BNP Paribas Hit With Subpoena Seeking to Trace Epstein Funds

(Bloomberg) -- BNP Paribas is the latest bank to be subpoenaed about Jeffrey Epstein’s finances as part of an effort by the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands to locate and recover money for the late financier’s sex abuse victims.

Attorney General Denise George on Sept. 30 sent a subpoena to the Paris-based bank’s New York office seeking “documents and information” as part of a suit she filed against Epstein’s estate and six related companies in January. Epstein, who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, had a private island in the U.S. territory where he took many of his abuse victims.

The subpoena gives BNP 30 days to locate and produce documents linked to Epstein and his estate as well as more than 30 entities George’s office says are tied to him.

Keely Gispan, a spokeswoman for BNP in New York, declined to comment on the document request.

George’s suit alleges violation of the territory’s civil racketeering law and sought forfeiture of Epstein’s private island in the territory, restitution for his victims and unspecified damages.

In July, George’s office subpoenaed several U.S.-based financial companies, including Wells Fargo & Co. and Citigroup Inc., as well as Israel’s Bank Leumi to try to trace Epstein’s money.

In addition to the racketeering lawsuit, authorities on the island have also said they are conducting a criminal investigation into whether Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell participated in his sex-trafficking ring. Maxwell was arrested in July in a separate probe involving similar charges brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial next year.

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