Former JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive Jes Staley has faced his first day of testimony about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as part of lawsuits alleging the bank enabled the late financier’s sex-trafficking.

Staley arrived at the New York offices of law firm Boies Schiller Flexner on Saturday morning with his attorney Brendan Sullivan for a deposition, which concluded later that afternoon.

The 66-year-old has kept a low profile since his relationship with Epstein came under intense scrutiny, forcing him to step down as the chief executive office of Barclays Plc in 2021.

He is scheduled to face a second day of deposition Sunday after being embroiled in allegations he knew and potentially participated in Epstein’s sex trafficking. Staley, who became the Barclays chief two years after leaving JPMorgan in 2013, has previously denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sex crimes.

Staley was deposed by lawyers for Jane Doe, an unnamed woman suing JPMorgan for financially benefiting from Epstein’s conduct, and the US Virgin Islands, which filed a similar lawsuit against the bank. The former private banking head managed Epstein’s accounts before JPMorgan cut ties with the financier in 2013.

In a bid to pin the liability on Staley, JPMorgan filed its own suit against the former employee earlier this year, accusing him of misleadingly vouching for Epstein when executives were debating whether to retain him as a client.

Boies Schiller and Flexner is one of two firms representing Jane Doe and other Epstein victims.

Author: Ava Benny-Morrison