Newly released legal records have drawn attention to former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and his reported involvement in financial arrangements linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The documents suggest Staley signed a trust agreement that may contradict earlier statements he made during court testimony in the United Kingdom. The files are part of a larger collection released by the US Department of Justice connected to investigations into Epstein’s financial and personal network.
The agreement shows Staley was named as one of the trustees of the Jeffrey E Epstein 2014 Trust alongside Epstein’s longtime lawyer Darren Indyke and property investor David Mitchell. Trustees were reportedly eligible for annual payments of $250,000, along with reimbursement for expenses. It remains unclear whether Staley ever received payment under the arrangement, but the existence of the signed document has raised questions about previous claims made during legal proceedings.
Signed Trust Agreement Shows Trustee Appointment
The notarised trust document reportedly shows Jes Staley signed an amendment in May 2015 confirming his position as a trustee. Trustees are responsible for managing financial assets and making decisions about how funds are handled and distributed. According to the document, the trustees were formally recognised as part of Epstein’s estate management structure.
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The timing of the amendment has attracted attention because it occurred shortly before Barclays announced Staley as its next chief executive. Staley had been working at hedge fund BlueMountain Capital between 2013 and 2015 before moving to Barclays. The trust document suggests he remained connected to Epstein’s financial structures during this period.
Later versions of the trust were reportedly revised. A 2019 version of the trust document did not list Staley as a trustee. The changes suggest that his role was eventually removed from the estate’s management. However, the earlier agreement continues to draw scrutiny because of Staley’s previous legal statements about his involvement.
Court Testimony and Financial Conduct Authority Findings
During a legal battle with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, Jes Staley stated under oath that he declined Epstein’s request to act as a trustee. The testimony formed part of Staley’s attempt to challenge a lifetime ban from the financial industry imposed by the regulator over his relationship with Epstein.
In court, Jes Staley told barrister Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC that he had refused the trustee role when it was first offered while he was working at BlueMountain Capital. He said the decision supported his claim that his relationship with Epstein was professional rather than personal. He also stated that he did not inform Barclays about the trustee request because he had rejected it.
However, the UK Upper Tribunal later upheld the regulator’s ban. The tribunal ruled that Jes Staley failed to prove his case and stated he had shown serious failure of judgment. The release of the signed trust document has renewed interest in the case, as it appears to conflict with Staley’s earlier courtroom statements about rejecting the trustee role.
Long Relationship Between Jes Staley and Jeffrey Epstein Examined
Jes Staley has long said that his connection with Jeffrey Epstein was professional and that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal behaviour. Staley previously worked as a senior executive at JPMorgan Chase, where he was first introduced to Epstein as a banking client in the early 2000s.
Investigations have shown that Staley and Epstein exchanged more than one thousand emails over several years. The messages reportedly included discussions about Staley’s career, pay at JPMorgan, and advice regarding his daughter’s education. Some communications described Epstein as “family,” while other emails contained unusual references, including one message in which Staley reportedly wrote, “That was fun. Say hi to Snow White.”
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Jes Staley later told the court he could not recall the meaning of that message. He also stated he ended contact with Epstein before becoming Barclays chief executive. Earlier versions of Epstein’s will reportedly named Staley and former US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers as executors, though the final version removed their names.
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in 2008 and served a 13-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from a minor. He was arrested again in 2019 on separate sex trafficking charges and died in a New York prison while awaiting trial.
