American Express is expressing regret over one of its most infamous former cardholders. Newly released Justice Department documents reviewed by CBS News suggest Jeffrey Epstein used the company's in-house travel service for years to arrange international flights for multiple women and girls, largely from Eastern Europe, whose names and ages are redacted. The itineraries span at least 2012 to 2019—well after Epstein's 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution and before his 2019 arrest on sex-trafficking charges.
Emails in the cache appear to show Epstein's longtime assistant Lesley Groff working closely with Amex representatives, using an invitation-only "Black Card" to establish a dedicated "travel team" for his bookings. Messages describe ticket changes and visa questions for women flying from cities including Moscow and Warsaw to destinations such as New York, Paris, Miami, and Poland, sometimes with instructions about when Epstein wanted them to arrive at his home. A spokesperson said American Express "strongly condemns abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking," terminated Epstein's account after federal charges were brought, and "regret[s] having him as a customer," but did not answer questions about internal red flags or what it knew of his 2008 conviction.
- British police are investigating whether Epstein trafficked victims through UK airports on private flights, per the Guardian.
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