Seth Udinski, FISM News
As the banking sector continues to face volatility on Wall Street, two major banks may be in even deeper trouble, as a Manhattan judge ordered JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank to face any impending lawsuits related to the murky Jeffery Epstein sex trafficking scandal, according to yesterday’s reports from Reuters.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rankoff said the banks must face accountability for knowingly holding Epstein on their client list, even after he was convicted of rampant sexual abuse, prostitution, and human trafficking.
According to CNBC, Epstein had banked with JPMorgan from 1998 to 2013. Reuters reports he used Deutsche Bank from 2013 to 2018.
Brad Edwards, the attorney who represents numerous victims of Epstein’s sex ring, said that the banks played a major role in abetting the now infamous crimes of the former highly-connected financier.
Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation was impossible without the assistance of JPMorgan Chase, and later Deutsche Bank. And we assure the public that we will leave no stone unturned in our quest for justice for the many victims who deserved better from one of America’s largest financial institutions. To my knowledge, it’s the first time a class of victims can pursue sex trafficking cases against two major financial institutions. Complicity of the banks was a necessary ingredient of Epstein’s abuses, and this provides a final layer of accountability.
Judge Rankoff ruled that JPMorgan “negligently failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent physical harm.”
The Epstein case, as previously reported by FISM News, is shrouded in mystery and controversy. In 2019, while awaiting trial in New York City, Epstein allegedly committed suicide in his jail cell, but many Americans believe he was murdered in a conspiracy coverup to prevent him from indicting the many high-profile politicians and celebrities he fraternized with, including the Clinton political dynasty and Bill Gates.
Earlier this year, Ghislaine Maxwell, a close friend of Epstein and also a convicted sex trafficker, said she believes Epstein was murdered in jail.
Author’s Biblical Analysis
Looking beyond the obvious and reprehensible sins of sexual deviancy, human trafficking, and abuse, there is a poignant lesson for Christians here regarding the futile efforts we so often make to “cover our tracks.” When we sin, we so often become hell-bent on making sure that our sin remains secret, to protect us from accountability, embarrassment, or shame.
But friends, you must remember this: Your sins will always find you out.
JP Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank may be on the cusp of realizing this truth firsthand in the coming months, in the form of legal action taken by the victims of the Epstein ring.
Furthermore, in my personal opinion, I would not be surprised to find out that Epstein’s “business associates” and high-powered political companions also realized this truth in 2019 and, like King David did to Uriah 3,000 years ago (2 Samuel 12), resorted to the ultimate method of silence to keep their sins hidden. We may never know.
But lest we get too high and mighty pointing out the sins of others, let us think soberly about our own sinful plight in this situation. We are all guilty; not only of innumerable sins but of insistent efforts to cover up those sins.
I hope you can see the sinister nature of the power of sin. In the case of King David, he resorted to the “ultimate sin” (at least in human terms), the taking of another person’s life, to cover up his “initial sin” of adultery.
Sin begets sin. Very often, in order for sin to be “covered up,” it requires the perpetrator to commit further, and sometimes more reprehensible, offenses than the original infraction.
But friends, we can never “cover-up” our sins. They are always known to God, regardless of their secrecy to human eyes and human ears.
Instead of “covering up” your sin, let me urge you to repent of your sin. You cannot cover it up. But friends, there was Someone who made the perfect sacrifice to eternally cover your sin, so that you are now clothed in righteousness.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. – Isaiah 61:10
Find freedom from your sin in Jesus Christ. Your sins make you worthy of eternal death, but if you are covered by the blood of Christ, that death penalty has been paid. Turn from your sin and find true life in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ – John 8:10-11