further explanation for its interest in obtaining documents from Musk. Musk, 51, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US Virgin Islands authorities accuse JPMorgan of missing red flags about Epstein’s abuse of women on Little St James, a private island he owned in the Caribbean archipelago. The bank has said it should not be held liable for a former top executive’s relationship with Epstein.
The subpoena sought all communications between the entrepreneur and JPMorgan regarding Epstein as well as communications between Musk and Epstein. The subpoena also sought all documents regarding fees that Musk paid to Epstein or to JPMorgan regarding Musk’s accounts or relationship with JPMorgan.
It also asked Musk for all documents reflecting or regarding Epstein’s involvement in human trafficking and his procurement of girls or women for commercial sex.
The details were part of a request by the Virgin Islands to serve the subpoena on Musk by alternative means because the government had not been able to serve an initial subpoena on Musk at Tesla or through an attorney who has accepted service on behalf of Musk in the past. - Guardian