2026年3月27日 / 美国东部时间晚上11:48 / CBS/美联社
根据周五提交的法庭文件，美国银行已就一起诉讼案达成7250万美元的和解协议，该诉讼指控这家金融巨头协助促成了被判有罪的性犯罪者杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的性交易运营。
这起诉讼于去年10月在纽约联邦法院提起，代表爱泼斯坦的所谓受害者。
诉讼称：”美国银行明知故犯地参与、协助、支持并促成了杰弗里·爱泼斯坦的性交易活动，为其及同伙提供银行和投资服务，同时美国银行无视危险信号，在合规和监管责任方面存在疏忽或不作为。”
法庭文件显示，美国银行在和解协议中”不承认责任”或”不当行为”。该协议仍需法官批准。
美国银行发言人周五晚些时候向哥伦比亚广播公司新闻表示：”尽管我们坚持在本案文件中提出的先前声明，包括美国银行并未协助性交易犯罪，但这项解决方案使我们能够将此事抛在身后，并为原告提供进一步的了结。”
该诉讼代表一名在法庭文件中仅被称为”Jane Doe”的女性及”所有情况类似的其他人”提起，称该女性2011年在俄罗斯生活时遇到爱泼斯坦，并被”胁迫进入类邪教的生活”。
文件称，从2011年至2019年，爱泼斯坦通过美国银行账户向她支付租金和虚假工作收入，期间她在经济、情感和心理上受到爱泼斯坦控制，而爱泼斯坦对她实施了至少100次性侵犯，包括强奸她并强迫她与其他女性发生性关系以满足其性快感。
诉讼还指控爱泼斯坦通过美国银行账户支付给她1700万美元，据说是用于”税务和遗产规划建议”。
本月早些时候的听证会上，代表黑尔的律师说服法官杰德·S·拉科夫将黑尔的证词推迟10天，理由是双方即将达成和解。
爱泼斯坦2019年8月在联邦监狱等待性交易指控审判期间死亡，死因被裁定为自杀。他因与富豪和有权势的男性有联系而闻名，诉讼称他利用这一点在对女性的攻击中占尽优势。
法律要求银行向联邦当局报告客户账户中的可疑活动，以标记潜在的犯罪活动，如洗钱或欺诈。诉讼指控美国银行直到2019年爱泼斯坦死后才提交可疑活动报告（SARs）。
美国司法部最近公布了数百万页与爱泼斯坦调查相关的执法部门文件，显示他在2008年因佛罗里达州州法院性犯罪指控被定罪后，仍与首席执行官、记者、科学家和著名政客保持定期联系。
Bank of America reaches $72.5 million settlement in Epstein lawsuit
March 27, 2026 / 11:48 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Bank of America has reached a $72.5 million settlement in a lawsuit that alleges the financial giant helped facilitate the sex trafficking operation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to court documents filed Friday.
The lawsuit was filed last October in New York federal court on behalf of alleged victims of Epstein.
It claims that “Bank of America knowingly and intentionally participated in, assisted, supported, and facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking venture by providing Jeffrey Epstein and his associates with banking and investment services while Bank of America ignored red flags and failed, or was otherwise negligent, in its compliance and regulatory responsibilities.”
Bank of America made “no admission of liability” or “wrongdoing” as part of the settlement, the court documents read. The deal must still be approved by a judge.
“While we stand by our prior statements made in the filings in this case, including that Bank of America did not facilitate sex trafficking crimes, this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs,” a Bank of America spokesperson told CBS News in a statement late Friday.
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of a woman identified in court papers only as Jane Doe and “all others similarly situated,” said the woman was living in Russia when she met Epstein in 2011 and was “coerced into a cult-like life.”
It said she was paid by Epstein through a Bank of America account as she was controlled “financially, emotionally, and psychologically” by Epstein from 2011 through 2019 as he sexually abused her on at least 100 occasions, including raping her and forcing her to engage sexually with other women for his sexual gratification.
The lawsuit alleged that Epstein paid her rent and income from a phony job through a Bank of America account, and held her immigration status “over her head, until her ultimate escape when Jeffrey Epstein died.”
The lawsuit also focused on billionaire financier Leon Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management. Though not a defendant in the lawsuit, Black was described as a “critical witness” in the case by Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Epstein victims.
The lawsuit accused the bank of ignoring $170 million Black paid from a Bank of America account to Epstein purportedly for “tax and estate planning advice.”
During a hearing earlier this month, a lawyer for Black persuaded Judge Jed S. Rakoff to postpone Black’s deposition for 10 days on the grounds that the parties were close to settling.
Epstein died in a federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. He was known for his connections with wealthy and powerful men, and the lawsuit said he used it to his advantage in his attacks on women.
Banks are required by law to report suspicious activity in customer accounts to federal authorities in order to flag potential criminal activity, such as money laundering or fraud. The lawsuit alleged that Bank of America failed to file suspicious activity reports, known as SARs, until after Epstein’s death in 2019.
The recent Justice Department release of millions of pages of documents from law enforcement probes of Epstein show he had regular contact with CEOs, journalists, scientists and prominent politicians long after his 2008 conviction in state court in Florida on sex crimes charges.
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