Howard Lutnick

Howard Lutnick is an American financier who has led the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald since 1991 and who became Secretary of Commerce in the second administration of Donald Trump in February 2025.¹² For more than a decade he lived next door to Jeffrey Epstein on East 71st Street in Manhattan, in a house that Epstein had sold in 1996 to an entity that resold it to Lutnick two years later. In October 2025 Lutnick said he had cut ties with Epstein in 2005; documents released by the Justice Department in early 2026 showed correspondence through 2018, a family visit to Little St. James in December 2012, and a joint investment in an advertising-technology company under a purchase agreement dated five days after that visit.¹³

Cantor Fitzgerald and the Commerce Department

Lutnick became president and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald in 1991 and chairman in 1996.¹ Prospectuses of Cantor's special-purpose acquisition companies state that he has been its president and chief executive officer since 1992 and chairman since 1996.⁴ The firm's venture arm, Cantor Ventures, is its venture-capital subsidiary.¹ Trump nominated Lutnick as Secretary of Commerce after the 2024 election, and he took office in February 2025, with responsibility for trade policy, export controls, and the department's technology-standards bodies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. AI Safety Institute.²

The House on East 71st Street

In 1996 Epstein sold the property at 11 East 71st Street to an entity called Comet Trust. In 1998 Comet Trust sold it to Lutnick, and it became his primary residence, adjoining Epstein's own mansion on the same block.¹ The houses stand near the Frick Collection. In 2018 Lutnick wrote to Epstein about the museum's planned expansion, warning that it might "block your sunlight and views," and pressed him: "You should put in a letter. I'm sending a lawyer. Don't ignore this."¹

The 2005 Account

In October 2025 Lutnick told the New York Post that he and his wife, Allison, had cut ties with Epstein in 2005 after touring Epstein's townhouse, and said, "I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again."¹

In the October 2025 interview on "Pod Force One with Miranda Devine," quoted by NBC News on February 10, 2026, Lutnick said, "I was never in the room with him socially, for business, or even philanthropy."⁵

The Correspondence After 2005

The released emails show Lutnick and Epstein arranging calls and planning drinks in 2011.¹ On April 4, 2011, Epstein's assistant Lesley Groff told him, "Howard Lutnick returned your call." On April 27 she wrote that Lutnick "will come see you at 5pm on Sunday May 1st," and Epstein's calendar for May 1, 2011 reads "5:00 Drinks w/Howard Lutnick."⁶ On November 20, 2012, Groff wrote to Lutnick: "Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in St. Thomas some over the holidays," passing on Epstein's telephone numbers and naming as contacts the staff of his St. Thomas office, "FTC," the Financial Trust Company. Calendar alerts of December 20 and 21, 2012 read "can Howard Lutnick do lunch Sat or Sun on JE's island?" and "can Howard Lutnick do lunch on Sat. 22nd or Sun. 23rd?"⁷ In December 2012 Lutnick, his wife, and their four children planned a visit to Little St. James, and Lutnick was invited to lunch there on December 23, 2012;⁸ afterward Epstein's assistant wrote to Lutnick on Epstein's behalf, "it was nice seeing you."¹

The earliest dated item in the released files that concerns a request to reach Epstein on Lutnick's behalf is an email of Monday, October 19, 2009, 6:50:26 p.m., sent to Epstein under the subject line "HOward Lutnick," with the sender's name redacted. It opens "The following is from" followed by an individual's name, and the quoted message reads: "HOward Lutnick would like to speak to you...one of his employees asked me if Howard could have your number so he may call you. Would you like me to give him your number? They did not give me Howard's number...." The email does not say who the employee was. At the House interview the email was Majority Exhibit 5; the questioner described it as "a message passed along to Mr. Epstein from" the named individual "about you wanting to speak to Mr. Epstein," and Lutnick said of that individual: "He was someone who worked for me at Cantor Fitzgerald. So on my staff." Asked whether he recalled why he would have tried to contact Epstein, he said: "I don't have any recollection," and added: "I shouldn't speculate. I don't know. And I did not speak to him" (pp. 31-32).⁹¹⁰

In 2011 the sequence continued past the April 4 entries. On Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at 1:58 p.m., Lesley Groff wrote to Epstein under the subject "reminder Howard Lutnick": "Reminder you want to speak to Howard Lutnick today." On Tuesday, April 26, 2011, at 10:11 a.m., Epstein wrote to Groff: "[...] also on sunday if posible. . try to schedule, also howard lutnik." The next day, April 27, Groff wrote "Howard Lutnick will come see you at 5pm on Sunday May 1st," cited above. On Friday, October 28, 2011, at 2:52 p.m., Groff wrote to Epstein under the subject "Howard Lutnick": "FYI- Howard Lutnick's assistant called asking if you would be available to speak with Howard today..." The documents do not record whether a call took place on October 28.¹¹

In the opening statement of the House Oversight interview of May 6, 2026, Lutnick said: "My second interaction occurred 6 years later, in 2011, when his staff initiated contact with my office, suggesting he had a reason to get in touch with me. Our offices attempted to connect us by phone over the course of several weeks but were unable to do so." He continued that his staff "arranged for me to ring his bell, during my and my wife's typical Sunday walk around the block with our dogs, to hear what he had to say" (pp. 9-10). Asked whether he ever had telephone calls with Epstein, he answered: "I do not recall ever having a phone call with Mr. Epstein" (p. 18). Shown the April 4, 2011 email reading "Howard Lutnick returned your call," he said: "my office must have suggested I call him back to hear what he had to say, and we were unable to connect by phone" (p. 32).¹⁰

Adfin was an advertising-technology company since shut down, whose Series A purchase agreement is dated December 28, 2012, five days after the lunch. Epstein signed for Southern Trust Company, Inc., the U.S. Virgin Islands entity through which he conducted much of his business; Lutnick signed for an LLC named CVAFH I. Their signatures appear on neighboring pages, and the document lists nine shareholders.¹¹² A person close to Lutnick told CBS News that "Cantor was a small minority investor in Adfin" and that Lutnick "would not have any knowledge of who the other investors were."¹ Adfin correspondence continued into 2014, when the shareholder David Mitchell wrote to Epstein about further fundraising involving Cantor Ventures.¹

On January 8, 2013, eleven days after the date of the Adfin purchase agreement, Epstein had his assistant forward Lutnick a document concerning casino legislation in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein kept his island and a range of business interests. A Lutnick spokesperson said he "ignored the document sent to him."¹

Adfin: The July 2013 Documents

The Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement of AdFin Solutions, Inc. is dated December 28, 2012. Its initial closing that day involved two purchasers, David Mitchell and Jonathan Leitersdorf. The Schedule of Purchasers lists Southern Trust Company, Inc. for 1,142,857 shares on April 10, 2013, and, on July 23, 2013, "CVAFH I LLC" for 800,000 shares at $350,000 and Southern Trust Company, Inc. for a further 285,714 shares. The counterpart signature page for Southern Trust Company, Inc. reads "Name: Jeffrey Epstein," "Title: President." The counterpart signature page for CVAFH I LLC reads "Name: Howard W. Lutnick," "Title: President," with a handwritten marginal line, "[Signature Page to $350,000 Series A Preferred Stock Investment in AdFin Solutions, Inc.]." Counterpart pages of the same form for both entities appear in the Investors' Rights Agreement, the Right of Refusal and Co-Sale Agreement and the Voting Agreement, and a July 2013 letter agreement on Cantor Ventures, L.P. letterhead, with a CVAFH I LLC signature block titled "President," states: "Cantor has been formed for the specific purpose of acquiring the Shares and the ultimate holding company of Cantor is Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership."¹³¹⁴

At the House Oversight interview of May 6, 2026, a questioner described a stock purchase agreement "that you signed on behalf of CVAFH and Mr. Epstein signed." Lutnick was asked whether he knew Epstein was an investor: "No." He said he learned it "when these documents were released." Lutnick's counsel stated that the documents show that "when Cantor Fitzgerald Venture Capital signed these documents, it was ... much later ... in 2013 in the spring," and Lutnick said: "I don't think I heard about this investment till 2013, May. I think the pitch was made to me in May of 2013, from the document. So it wasn't in December." Asked whether it is common for another investor to hold a signature page from a different investor, he answered: "No. I found it inexplicable and unsettling that he had ... that it was released, that my company's signature page would be in someone else's files."¹⁵

Adfin: The 2012 Email Exchange

On December 19, 2012 at 7:48 p.m. Eastern Time an email from "Lutnick, Howard," subject "Sunday," addressed "Hi Jeff," and carrying a Cantor Fitzgerald disclaimer, was sent: "We are landing in St. Thomas early Saturday afternoon and planning to head over to St. Bart's/Anguilla on Monday at some point. Where are you located (what is exact location for my captain)? Does Sunday evening for dinner sound good? I have another couple ... with me on my boat, and each of us has 4 children." Epstein replied on a copy that Lesley Groff had forwarded to him: "come sat or sunday lunch? little st james on the map, behind christmans cove." On December 21 Groff wrote of "1:30 this sunday for lunch to the island for Howard, wife and all the kids and other famil traveling with them. They are taking their boat to the island and will need to know where to 'park' it."¹⁶⁸

On Friday, December 21, 2012 at 9:49 a.m. an email from the address "Lutnick, Allison" to Groff, subject "hi," began: "Hi Lesley. This is Allison Lutnick. We are looking forward to visiting you. We will be coming from Caneel Bay in the morning." It continued: "[...] We would love to join you for lunch. Please advise on timing and exactly where our boat should go. Would 1 or 1:30pm for lunch work? We are travelling on a yacht called Excellence and I am cc'ing the Captain." Groff's reply began "Hello Allison and thank you so much for getting back to me" and included the words "we will come back to you with answers shortly regarding time and where your boat should go," and the "Lutnick, Allison" address answered at 3:09 p.m. UTC: "ok!"¹⁷

On Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 11:16 a.m. the same address wrote: "We are heading towards you from St. Thomas. Where should we anchor exactly? What is your phone number?" Groff replied at 4:43 p.m.: "Great to hear you are headed over. I am actually not on the island. I jut spoke to [redacted] and he and [redacted] will be sending you an email with more instruction. I think they need to know what kind of boat you are on so they can instruct you properly." At 4:45 p.m. the "Lutnick, Allison" address answered: "188 foot yacht."¹⁸

At the House interview Lutnick said of the invitation to the island: "his staff inexplicably contacted my office, unprompted, regarding my family's planned holiday travels to the Caribbean," and that "From what I have since learned, it appears he was initially seeking a meeting with just me. My wife made clear, however, that we had a large traveling party of approximately 12-plus people, and if we were to come, it would be with everyone" (p. 10). Asked "Did Mr. Epstein ever invite you to any of his properties?" he answered "No" (p. 19).¹⁰

At the House interview Lutnick said that emails addressed "Howard Lutnick" or "Lutnick, Howard" went to a member of his office staff, whom he named: "They did not go to me," and that "You would know if they went to me if they are listed as 'HWL.'" On the November 20, 2012 email from Groff he said: "What I still cannot understand is this November 20, how or why, without any communication for years would he inexplicably know where I'm going. It's unsettling, actually." Asked whether he contacted Epstein about the trip: "I did not in any way contact or have any connection to him." Of the lunch: "It was boring. We left."¹⁹

The Calendar Alert of November 21, 2012

A Google Calendar reminder in Epstein's account, set for Wednesday, November 21, 2012, 4:00 to 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time, reads: "did bobby kotick and howard lutnick get my email yesterday re island #'s?" The email of November 20, 2012 from Lesley Groff to "Lutnick, Howard" (EFTA00401048) is cited above. At the May 6, 2026 House Oversight interview Lutnick said that emails addressed "Howard Lutnick" or "Lutnick, Howard" went to a member of his office staff, "They did not go to me," and "I would never see them" (p. 22), describing that person as "my longtime assistant in my office" who "worked for me for 20 years" (p. 34).²⁰²¹

The Message of December 24, 2012

On Monday, December 24, 2012, one day after the lunch on Little St. James, Epstein sent a message at 6:17 a.m. Eastern Time under the subject "please forward to howard lutnik": "nice seeing you , read #2 dot three." Groff forwarded it to the Lutnick address under the subject "Jeffrey Epstein with attachment," with an attached file named "TopTenDB.pdf" and the text "Please see below attachment from Jeffrey Epstein." Her message of 7:25 a.m. that morning, to "Lutnick, Howard" and copied to an address for a member of Lutnick's office staff, read: "Good morning Howard. Jeffrey wished me to pass along the below to you: Nice seeing you. Please read f2 dot three." A reply from that staff account read "Thanks!"²²

The Messages of January 2013

On January 8, 2013 Groff wrote to the address "Lutnick, Howard," subject "From Jeffrey Epstein": "Hello Howard. Please see attached from Jeffrey Epstein. Thank you, Lesley," with an attached file named "20130108114617637.pdf." The staff account replied: "Thanks, happy new year!" and Groff answered, "Same to you!" On January 29, 2013 Groff wrote to "Howard Lutnick" under the subject "Fwd: forward to lutcnik": "Hello Howard. Jeffrey requested I send you the below link," followed by an NPR blog item of January 28, 2013 by Jacob Goldstein about Antigua.²³

At the House interview Lutnick was asked about "a few followups in the DOJ files in the 4 to 5 weeks after your visit to the island" in which "Mr. Epstein's assistant would send your staff various articles, some of them related to gaming legislation in the Virgin Islands or the gaming industry in Antigua," and whether he recalled "receiving any outreach of that nature." He answered "No." Asked whether he recalled "discussing with Mr. Epstein or anyone else topics related to gaming legislation or the gaming industry" during the December 2012 visit, he answered "No," and described the visit as "basically inconsequential, meaning nothing" (pp. 84-85).²¹

Adfin: Mitchell, the 2013 Note and the 2016 Proposed Terms

On May 4, 2013 Mitchell wrote to Epstein about the AdFin investment and added, "I think I am seeing H Lutnick later." Asked about this at the House interview, Lutnick said Mitchell "was the husband of one of my wife's friends," that he did not recall knowing Mitchell had any relationship with Epstein, and that "this seems to think that David Mitchell was planning on seeing me, not Mr. Epstein."²⁴

A Note Purchase Agreement of December 26, 2013 sold a $2,000,000 unsecured convertible note to "CVAFH I, LLC," whose signature page bears the handwritten name "Douglas Barnard" and the title "Chief Financial Officer"; a stockholder consent of the same date has signature pages for Southern Trust Company, Inc. and CVAFH I, LLC.²⁵ On January 7, 2014 Mitchell told Epstein: "We completed a $2 million convertible placement with Cantor Ventures at the end of the year ... If and when they convert they get a board seat."²⁶ A letter of February 16, 2016 from Mitchell to his co-investors reported that the AdFin board had accepted an offer from "its largest shareholder, Cantor Venture," and its Exhibit A, a summary of proposed terms, read: "Board increased to 7 directors. All chosen by Cantor, but each 10% or greater stockholder will have the right to appoint 1 director ... for now only Julserra and the Board must include the CEO ... Howard Lutnick, Jed Kleckner and Henrique de Castro will join the Board." A company investor presentation in the same file carries a slide headed "Backed By Leaders" with the caption "Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO, Cantor Fitzgerald" beneath a photograph.²⁷

In 2018 AdFin's chief executive, in an email thread with David Mitchell and Epstein's accountant Richard Kahn, wrote on January 26, "we are trying to get a meeting with Howard next week," and, to Kahn on February 13, "finally met with Howard. All went well, but as always a few followup items I need to work on this week, most importantly finalizing the exact amount of the raise and per share valuation." Epstein told Kahn on February 26, 2018: "you can tell them we are a seller at cost. 875 and we are out." On April 13 the chief executive wrote: "We were trying to get a response from Howard and Jonathan on your ask, but there is apparently no interest at this time on the sale of your interest." The emails give no surname for "Howard." The company's cap table as of January 4, 2018 lists "Cantor" with 60.32 percent and "Southern" with 4.50 percent.²⁸

Adfin: The May 28, 2018 Email and the House Answers

On May 28, 2018 Epstein wrote to an address labeled "HWL": "on another note what do you think the prospects for adfin are?" The reply read: "Producing revenue finally. This is their year. Next 12 months they need to become economically self sufficient." Epstein followed: "thx. how long until sherry is ready , and i can buy my guest house?" and HWL wrote: "Probably 4 years (pierre)."²⁹

At the House interview Lutnick was asked, "During your visit to the island, did you discuss the company AdFin Solutions with Mr. Epstein?" and answered "No." He answered that the email was his ("This was ... this was me, because it says 'HWL'"); that he was not personally an investor in AdFin ("No") and that Cantor Fitzgerald was ("Yes"), through "Cantor Ventures," "a venture capital arm of Cantor Fitzgerald, so sort of multiple layers down the subsidiary chain"; that he did not remember knowing in 2018 that Epstein was an investor ("I do not remember that I knew that, no"); and that "The 2018 emails that I've seen, that one exchange is the only email exchange that I have learned about in this process." On the "Pierre" line he said Epstein "had made a joke that he would buy my house as his guesthouse." His counsel said: "I do not consider this a business dealing with Mr. Epstein." His opening statement began: "I unequivocally condemn the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities."¹⁵²⁹

The Duke of York, 2013

On July 10, 2013 David Stern, whom the BBC describes as "the prince's business aide," wrote to Epstein: "What is your view on Howard Lutnick ? Just met him with PA." Epstein answered twenty-three minutes later, by the header times: "My neighbor smart." The documents do not say where the meeting took place or expand "PA."³⁰

On August 9, 2013 the forwarded thread "HL Loan - CD/SM call note 8.8.13" carried a solicitor's attendance note headed "Matter HL Asset Management etc," and Epstein wrote to Stern: "no no no no no, howards main businesss is gambing in las vegas. he will have to disclose to the las vegas commsion his arrangeent and you will have holy hell to pay." On September 2, 2013 Stern forwarded Epstein a draft term sheet with the words "See attached term sheet from Howard to PA. I think madness. They are still at it. We kill it ?" The term sheet, dated August 29, 2013 and marked "Preliminary Draft for Discussion Purposes Only," named as partners "Cantor Urramoor Asset Management Holdings, LLC ('Cantor Holdings'), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald," and "[Urramoor], an entity owned by a trust created by Mr. T.," and provided that "the Company would advance the sum of £1,000,000 to Urramoor which would accrue interest at an annual rate of 3.5%." It names no individual at Cantor Fitzgerald. The Companies House register lists the person with significant control of Urramoor Limited since April 6, 2016 as "Hrh Andrew Inverness."³⁰

A draft "Agreement for Referrals" of November 2013 between "Cantor Opportunities, LLC" and "Urramoor Limited" has blank signature blocks. On November 16, 2013 Stern asked Epstein, "Have you seen Cantor Fitzgerald proposal?" and Epstein answered "goofy."³⁰

The BBC reported on July 14, 2026 that advisers to Lutnick and to the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, "discussed the deal for four months, from August to November 2013, but it came to nothing." Andrew "did not respond to a request for comment," and Cantor Fitzgerald's response to the BBC is quoted below. The article carries a White House statement made on Lutnick's behalf: "The BBC's pathetic and desperate attempt to slander Secretary Lutnick will do nothing to change the fact that he has been the most consequential Commerce Secretary in modern history."³¹

The UJA-Federation Dinner, 2017

On November 8, 2017 John Paulson sent an email titled "UJA Wall Street Dinner honoring Howard Lutnick," which Groff forwarded to Epstein: "it is our privilege to be honoring our good friend Howard W. Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. and Lee Fixel, Partner at Tiger Global Management, LLC at this year's UJA-Federation of New York's Wall Street Dinner on December 11th 2017," and "As Chairman of the Wall Street Division, I want to make sure that as a close friend of the Lutnicks, you are aware of the event and have the opportunity to support them."³² The email listed journal levels, including "$50,000: Platinum Page (includes 10 seats)." The same day Epstein wrote to Paulson, "50k from me , hope pr is ok," and to his accountant Richard Kahn, "50k." On November 9 Kahn asked, "should we deliver check to WA or someone else such as Paulson, Lutnick etc.. please advise," and Epstein answered "paulson." The same day Epstein's assistant wrote to a UJA-Federation staff member: "Jeffrey Epstein will be contributing to the UJA Wall Street Dinner honoring Howard Lutnick," and Kahn wrote: "check from jeffery will be from his foundation gratitude america in the amount of 50,000." The assistant added that "Jeffrey says you may add him to the roll of honor as Jeffrey Epstein...!" and, of the table, that "Jeffrey says he will not use the table himself and to pass along to Lutnick he can fill them!" The UJA-Federation staff member had written, "Thank you so much for donating the seats back. Would it be alright with Jeffrey if we used the table for young people?"³³³⁴

On November 14, 2017 a UJA-Federation staff member wrote to Epstein: "many thanks for your incredible donation in honor of Howard Lutnick," asking whether he would "take an ad and offer your own words of congratulations in our commemorative journal," and "Are you able to join us at the event itself on December 11th and would you like to take a table (inclusive of your generosity)?"³³

At the House interview Lutnick was asked about the event: "It was a record-setting fundraising event for UJA." Asked "Did you direct Mr. Paulson to invite Jeffrey Epstein?" he answered "No"; asked whether he solicited the donation, "No"; asked whether he thanked Epstein for it, "No"; asked whether he saw or interacted with Epstein at the event, "No" (pp. 70-71). Asked whether in 2017 he would "have characterized Mr. Epstein as a close friend of you or your family," he answered "No" (p. 86). The transcript identifies the exhibit as Bates EFTA 2229721.²¹

The Dubin Breast Center Benefit Invitations

On Wednesday, November 14, 2012, at 7:13 p.m. UTC, the Dubin Breast Center sent Epstein's email account an invitation, under the subject "A special invitation from Eva Andersson-Dubin, MD," to its "Second Annual Benefit" at the Mandarin Oriental on Monday, December 10, 2012. The block headed "Benefit Co-Chairs" lists twelve entries, among them "Allison and Howard Lutnick," beside "Eva and Glenn Dubin," "Alexandra and Steven Cohen" and "Sonia and Paul Tudor Jones II."³⁵ A forwarded copy of the same invitation carries, above it, a message from Epstein sent at 2:15 p.m. that day: "i took a table so you can all get dressed up." The recipients of that message are not shown in the document. A reply from a redacted sender at 2:27 p.m. reads: "Wow! Thank you snuggliest, looking forward to it!!"³⁶

A second invitation to the center's "Third Annual Benefit," Monday, December 9, 2013, was sent to the same account on November 20, 2013, and lists "Allison and Howard Lutnick" in the block headed "Benefit Co-Chairs."³⁷ A letter of September 13, 2017 from the center's "2017 Dubin Breast Center Benefit Co-Chairs" to Epstein, for the gala of Monday, December 11, 2017, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, lists "Allison and Howard Lutnick" under "Benefit Committee" (list as of August 31, 2017), and includes a response form headed "Please add my name as a co-chair and reserve the following."³⁸

At the House interview, shown an email from the Dubin Breast Center to Epstein with the subject "A special invitation from Eva Andersson-Dubin" (Majority Exhibit 9), Lutnick was asked "do you recognize this flyer?" and answered "Not offhand, no." Asked "Were you involved with the Dubin Breast Center?" he answered "I gave them money." Asked how he knew Glenn and Eva Dubin: "I met them through the hospital." Asked whether he understood the Dubins to have a relationship with Epstein: "I learned that later, after 2019." Asked whether he was involved in selecting individuals invited to the event: "No." Asked "did you attend this event?": "I don't remember." Asked whether he would know if Epstein attended the event: "I have told ... I have been here and answered every question of every interaction I've had, so I do not recall any other interaction" (pp. 68-69).³⁹

The 2020 FBI Complaint

On October 14, 2020, a caller who described himself as a former compliance employee of BGC and Cantor Fitzgerald, responsible for "reviewing, reporting, and compliance for all of North America," telephoned the FBI's National Threat Operations Center to report alleged money laundering by Lutnick "via BGC Financial and Cantor Fitzgerald." The FBI recorded the call on an FD-71A Guardian complaint form dated April 23, 2021, filed under a money-laundering zero file and under case 50D-NY-3027571, "EPSTEIN, JEFFREY; CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING."⁴⁰

The FBI complaint of October 14, 2020 was identified in a separate released compilation of Guardian complaints, EFTA01684300, as made by Simon Andriesz, a British former BGC managing director (as described by the BBC and The Banker); the caller's name is redacted in the form itself. An FBI email chain dated July 24, 2025, "Epstein - Cellmate Interview," lists under "Howard Lutnick": "Simon Andriesz reported that Lutnick made his money through Ponzi schemes and money laundering. Lutnick and Epstein were neighbors and Epstein sold Lutnick a home for $10 which was then sold for millions." At the House interview of May 6, 2026, asked whether Epstein had any role in the sale of the townhouse he moved into, Lutnick answered: "No. I bought my townhouse from someone ... who owned it. So Epstein did not own the house. So I don't know what that's in reference to" (p. 30).⁴¹

On July 14, 2026 the BBC reported that Andriesz had searched the released files for "HWL," found the May 2018 exchange, and given it to members of the House Oversight Committee before Lutnick's interview; that "some of his allegations later led to BGC being ordered to pay a $3m (£2.24m) penalty by the US derivatives regulator" (CFTC release 8083-19 of November 22, 2019 announces that penalty against BGC Financial, L.P. for supervision, reporting and recordkeeping violations and does not name a whistleblower); that "The FBI did not investigate these accusations"; and that BGC said his allegations "lacked credibility" and were "categorically false." The BBC also reported that Andriesz found in the files that one of Lutnick's firms had made plans in 2013 to go into business with the then Prince Andrew, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, under proposed terms that included a £1 million loan to a firm controlled by him; Cantor Fitzgerald "did not deny the talks took place but told the BBC it did not go into business with the former prince," and the BBC wrote that the deal "came to nothing." In the article's passage on the AdFin allegations, which precedes its passage on Andrew, a Commerce Department statement to the BBC called the allegations "a desperate partisan distraction from the historic work of this Administration."⁴¹

The Banker reported on October 2, 2026 that Andriesz, 57, "has died by suicide," citing a statement from Andy Agathangelou, founder of the Transparency Task Force, that he "passed away last week."⁴¹

A second FBI intake form, dated October 19, 2020 and recorded as received at 12:11 PM EDT, is marked "UNCLASSIFIED" and bears the case ID 50D-NY-3027571 and the caption "(U) EPSTEIN, JEFFREY; CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING." It records that at 11:43 AM Eastern Time a person whose name and details are redacted "called the FBI National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) to report information about Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, who could be connected to Jeffrey Epstein." The form states that the caller "acted as an internal whistleblower after witnessing some financial irregularities. The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick, was Jeffrey Epstein's neighbor and he believes some of the suspicious financial activities could be related to Epstein's case." It adds that "[redacted] does a huge amount of charity work relating to 9/11 because Cantor Fitzgerald lost many employees that day, but he thinks the charity day is fraudulent," that the person "has documentation he is willing to provide to the FBI to back these claims," that he "claims that Cantor Fitzgerald retaliated against him after he was a whistleblower," and that he "has also submitted this documentation to the Internal Revenue Service."⁴²

An FD-302 in the same case, serial 593, records a telephone interview on February 16, 2021 (date of entry 04/05/2021; date drafted 03/17/2021; file numbers 272-NY-0 and 50D-NY-3027571) of a person whose name is redacted, who "had been in the securities business for 32 years," "was at [redacted] from 2012 to 2017," and "held a Series 30 license." The form refers to "the fraud allegations [redacted] made in his initial complaint to the FBI." The form records that "[redacted] advised [redacted] and CANTOR FITZGERALD were well known for money laundering" and that "HOWARD LUTNICK (LUTNICK) ran everything and he maintained a very small circle. LUTNICK instructed all of the fraud being committed. He used philanthropy as a smokescreen for illegal activity." On the firm's annual charity day the form records: "Charity days raised $9-10 million each year, and [redacted] thought it was strange it raised nearly the same amount every year." The third page records that the interviewee "advised he has never interacted with LUTNICK" and "had never met EPSTEIN or MAXWELL," and that he "was working with the COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CFTC) and he was eligible for their whistleblower program." The first page carries the legend "This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI." Each page carries the legend "SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER PARAGRAPHS 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, and 17."⁴³

On January 30, 2025 a research analyst of the FBI's Enterprise Vetting Center wrote to recipients whose names are redacted, at 12:15 PM, under the subject "Expedite ARMS Reach - Howard William Lutnick" followed by the classification suffix "UNCLASSIFIED" (the message is marked "Classification: UNCLASSIFIED" and "Transitory"), that the "ARMS Reach program processes vetting requests for individuals who are going to be within arm's reach of the President of the United States," and that Lutnick "is listed in the following [PENDING CASE(s)]: 272-NY-0 Serial 197 and 50D-NY-3027571 Serial 530." The reply, sent at 17:48:18 +0000 the same day under the subject "RE: Expedite ARMS Reach - Howard William Lutnick" with the same suffix, reads: "I think you are referencing serial 195 in the 272-NY-0 subfile, not 197. This was an intake interview related to the Guardian in serial 196 where HOWARD LUTNICK was accused of fraud and money laundering. We did not open an investigation as a result of these allegations." The reply does not name the person who made the accusation.⁴⁴

At the House interview, asked whether his "interactions with Jeffrey Epstein" were "ever discussed or examined in the course of your nomination or vetting process for your current position," Lutnick answered "I don't remember that, no," and asked whether he had ever been questioned by any law enforcement agency in connection with an investigation related to Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, "No" (p. 93).⁴⁵

Lutnick was a named respondent in two proceedings brought by Simon Andriesz. In FINRA arbitration 19-01751, begun by a statement of claim filed on or about June 19, 2019, he was one of fourteen respondents, with BGC Financial, L.P., Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and Jean-Pierre Aubin among others; the award records that "Howard William Lutnick signed the Submission Agreement: October 7, 2019," that the BGC respondents including Lutnick were represented by counsel at Cantor Fitzgerald, and that an amended statement of claim filed on or about June 22, 2020 discontinued the claims against him and against Ronin Capital, John Springs Stafford III, Stuart Andrew Fraser, Stephen Marcus Merkel and Louis James Scotto. The panel dismissed the case without prejudice on August 8, 2022. Lutnick was not a respondent in the renewed arbitration, 22-02539, whose award of June 17, 2024 held BGC Financial, L.P. "solely liable" for $500,000 in compensatory damages.⁴⁶⁴⁷ In 2025 Andriesz brought Employment Tribunal case 3200408/2025 in England against BGC Partners LP, "Mr Howard Lutnick" and Aubin as first, second and third respondents. Employment Judge B Beyzade struck out the claim in its entirety under Rule 38(1)(a) in written reasons dated August 11, 2026, finding that "[a]ll of the claimant's complaints were presented outside the relevant primary limitation periods"; the reasons rest on limitation and prospects of success (paragraphs 62 to 64) and an alternative abuse of process holding.⁴⁸

The Justice Department's release of the serial index of FBI case 50D-NY-3027571 (EFTA01730634, DataSet 10) lists serial 595, dated 4/23/2021 at 13:26, as "NTOC2020 288hmb01 Alleged Money Laundering by Howard Lutnick via BGC Financial and Cantor Fitzgerald," the title of the Guardian form printed "50D-NY-3027571 Serial 595." It lists serial 530, dated 10/19/2020 at 12:52, as "(U) On 10/19/2020, at 11:43 AM Eastern Time," followed by redactions; the intake of October 19, 2020 (EFTA01249205) records a call at 11:43 AM Eastern Time about Lutnick and does not print a serial number, so its correspondence with serial 530 is by call time. Serial 593 is listed as dated 4/5/2021 with the text "(U) SIMON ANDRIES2 02.16.2021." The FBI email of January 30, 2025 lists "272-NY-0 Serial 197" and "50D-NY-3027571Serial 530" as pending cases, and the reply refers to "serial 195 in the 272-NY-0 subfile"; the index of 50D-NY-3027571 dates its own serials 197 and 195 as 8/2/2019 and 7/31/2019.⁴⁹⁵⁰

The caller said he had become a whistleblower after uncovering "fraud, money laundering, Ponzi schemes, and regulatory breaches," described a "global Ponzi share" scheme in which more than 3,500 BGC employees were "forced to contribute 10% of their earnings," and said Lutnick "is deeply rooted to the royal family" and used his charities as a "smokescreen." He said he believed he had documents "which could link Lutnick to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell": that Ghislaine Maxwell and Sarah Ferguson hosted "La Dolce Vita Parties" to which Lutnick made "huge donations," and that "Epstein also sold Lutnick a house for $10 dollars through a trust fund, which was then sold for millions shortly after prior to the money going overseas." He called Lutnick's gifts to Haverford College suspicious but "cannot prove any illegal activity concerning this aspect."⁴⁰ The recorded conveyance of 11 East 71st Street ran from Epstein to Comet Trust in 1996 and from Comet Trust to Lutnick in 1998.¹

The FBI's own queries found that Sentinel and Guardian searches for Lutnick "revealed 26 results in the NY division case files," including a restricted closed case "concerning money laundering" and a control file "concerning a RICO violations/real estate scheme," and that a DIVS query "revealed 34 results, including three SAR's." The form notes: "Queries were not conducted on Epstein and Maxwell due to the sensitive nature of the case."⁴⁰ No charge against Lutnick has been reported, and the Commerce Department has said he "has never been accused of wrongdoing."¹

The two files that the Guardian form of April 23, 2021 (EFTA01249210) names among the 26 query results are restricted closed case 272D-NY-306108 (Serial 204), "concerning money laundering," and control file 194-NY-C277070-B (Serial 392), "concerning a RICO violations/real estate scheme."⁵¹

Senate and House Questioning

At a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on February 10, 2026, Lutnick acknowledged the 2012 island visit, saying, "My wife was with me, as were my four children and nannies," and that after first meeting Epstein as a neighbor, "Over the next 14 years, I met him two other times that I can recall."³ Senator Chris Van Hollen, the subcommittee's ranking member, told him that "the issue is not that you engaged in any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, but that you totally misrepresented the extent of your relationship with him to the Congress, to the American people, and to the survivors of his despicable criminal and predatory acts."³ Senator Jeff Merkley listed eight interactions in the files after 2005, including a possible telephone call and an effort to schedule drinks, and said the planned family trip "sounds like somebody you know well enough to call up."³ Senator Jacky Rosen called the same day for his resignation, saying he had "clearly misled the American people."⁵² Representative Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, said: "He said he had no interactions with Epstein after 2005, yet we now know they were in business together."¹

On October 3, 2013 Richard Kahn sent Epstein an email with a PDF attachment; the body text begins "Attached is resume of Lutnick nanny." At the House interview, a questioner said that "a nanny that was in your employ had sent her resume to Mr. Epstein. Do you know anything about that?" Lutnick answered: "I have no knowledge about it at all." Asked to confirm that he "never encouraged any of the nannies that were under your employment to reach out to Mr. Epstein in any respect," he answered: "That's correct. None" (p. 71). Later a questioner asked whether he knew the name of the person in question ("No"), then showed Minority Exhibit G, read from the body "Attached is a resume of Lutnick nanny," and asked whether the person named in the subject line was the nanny who accompanied the family to Epstein's island; Lutnick answered "I don't know" (pp. 93-94).⁵³

The Commerce Department's statement called the reporting "nothing more than a failing attempt by the legacy media to distract from the administration's accomplishments" and said that "Secretary Lutnick had limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and has never been accused of wrongdoing."¹ In a closed-door House Oversight interview whose transcript was released in May 2026, Lutnick said he had "no recollection of anything being discussed" on the island, adding, "If you said chitchat, I'd go with that," and "'Discussed' sounds like there was like a discussion, which I don't think there was."⁵⁴ He remained in office.