American Express regrets having Epstein as a client as files reveal travel bookings for women or girls

Source: CBS News

February 20, 2026 / 11:00 AM EST / CBS News


American Express says it regrets having the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as a client for years, as hundreds of documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice and reviewed by CBS News appear to show he used the company's travel agency to arrange international flights for multiple women or girls, predominantly from eastern Europe, whose names are redacted.

"American Express strongly condemns abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking. We take our legal and regulatory responsibilities seriously, including reporting suspicious activity," an Amex spokesperson told CBS News on Thursday. "We terminated his account following federal charges against him, and we continuously update our processes and controls. We regret having him as a customer."

CBS News cannot verify the number of individual women or girls involved, or their ages, due to the redaction of their names. But an analysis of hundreds of booking itineraries in the tranche of Epstein files released shows women or girls were booked to fly to the United States and other parts of the world, largely from countries including Russia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia and Ukraine.

The bookings revealed by the documents span at least seven years, between 2012 and 2019, prior to Epstein being arrested on sex trafficking charges, but after his 2008 conviction on charges including procuring a minor for prostitution.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-express-epstein-files-doj-trafficking-women-girls/