FBI Whistleblower Accused U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick of Fraud, Money Laundering and More

When U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was questioned at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing earlier this month, the focus was on his personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Lutnick walked back statements he had previously made and revealed he and his family had visited Epstein on his private island.

But the Epstein files contain much more damaging information about Lutnick, who was Epstein’s New York City next door neighbor for more than 20 years. Les Wexner, the billionaire behind Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch, originally owned both buildings. Wexner has recently come under scrutiny for his decades-long business dealings with Epstein.

Lutnick also had a long-time business relationship with Epstein, including an investment contract signed in 2012 for a digital ad company called AdFin Solutions. Lutnick signed on behalf of an LLC controlled by investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, where he served as CEO. The deal was made five days after Lutnick and his family visited Epstein on his private island.

Perhaps the most damning allegations against Lutnick are contained in an FBI whistleblower complaint dated 04/23/2021. Titled “Alleged Money Laundering by Howard Lutnick via BGC Financial and Cantor Fitzgerald,” the complaint alleges “fraud, money laundering, Ponzi schemes and regulatory breaches by [redacted] and CF.” Lutnick was chairman and CEO of financial services company BGC, a spinoff of Cantor Fitzgerald, until he was appointed Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary.

The FBI complaint also links Lutnick to illegal activities with JP Morgan, Russian hedge funds and other senior finance executives. Jes Staley, former CEO of JP Morgan, resigned as CEO of Barclays in 2021 after a U.K. regulatory investigation about his relationship with Epstein. He was subsequently banned from the U.K. financial sector for misrepresenting his relationship with the convicted pedophile.

“[Redacted] has documented proof showing money laundering and Ponzi schemes by Lutnick via offshore shell companies, liquid funding, and real estate brokerage firms,” states the FBI complaint. “[Redacted] believes he has supporting documents which could link Lutnick to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell and Sarah Ferguson, a royal family member, host events called La Dolce Vita Parties, where high profile celebrities and executives contribute large donations to attend. The donations are linked to causes involving children. Lutnick made ‘huge donations’ to these events.”

An earlier FBI interview with presumably the same whistleblower offers more insight about the money laundering, speculating it was from the Russian Mafia. It also alleges “Lutnick gave Sarah Ferguson office space above Cantor Fitzgerald in New York for the Children in Crisis (CIC) charity. Ghislaine Maxwell and Ferguson would attend Dolce Vita Parties which raised money for CIC and Stowe School. CIC no longer existed.”

Children in Crisis merged with another organization in 2018. Stowe School is an elite British private boarding school whose alumni include Richard Branson (a prominent figure in the Epstein files), the actor Henry Cavill, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, along with dozens of well-known British royals, politicians, entertainers, journalists and athletes.