(JEWISH VOICE NEWS) Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is urging a full-blown investigation into whether JPMorgan Chase deliberately hid years’ worth of suspicious financial activity tied to Jeffrey Epstein — a move that comes as pressure on the DOJ intensifies following President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson’s reluctant agreement to advance long-blocked Epstein disclosures.

Wyden’s demand, outlined in a memo released Wednesday and based on newly unsealed court records, zeroes in on a striking discrepancy: while the bank reported a mere seven suspicious activity reports (SARs) totaling about $4.3 million between 2002 and 2016, it abruptly flagged more than 5,000 questionable wire transfers worth nearly $1.3 billion just weeks after Epstein died in federal custody in 2019.

According to Wyden, the timing speaks for itself.

“The unsealed court records include copies of SARs that JPMC filed on Epstein’s accounts between 2002 and 2019,” he wrote. “Between 2002 and 2016, JPMC filed 7 SARs… Only after Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges did JPMC report the full extent of Epstein’s suspicious financial activity… This is the strongest evidence yet that JPMC should face an investigation for failure to appropriately monitor and report Epstein’s financial activity.”

Internal bank emails included in the records shed further light on why earlier SARs may never have been filed. Staff reportedly noted the bank’s desire “to continue working with Epstein,” who, even after being dropped as a formal client in 2013, remained a lucrative source of referrals.

And when JPMorgan finally did move in 2019, it wasn’t subtle. According to the New York Times,  as Zero Hedge Blog pointed out:  the bank alerted authorities that it was flagging roughly 4,700 transactions totaling over $1 billion that could be tied to human-trafficking concerns, Epstein’s wire transfers to Russian banks, and “sensitivities” surrounding his relationships with two U.S. presidents — Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

Wyden minced no words Thursday, saying it is “clear that JPMorgan Chase ought to face criminal investigation for the way it enabled Epstein’s horrific crimes,” adding that both Congress and the Justice Department must dig into the bank’s conduct.

JPMorgan, which has repeatedly expressed regret for its dealings with Epstein, insists it acted properly based on the information available at each stage. Bank spokeswoman Patricia Wexler defended the institution again Thursday, saying, “The second the government finally made public the sex-trafficking details in 2019 — information they clearly had for years — we identified for law enforcement a range of Epstein’s past transactions intended to assist with the investigation.”

As Washington continues to unearth how Epstein operated — and who enabled him — Wyden’s memo may mark the starting gun for one of the most consequential financial-oversight battles in years.