Epstein negotiated bank settlement for $25 million fee, documents show

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein brokered a deal that resolved a federal investigation into the Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild, securing a $25 million fee for himself. Documents reveal Epstein's role in negotiating a settlement where the bank paid $45.5 million to the IRS and $25 million to him.

Epstein's ability to tap his network of wealthy and powerful patrons for personal gain was evident in this transaction. He communicated the deal's terms in a December 2015 email, noting the total cost was "pretty good" at less than $80 million.

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All less than 80 [million dollars] pretty good

This development comes as Kathy Ruemmler, a former Obama White House attorney who represented the bank in the negotiations, is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee. Her documented ties to Epstein are under scrutiny.

Details from the Justice Department's Swiss Bank Program investigation, launched in August 2013, shed light on Epstein's methods. He appeared to combine expertise with relationship brokering, achieving immense wealth through minimal work. Epstein was introduced to Ariane de Rothschild, the bank's leader, in 2013 by a mutual friend. Despite being a registered sex offender after his 2011 release from incarceration and house arrest, Epstein maintained a full social and business calendar. Those who knew him said his continued association with academics, financiers, and diplomats lent him a veneer of respectability, allowing them to overlook his past crimes. However, his criminal charges had led to the loss of a key client, retail magnate Leslie Wexner.

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