By Zack Linly
Denise George, the now-former attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, has been fired days after she filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase in New York that alleged the company of aiding Jeffrey Epstein in the illegal exploitation and sex trafficking of women and children. So far, the Virgin Islands’ governor has not given any clear reason for George’s sudden dismissal, so you already know the fine folks on social media are filling in the blanks by suggesting Epstein is still being protected posthumously by elites who are invested in keeping a lid on the Epstein rabbit hole, and, well—maybe.
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. did not provide a reason for relieving George of her duties in a statement Sunday, saying only that she would be replaced by Assistant Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs.
Governor spokesman Richard Motta did not return a message for comment, nor did executive assistant to the attorney general Jennifer Springette.
In the lawsuit filed against JPMorgan Chase on Dec. 27, the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands alleges the company “knowingly facilitated, sustained, and concealed the human trafficking network operated by Jeffrey Epstein from his home and base in the Virgin Islands, and financially benefited from this participation, directly or indirectly, by failing to comply with federal banking regulations.”
It also alleges that the company concealed wire and cash transactions.
“Human trafficking was the principal business of the accounts Epstein maintained at JP Morgan,” the lawsuit reads. “JP Morgan turned a blind eye to evidence of human trafficking over more than a decade because of Epstein’s own financial footprint, and because of the deals and clients that Epstein brought and promised to bring to the bank.”
As a person who believes most modern conspiracy theorists possess all the depth and critical thinking capabilities of a bag of hammer handles with no hammerheads, even I can see the timing of George’s firing is suspicious to say the absolute least. And on social media, even far-fetched conspiracy theories are like wack-a-mole arcade games on steroids, so, obviously, the fine folks on Twitter had a field day with the not-so-far-fetched idea that George’s firing was about silencing her and nothing more.
On Dec. 30, JPMorgan Chase asked that a federal judge throw out lawsuits filed by two unidentified women alleging that big banks should have seen evidence of Epstein’s sex trafficking. The bank also said it didn’t commit any negligent acts.
The lawsuit that George filed against JPMorgan Chase comes after Epstein’s estate reached the $105 million settlement with the U.S. Virgin Island’s government in late November.
The Virgin Islands Daily News, a local newspaper, reported that Epstein had made various donations to schools and organizations across the U.S. territory, and that the island’s former first lady was the office manager for one of his companies, Southern Trust. It also noted that Bryan, the governor, had granted Epstein’s company various hefty tax exemptions when he served as chairman of the Economic Development Commission.
So, if none of this had anything to do with George’s firing, then why was she fired? And why are Virgin Island officials being so hush-hush about it?
