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”.
Hellbound and Down 