Findings from Recent Department of Justice Files:
(Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Clayton Rose, Karen Mills, Barry Mills, and Alexa Staley)
February 12, 2026 / Updated February 19 / Contact
(From: Jeffrey Epstein)
(To: Jes Staley ‘79 P ‘11)
(Sent: October 24, 2010 at 11:41 AM)
“I just tried calling. The ME news seems to fit a pattern.”
(From: Jes Staley)
(To: Jeffrey Epstein)
(Sent: October 20, 2010 at 9:03 PM)
“Surprisee surprise.”
(From Jeffrey Epstein)
(To: Jes Staley)
(Sent: March 23, 2011 at 4:26 PM)
“Thanks”
(From: Jes Staley)
(To: Jeffrey Epstein)
(Sent: March 23, 2011 at 12:21 PM)
Fwd: “Against all odds, we have been granted a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu."
(From: Roy Navon)
(To: Jacob Frenkel and Jes Staley)
(Sent: March 23, 2011 at 12:00 PM)
“please send your brothers email address,, boris would like to meet up with him re african american gays”
[Peter Staley and Boris Nicolic]
(From: Jeffrey Epstein)
(To: Jes Staley)
(Sent: Jul 20, 2011 at 10:10 PM)
Alexa at college. I will call this
afternoon to catch up. Enjoy the island."
(From: Jes Staley)
(To: Jeffrey Epstein)
(Sent: October 24, 2010 at 6:22 PM)
“i want to talk to sen mitchell tomorrow.”
[Senator George Mitchell ’54, H’83]
(From: Jeffrey Epstein)
(To: [Redacted])
(Sent: October 25, 2010 at 1:25 AM)
"But more importantly, I write this because Alexa and I know what you did to allow her to follow her dreams."
(From: Jes Staley)
(To: Jeffrey Epstein)
(Sent: March 24, 2013 at 7:11 PM)
"It seems like Alexa had a fantastic time in Vancouver. Thanks my friend. =he [she] is a pretty cute physicist, no."
(From: Jes Staley)
(To: Jeffrey Epstein)
(Sent: March 20, 2014 at 3:31 PM)
“There is a link and password below. This is what you helped to m=ke happen.”
(From: Jes Staley)
(To: Jeffrey Epstein)
(Sent: Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 11:43 PM)
Fwd:
“Alexa was just fantastic!!!
Smart, clear and her project sounds incredible. [...]
So good to see you in NYC.”
(From: Karen Mills)
(To: Jes Staley, Cc: Barry Mills)
(Sent: April 24, 2015 at 4:45 PM)
“Wiggins said in her accompanying witness statement that when she travelled with Staley on a trip to his alma mater Bowdoin College in 2019 - where he was trying to reassure the board of trustees over his ties to Epstein - she was not aware the sex offender had been invited to the graduation of Staley's daughter in 2015.” (The Financial Times, 2025)
Clayton Rose, who would later become Bowdoin College's fifteenth president at Staley's direction, served as Chairman of the Board of Managers of Highbridge Capital Management from 2007 to 2010 — the same fund whose acquisition paid Epstein a $15 million brokerage fee. Lawsuits filed in 2023 allege that in 2012, Highbridge's private jet was used to transport children for Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
On June 30, 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida State Court to soliciting prostitution and procurement of a minor. He was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment followed by 12 months of house arrest. Before this, after Epstein's 2006 indictment for sexual offenses involving minors, Staley had visited him. According to FCA documents, Epstein "adamantly denies the ages."
Staley remained in contact by email while Epstein was imprisoned. On July 11, 2008: "I miss you, the world is in a tough place. Hang in there." On July 12, referencing his boat and Epstein's private island: "18 months until she is anchored in front of St Jeff. I hope we can talk this week." On July 16: "I hope you're managing. I miss our calls. Its boring without you around? Do you have any books yet?" On July 31: "Just think of the island and my boat anchored in front. I do." On August 3: "Just thinking about you." On August 4: "Hang in there. Keep thinking of the Island." On August 15: "We all miss you." On September 11, 2008: "Thinking of you there, with what I see, it is so unfair. Hang in there please." Between 2008 and 2012, Staley exchanged over 1,200 emails with Epstein, seeking his counsel on compensation negotiations with Jamie Dimon, internal politics regarding his promotion to Investment Bank CEO, and business initiatives including China expansion and Middle East deals. On August 23, 2012: "I can't tell you how much your friendship has meant to me. Thank you deeply for the last few weeks. All will be fine, and we have a physicist in the family. To my most cherished friend, Jes."
On October 24, 2010, Epstein wrote to Staley: "Im on island. wife of Bowden pres, in trouble." This referred to Karen Mills, wife of then-Bowdoin President Barry Mills, who was serving as Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration under President Obama. Staley responded: "I just landed after visiting Alexa at college. I will call this afternoon to catch up." In December 2010, Staley wrote: "Scheduled dinner on Little St Jeffs on Jan 21st."
In March 2011, Roy Navon, JPMorgan's senior country officer for Israel, wrote to Jacob Frenkel (former Bank of Israel governor and JPMorgan International chairman) and Staley: "Against all odds, we have been granted a meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu." Staley forwarded the note to Epstein with "Thanks." Epstein replied "surprisee surprise." The meeting took place on March 23, 2011 at JPMorgan's Israel office, with Staley, Netanyahu, Navon, Frenkel, and Epstein present. The subject was Israel's Leviathan offshore gas field, then under legislative debate on taxation. JPMorgan financed Leviathan in 2016, a multi-billion dollar deal. During the same period, former Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak consulted with Epstein on securing international backers for Leviathan. Email exchanges between Epstein and Barak included references to Mossad. An FBI memo released in the January 2026 DOJ files noted that a source believed Epstein was a "co-opted Mossad Agent." Separately, in 2009, Staley met Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of DP World in Dubai, through Epstein. Bin Sulayem later became Epstein's bridge to Israel-UAE relations before the Abraham Accords of 2020.
In May 2011, Staley attended a meeting at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse with Bill Gates, Larry Summers, and Boris Nikolic. Epstein pitched a $100 billion donor-advised fund with JPMorgan as administrator, asking for ten percent of JPMorgan's profits. By October 2011, Epstein wrote to Staley: "the daf is dying. due to cross purposes." Summers, the former Harvard president, exchanged over 1,200 emails with Epstein between 2013 and 2019, seeking his advice on Harvard projects, politics, and his personal life. Epstein described himself as Summers' "pretty good wing man." Summers took leave from Harvard in late 2025 after these emails were released.
Glenn Dubin and Henry Swieca founded Highbridge Capital Management.
1998:
Jeffrey Epstein introduced Jes Staley to Glenn Dubin at Highbridge.
March 2004:
Staley wrote a memo to JP Morgan executives proposing their Highbridge acquisition, explicitly citing Epstein as a "founding investor" and the reason JP Morgan had access to the deal.
Late 2004:
JP Morgan acquired a majority stake in Highbridge for $1.3 billion (Epstein received a $I5 million fee for "brokering this deal).
2008:
Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
2007 to 2010:
Clayton Rose was Chairman of the Board of Managers of Highbridge Capital Management.
2012:
Lawsuits filed in 2023 allege Highbridge's private jet was used to transport children for Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
2013:
Staley left JP Morgan.
2015:
"As a trustee of Bowdoin College, [Staley] helped install as president Clayton S. Kose, a longtime friend who was seen as an unconventional candidate because he didn't have tenure and had spent 20 years in banking before starting a second career in academia." (NYT, 2017)
In 2012, Staley was named "successor executor" of Epstein's estate. In 2013, he was promoted to "co-executor." In 2014, Summers was added as successor executor. In Epstein's final 2019 will, Boris Nikolic was named successor executor; he stated he "fainted" upon learning of his inclusion and called it "absolutely a retaliatory move." In 2014, Staley simultaneously chaired Bowdoin's Investment Committee and held the co-executor role over an estate valued at over $600 million.
Between 2010 and 2012, Epstein helped Staley's daughter, a Bowdoin graduate, with graduate school admissions at Columbia. Epstein arranged meetings with Nobel laureate Richard Axel and Columbia faculty. A Columbia development officer wrote that GRE scores were "not to worry," with Epstein reassuring Staley by noting, "john kluge gave 4 billion to the school." The Wall Street Journal revealed in June 2023 that Epstein offered to help with admission to a Columbia Ph.D. program and invited Staley to meetings at Davos in 2011 with Columbia President Lee Bollinger. Staley forwarded an email from "Uncle Jeffrey" to his daughter and invited Epstein to her 2015 Columbia graduation.
Staley served as a Bowdoin College trustee from 2007 to 2021 and chaired the Investment Committee from at least 2007 to 2014. When President Barry Mills announced his departure in April 2014, Staley chaired the presidential search committee. Clayton Rose was selected and began his presidency in July 2015. The New York Times reported in 2017 that Staley "helped install as president Clayton S. Rose, a longtime friend who was seen as an unconventional candidate because he didn't have tenure and had spent 20 years in banking before starting a second career in academia."
In September 2019, following Epstein's arrest in July and death in August, Staley learned that Bowdoin intended to publish an article about Epstein and trustee connections. He created "Bowdoin College Talking Points" claiming "limited contact" with Epstein after 2008. The FCA found that these talking points "demonstrate that Mr Staley was consistently misstating the position as to his relationship with Mr Epstein, in particular downplaying the closeness and extent of their connection." Staley wanted Barclays involved in preparing the Bowdoin response because he believed the same information would be needed for the FCA inquiry.
On October 8, 2019, Barclays Chairman Nigel Higgins sent a letter to the FCA, approved by Staley, stating: "Jes has confirmed to us that he did not have a close relationship with Mr. Epstein, and he is resolute that at no time did he see anything that would have suggested or revealed any aspect of the conduct that has been the subject of recent allegations. Jes' last contact with Mr. Epstein was well before he joined Barclays in 2015." The FCA found that Staley "was expressly asked to confirm that the language was fair and accurate. Mr Staley confirmed he was comfortable with the language and in doing so recklessly approved its content." In November 2019, JPMorgan informed the FCA of documents on the Epstein-Staley relationship. The FCA opened a formal investigation in December 2019.
Bowdoin investigated Staley's Epstein relationship in September 2019 and decided he should remain a trustee. Clayton Rose stated: "There was nothing in Jes Staley's actions or behavior that would warrant any action on the part of the board at this time, and he remains a trustee." He also declared that Staley represented "all that is great about Bowdoin and the culture and the values here." Bloomberg reported in 2023 that Staley was accused in a lawsuit of having "personally observed" sexual abuse by Epstein, with whom he allegedly had a "profound" friendship. The Senate Committee on Finance reported on September 25, 2025 that Staley testified under oath that he alerted Dimon to Epstein's 2008 guilty plea. In 2023, nearly two years after Staley resigned from Barclays and Bowdoin's board, Rose issued his first apology, claiming he was "clearly wrong" — only after additional Staley-Epstein communications were released publicly.
Staley resigned from Barclays in October 2021 after receiving the FCA's preliminary conclusions. The FCA issued a Decision Notice on May 30, 2023, finding breaches of ICR 1 (integrity), ICR 3 (openness with regulators), and SMCR 4 (appropriate disclosure). On June 26, 2025, the Upper Tribunal upheld the decision in James Edward Staley v. The Financial Conduct Authority, [2025] UKUT 00203 (TCC). The penalty was £1,812,800 and a permanent bar from senior management functions. The core finding: "the Authority considered that Mr Staley had recklessly and with a lack of integrity approved a letter being sent to the Authority on 8 October 2019 that contained misleading statements, as to the nature of his relationship with Mr Jeffrey Epstein and as to the time that they were last in contact."