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Barclays Subpoenaed by U.S. Virgin Islands Over Connections to Late Sex Criminal Jeffrey Epstein

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  • The U.S. Virgin Islands served a subpoena to Barclays in the U.S. in February for a wealth of documents related to deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, CNBC confirmed.
  • The U.S. territory is in the process of issuing a similar one to the bank in the United Kingdom, the bank said.
  • That acknowledgement came four days after the British bank announced its CEO, Jes Staley, would quit following an investigation into his relationship with Epstein.

The U.S. Virgin Islands served a subpoena to Barclays in the U.S. for a wealth of documents related to deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, and it is set to issue a similar one in the United Kingdom, CNBC confirmed on Friday.

News of the subpoenas came four days after Barclays announced its CEO, Jes Staley, would quit following an investigation into his relationship with Epstein.

A Barclays spokesperson confirmed the British bank was served a subpoena in the U.S. and expects to receive one in the U.K., but did not say whether they were related to Epstein.

Barclays was served in New York in February on behalf of the attorney general of the U.S. territory, which previously sued Epstein's estate over allegations the late investor sexually abused women and young girls on his private islands there.

"Barclays has already provided its response to this subpoena and complied with its obligations," a spokesperson for the bank told CNBC.

The Virgin Islands "is now in the process of serving a similar subpoena on Barclays in the UK and Barclays will respond to that subpoena once it is served," the spokesperson said.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office for the district of the Virgin Islands did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the subpoenas.

The Virgin Islands' first subpoena to Barclays sought a range of materials related to Epstein-linked accounts, including transactions and investments, CNBC learned.

That subpoena also requested communications between Epstein and Staley, who agreed to step down from his role at Barclays after the company reviewed preliminary conclusions from an investigation into his relationship with the dead sex offender.

Barclays is understood to have responded to that subpoena and provided documents in April.

C.S. Venkatakrishnan, known as Venkat, replaced Staley as Barclays chief executive as of Monday, the bank said in a statement.

The probe, conducted by the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, did not find that Staley was aware of any alleged crimes committed by Epstein, the bank's statement noted.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on child sex trafficking charges but hanged himself a month later in a Manhattan federal jail.

A former friend of ex-presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Epstein's lengthy list of rich and powerful contacts has forced some of the world's highest-profile elites to explain their connections to him.

Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, for instance, expressed regret for the numerous meetings he had with Epstein.

 Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's many alleged victims, has accused Britain's Prince Andrew of having sex with her when she was underage after she had been recruited by Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. The prince denies the allegations.

Maxwell, a British socialite, is awaiting trial on charges of allegedly procuring young girls for Epstein. She has pleaded not guilty; her trial is set to begin Nov. 29.

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