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US prosecutors reviewed allegations of rape and bodily harm against the former Barclays boss and former JP Morgan banker Jes Staley, according to newly unsealed files linked to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Multiple documents in the Epstein files cite serious allegations of sexual misconduct against Staley, including that he forced a woman to touch his genitals during a massage before raping her, and left “bloody marks” on the arms of a woman he called “tinkerbell”.
The bulk of the allegations are revealed in what appears to be a confidential 86-page internal memo produced by prosecutors and addressed to Geoffrey S Berman, then US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The memo, titled “Investigation into Potential Co-Conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein” and dated 19 December 2019, summarised interviews with victims, witnesses and subjects of its investigation.
There is no evidence that prosecutors decided to pursue the allegations. Staley, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, did not respond to requests for comment made over several months, either directly or via his lawyers. He has never been charged with a crime related to the allegations.
During a UK court hearing in 2025, Staley admitted to having sex with a member of Epstein’s staff in New York, but agreed with a lawyer during cross-examination that he would describe the intercourse as “consensual”.
The memo refers to one woman’s recollection of events that allegedly occurred “in or around 2011 or 2012”. It says: “Epstein instructed [redacted] to provide a massage to Jes Staley in Epstein’s New York residence. [Redacted] attempted to give him an ordinary massage, but he forced [redacted] to touch his genitals and then raped [redacted].
“Afterwards, [redacted] complained to Epstein, who said he left it to [redacted] and Staley to decide whether to engage in sex. After this incident, [redacted] began to distance herself from Epstein.”
This allegation was included in a section labelled: “Interviews of Victims Who Were Abused As Adults”.
A separate section of the memo again cites allegations against Staley and another financier, Leon Black. “[Redacted] recalled Epstein asking her to massage Leon Black and Jes Staley, both of whom engaged in sexual contact with her against her will during the massages. Moreover, according to [redacted], when she complained to Epstein about the sexual contact, he laughed and told [redacted] that it was up to her whether to engage in sex during those massages.”
The final 15 pages of the document, which summarises potential charges and evidence against some of Epstein’s associates and employees, is heavily redacted. It is not clear whether Staley or Black were interviewed or made aware of the investigation.
A lawyer representing Leon Black said: “Mr Black asked for an independent investigation of his relationship with Epstein. The Dechert law firm investigated and reviewed more than 60,000 documents, interviewed more than 20 people and concluded that Mr Black paid Epstein for estate planning and tax advice and that he had no awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities. Of the three civil lawsuits filed against Mr Black, one has been dismissed, the other withdrawn and the other is currently facing a case terminating motion for sanctions. There is absolutely no truth to any of the allegations against Mr Black.”
Epstein, once a well-connected financier, used “massages” as a method to groom and sexually abuse teenage girls. He initially pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in the early 2000s, and was subsequently handed an 18-month jail sentence in 2008. He died in prison in August 2019 died in while awaiting trial over child sex trafficking charges.
Allegations against Staley were also discussed in an internal email between two staff members from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on 14 December 2019, the files reveal. That was sent five days before the 86-page internal memo appears to have been produced. “Don’t know if you caught this but one of the non/minor Epstein victims alleges that Jes Staley (reads in memo as “Jess Daily”) raped her during a massage. P. 31,” the email reads.
A separate document in the files marked “CONFIDENTIAL FOR ATTORNEY’S EYES ONLY”, but undated, suggests a victim was left with body marks after an interaction with the former Barclays boss. “The disgusting Mr. staley if anyone ever calls me tinkerbell again I will lose my mind. He left bloody marks on my arms from his belt and thought he had had the right to call me that when he has ears as big as a dumbo. I should have called him that in return!”
Staley was involved in an exchange with Epstein referring to Disney princesses from 9 to 10 July 2010, details of which have been circulating in the media since 2021. In those emails Staley tells Epstein: “That was fun. Say hi to Snow White.”
“What character would you like next?” Epstein laters asks, to which Staley replied: “Beauty and the Beast.” Epstein responded: “Well one side is availble [sic].”
A UK court last year heard that Staley had denied knowledge of this exchange, saying “I, honest to God, when I went through the emails I have no idea what this refers to. I have no idea who Snow White is.”
Newly unsealed documents show that there was another email sent to Epstein by an unnamed individual, also on 10 July 2010, saying “the snow white was f..ed twice as soon as she put her costume))”.
The Epstein files also show Epstein asked an unnamed individual to buy a Snow White costume weeks before that exchange with Staley, on 20 June 2010. “brett ratner ,is going to film a big movie„ Snow White, i would love to take photos of you in a snow white costume. you can get it from the costume store”. “Will get it!”, the recipient replies.
Staley’s reputation has been tarnished as a result of his well-documented friendship with the child sex offender.
Staley originally met Epstein in 2000 after he became head of JP Morgan’s private bank, where Epstein was a client. Staley later took over as chief executive of one of the UK’s largest banks, Barclays, in 2015 but was forced to step down in 2021 after City regulators launched an investigation into his relationship with Epstein.
Staley was eventually banned from taking any job in the UK’s financial sector for playing down those ties. He tried and failed to overturn that banking ban last year in a court battle that revealed intimate details of the pair’s friendship.
The Epstein files have thrown up more recent exchanges from June 2023, including a memo produced by US attorneys’ offices representing different districts of New York, following a call with a lawyer representing Epstein victims.
The emailed memo suggests that DANY – probably New York County District Attorney’s Office – “do not doubt her allegations against JE and LB,” believed to refer to Jeffrey Epstein and Leon Black. “They believe she was also abused by Staley. They have not found any independent corroboration,” it says. The lawyer is said to be representing an unnamed victim “in connection with civil claims related to JE and any other individuals related, Black/Staley. And also in connection with criminal matters”.
The US Department of Justice, which coordinates responses on behalf of the US attorneys’ offices, did not respond to requests for comment.
