Alleged Epstein survivor sues Charlotte-based Bank of America for sex trafficking

An alleged victim of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is suing Charlotte-based Bank of America and another bank in New York claiming they financially supported his sex trafficking operations for years.

The woman, identified as “Jane Doe,” filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of other victims Wednesday against Bank of America in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The suits are brought under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, federal anti-sex trafficking statutes, and common-law tort claims under New York law.

A similar case was filed concurrently against Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

The lawsuit alleges that the banks provided the late financier Epstein and his associates with essential financial services and lent them an air of legitimacy, which aided their international sex-trafficking operation. In exchange, the banks benefited from their relationship with Epstein, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit alleges that Bank of America knew of Epstein’s activities but “chose profits over protecting victims.” The victims accuse the bank of failing to file required reports that could have alerted authorities to Epstein’s crimes.

Bank of America declined to comment on the case.

In a statement, BNY told The Charlotte Observer: “The claims in the lawsuit are meritless, and we will vigorously defend against it.”

From the early 1990s through the summer of 2019, Epstein allegedly ran a sex-trafficking ring.

With help from employees and associates, Epstein was accused of creating a network to abuse and exploit victims in multiple states and countries. They allegedly recruited, pressured and arranged for victims to be sexually abused at Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida, and on his private island, according to federal prosecutors when he was arrested in July 2019. Epstein was accused of sexually abusing many victims and forced them to engage in sex in exchange for money, housing, and promises of help with education or careers, according to the federal indictment.

Doe says she was one of those victims, according to the lawsuit. She says she met Epstein while living in Russia and claims he sexually abused her on at least 100 occasions. Doe was paid repeatedly by Epstein during this time.

“As part of the venture, Epstein used means of force, threats of force, fraud, coercion, abuse of legal process, and a combination of these means to cause young women and girls from all over the world to engage in commercial sex acts and to sexually abuse them,” according to Doe’s lawsuit.

Epstein’s crimes first came to light in Florida in 2006, where authorities discovered he had abused more than 30 children. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to two felonies and served a jail sentence, though a secret agreement with federal prosecutors allowed him to avoid more serious charges.

Years later, in 2019, Epstein was charged again in New York with sex trafficking and conspiracy. He was arrested but died in jail a month later, in what was ruled a suicide, before he could stand trial.

From the early 2000s through 2019, there were more than 4,700 wire transfers totaling over $1.08 billion involving Epstein and his associates at large banks such as Bank of America, according to the suit.

In 2013, Doe opened a Bank of America account under the direction of Epstein’s associates as part of a plan to defraud immigration officials, the suit claims. She was told she would be added to the payroll of a fake company, with payments coming from one of Jeffrey Epstein’s Bank of America accounts.

In December 2015, Epstein’s employees deposited seven months’ worth of rent into Jane Doe’s Bank of America account, according to the suit.

Then, in April 2016, Richard Kahn, an Epstein associate, handled Jane Doe’s taxes and ensured she had sufficient funds from Epstein in her Bank of America account to pay them.

The lawsuits seek to represent all women who were abused or trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein or his associates while he held accounts at Bank of America.

In the BNY lawsuit, the victim states the bank helped Epstein by moving $378 million for his trafficking operation and provided him and his associates with banking services, making the scheme appear legitimate. In return, BNY reaped financial benefits and gained connections to wealthy clients, the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint alleges that BNY ignored warning signs, especially after Epstein’s crimes became known. It also accuses the bank of breaking federal and state laws by failing to report suspicious activity and not following required anti-money laundering rules.

The victims are seeking a jury trial and financial damages for the physical, emotional, and other harm they suffered, though a specific amount was not disclosed in the lawsuits.

More than 19,000 people are employed by Bank of America in the Charlotte region, part of 213,000 workers across the company. As of June, it had $2.6 trillion in assets and is the second-largest bank in the country.

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. is a global financial institution headquartered in New York. The bank’s revenue was $5.1 billion, according to its 2025 third-quarter report.

The investigation into Epstein did not end with his 2019 death. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in 2020 on charges of helping him abuse girls. U.S. lawmakers have continued to investigate Epstein’s activities and finances, as his case drew attention to both the crimes and to those who may have facilitated them.

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