Corporate Compliance and Human Trafficking

CBS News, drawing on hundreds of travel documents in the newly released DOJ Epstein files, reports that Jeffrey Epstein used American Express’ elite card and in‑house travel agency from at least 2012 to 2019 to book international flights for multiple women and girls, largely from Russia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia and Ukraine, even after his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor. Emails show Epstein’s longtime assistant Lesley Groff coordinating with Amex’s 'travel team' on his Black Card, arranging itineraries so specific women could reach his New York residence or other destinations on the schedule he wanted. In one 2018 exchange, an Amex-booked ticket for a woman flying from Moscow to Paris came with instructions that 'Jeffrey wants her at the house around noon,' underscoring how tightly bookings were tied to his movements. American Express, which says it terminated his account after federal charges were brought in 2019, issued a statement condemning abuse and human trafficking, saying it 'regrets having him as a customer' and that it has since updated its controls, but did not address why a convicted sex offender remained a high‑end client for years. The reporting fuels a growing online backlash over how many financial and travel institutions continued to serve Epstein long after his conviction and whether their anti‑trafficking and suspicious‑activity systems were more cosmetic than real.