Former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has formally denied engaging in sexual activity with a woman dressed as Snow White. The denial came during a closed-door interview with US lawmakers last month, as part of an ongoing investigation into his long-standing relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex-trafficking charges.
The questioning centered on a series of email exchanges from July 2010. In messages that have been public since 2021, Staley wrote to Epstein on July 9, 2010, stating, “That was fun. Say hi to Snow White.” Epstein replied by asking, “What character would you like next?” to which Staley suggested, “Beauty and the Beast.” Epstein then responded, “Well one side is availble [sic].”
During his testimony, Staley—who spent over three decades at JPMorgan Chase before leading Barclays in 2015—was confronted with a separate email sent to Epstein by an unnamed individual on July 10, 2010. That message claimed, “the snow white was f..ed twice as soon as she put her costume)).” Records indicate Epstein had requested an associate to purchase a Snow White costume on June 20, 2010, weeks before these exchanges.
When asked by a congressional representative why such an email would be sent if he had not been involved, Staley maintained his innocence. “I have no idea who else she was with. I – it has nothing to do with me, though,” he stated. He conceded he might have seen a woman in a costume at Epstein’s apartment, potentially prompting his own email, but insisted he was not involved in any sexual encounter with her.
The representative challenged this account, noting the timing of the emails was a “pretty incredible coincidence.” Staley reiterated his position, telling the committee, “That’s correct,” when asked if he had sent the “That was fun” message without having had sex with the woman. He also denied allegations that he and Epstein utilized Disney princess characters as code names to select women for sexual encounters.
Staley’s professional standing has been severely impacted by his association with Epstein, whom he first met in 2000 while serving as head of JPMorgan’s private bank. After moving to Barclays in 2015, Staley was forced to resign in 2021 following an investigation by UK regulators into his ties with the financier.
The fallout from these connections led to a formal ban preventing Staley from holding senior positions in the UK financial sector. He unsuccessfully attempted to challenge this regulatory ban in court last year, a legal battle that brought further scrutiny to the intimate details of his friendship with Epstein. The report also notes that where Epstein was a client, staley originally met Epstein in 2000 after he became head of JP Morgan’s private bank. The report also notes that staley was eventually banned from taking any job in the UK’s financial sector for playing down those ties.
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