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Lawmakers Introduce Epstein Wall Street Records Act Targeting Epstein-Connected Bankers
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and House representative Robert Garcia is introducing the Epstein Wall Street Records Act on Thursday, a bill to hold Wall Street bosses with Jeffrey Epstein connections accountable for helping finance the late sex offender's crimes.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 15, 2026
• 3 Min Read
The bill follows a months-long investigation into Epstein, the financier who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges. House Republican Thomas Massie is also backing the measure.
What the bill would do
If passed, the Epstein Wall Street Records Act would compel regulators including the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate "Epstein connected" financial firms and executives for potential breaches of banking, investment or illicit funding laws, and to fine or ban wrongdoers from the US financial sector.
The legislation would additionally require regulators to:
- •publicly disclose any records relating to Epstein and his associates
- •refer any potential criminal violations to the US justice department
Warren: banks and the administration won't act
Warren said Congress had to step in because neither the financial industry nor the federal government would police itself.
"Since the big banks won't hold themselves accountable – and the Trump administration won't either – Congress must act to force real transparency"
The senator has also condemned Barclays, the UK bank, for "dodging responsibility" over its failure to vet former boss Jes Staley's ties to Epstein. In July, Warren and a team of House Democrats wrote to Barclays chair Nigel Higgins asking how the bank had vetted its former chief executive and whether it had investigated "deficiencies" in its executive hiring process.
Barclays replied with a letter from its head of US government relations, Lance Williams, which Warren said was not sufficient. She argued that Barclays' lacklustre response illustrated why it was time for regulators to launch formal investigations into Wall Street's Epstein ties.
The Jes Staley case
Staley resigned from Barclays in November 2021, after UK regulators began investigating the true nature of his relationship with Epstein, whom he met in 2000 during his three-decade stint at JP Morgan.
The Financial Conduct Authority's investigation, triggered by a cache of more than 1,200 emails between the two men, concluded that the pair were "indeed close" and that their relationship went beyond a professional one. Staley was banned from the UK's financial sector in 2023 for playing down those ties, and failed to overturn that decision in a court battle last year.
The court proceedings included a revived 2010 message in which Staley wrote: "That was fun. Say hi to Snow White." He denied knowledge of the exchange during a UK court hearing. Proceedings also covered Staley's admission that he had sex with a member of Epstein's staff in New York, which he described as consensual.
After losing his legal challenge against the FCA, Staley said he was disappointed by the outcome but was "never dishonest".
Barclays' response
In his letter, Williams said Staley had "concealed information about his actions and the nature of his relationship with Mr Epstein", and that information unknown to the bank only came to light after his resignation.
Williams also noted that Barclays had relied on external executive search firms to recruit Staley in 2015, when he was "known for his accomplishments in the banking industry".
Barclays declined to comment. Staley's legal representatives were contacted for comment.
