Whistleblower Uncovers Alleged Undisclosed Ties
A British whistleblower has disclosed information suggesting that current US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick may have had an undisclosed business relationship with the late financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Simon Andriesz, a former managing director at a Wall Street firm, claims to have found an email exchange from 2018 between Lutnick and Epstein discussing a startup business in which both were reportedly involved. Andriesz presented his findings, derived from the extensive collection of Epstein files, to the influential House Oversight Committee in the US Congress prior to Lutnick's appearance before the committee in May.
During his testimony, Lutnick stated that he only became aware this year that Epstein had been an investor in the firm. The US Commerce Department, speaking on Lutnick's behalf, has asserted that there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Andriesz's discoveries also include a 2013 plan by one of Lutnick's firms to collaborate commercially with another figure linked to Epstein, then-Prince Andrew, leveraging the former UK trade envoy's network of contacts. Andriesz characterized this proposal as a loan of £1 million to a firm controlled by Prince Andrew, effectively an attempt "to buy a prince."
The Discovery Process and Personal Impact
Andriesz expressed his astonishment upon finding his own name within the Epstein files, a vast repository of documents, photographs, videos, and emails pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein, released by the US government over the past year. His inclusion in these files stemmed from interviews he conducted with the FBI while engaged in a dispute with his former employer, BGC Partners, a financial brokerage firm under Lutnick's Cantor Fitzgerald group.
In 2016, Andriesz internally raised concerns regarding alleged accounting irregularities at the firm. He was subsequently dismissed in 2017. Some of his allegations later led to BGC being fined $3 million by the US derivatives regulator for "numerous supervision, reporting, and record-keeping violations." BGC, however, has dismissed Andriesz's allegations as lacking credibility and being "categorically false," stating that investigations by various authorities did not substantiate his claims. Andriesz had spoken to the FBI about BGC and Lutnick in 2020-21, after Epstein's death in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The Epstein files indicate that Andriesz alleged undeclared business ties between Lutnick and Epstein, though the FBI did not pursue these accusations.
Andriesz voiced disappointment that his discoveries garnered little interest, stating, "I'm exposing Howard Lutnick's relationship, financial links, with Jeffrey Epstein, and there's no interest."
Inconsistencies and Committee Scrutiny
Howard Lutnick's appointment as US Commerce Secretary in 2025 led him to divest his shares in Cantor Fitzgerald and transfer control of the firm to his sons. Later that year, on a podcast, he claimed to have met Epstein only once, two decades prior, when they were neighbors in Manhattan, and found Epstein's behavior "gross." However, the release of the Epstein files introduced inconsistencies to this narrative. A photograph from December 2012 depicted Lutnick with Epstein on Epstein's Caribbean island, Little St James. This encounter occurred four years after Epstein had been imprisoned in Florida for soliciting prostitution, including with a minor.
Andriesz suspected that further evidence existed within the 3.5 million pages of documents if one knew where to search. He noted that Cantor Fitzgerald executives often used initials in emails, prompting him to search for "HWL" (Howard William Lutnick). This search revealed emails exchanged with Epstein in 2018, where Epstein directly inquired with the HWL account about the prospects of Adfin, a digital advertising company in which both he and Lutnick's firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, had invested. Lutnick's response indicated a belief in the company's potential. Andriesz subsequently shared this correspondence with the House Oversight Committee.
Lutnick agreed to an off-camera hearing with the committee in May. He has not faced accusations of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and affirmed before the committee: "I unequivocally condemn the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities. The survivors of his crimes deserve our respect and support." He reiterated his claim that he was unaware of Epstein's co-investment in Adfin until this year. Nevertheless, Democratic members of the committee accused him of dishonesty, with all 21 signing a letter demanding his resignation. The US Commerce Department dismissed these allegations as "a desperate partisan distraction from the historic work of this Administration," asserting that Lutnick has answered numerous questions before Congress and that there is "no evidence of wrongdoing or legitimate cause for concern."
Proposed Deal with Prince Andrew
Another discovery by Andriesz in the Epstein files pertained to Lutnick's connections with two individuals known to Epstein: then-Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Lutnick had maintained a friendship with Ferguson since the 1990s and attended Princess Eugenie's wedding in 2018. Documents in the files outlined a 2013 plan by Lutnick's firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, to "buy a prince," as Andriesz described it, aiming to capitalize on Prince Andrew's contacts with affluent individuals and sovereign entities.
The proposed terms involved a £1 million loan to a firm controlled by Prince Andrew, which would then be obligated to conduct business exclusively with Cantor Fitzgerald. The files reveal that Epstein cautioned Prince Andrew's business aide, David Stern, against the deal, expressing concerns about the exclusivity clause. Advisers to both Lutnick and Prince Andrew reportedly discussed the arrangement for four months, from August to November 2013, but the deal ultimately did not materialize. Cantor Fitzgerald, while not denying the discussions, stated that they did not enter into business with the former prince. Prince Andrew did not respond to requests for comment.
Life After Wall Street
Andriesz, now 57, resides in a tranquil Cornish seaside village, far removed from his former life on Wall Street. He states that the decade-long litigation has severely impacted his career, finances, and health. Despite receiving a $420,000 financial award for his whistleblowing from the US regulator, Andriesz contends that authorities in both the US and UK have failed to hold BGC and Cantor Fitzgerald accountable or protect him from retaliation by his former employer. BGC maintains it has robust whistleblower protection policies and denies retaliating against Andriesz, stating its only involvement with him since his departure has been responding to litigation initiated by him. The firm asserts that his employment was terminated because he refused medical advice, declined essential job duties, rejected reasonable accommodation, and ultimately abandoned his role.
The White House, speaking on behalf of Lutnick, commented: "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."
Source: How US commerce secretary's Epstein links were uncovered by British whistleblower
