(Bloomberg) — Paul V. Morris, a private banker who worked with Jeffrey Epstein at two of the world’s largest banks, left his position as a wealth adviser at Bank of America Corp., according to a company spokesperson.
Morris, who worked on teams managing Epstein’s financial affairs at both JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Deutsche Bank AG, continued corresponding with the disgraced financier for years after he joined Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch division in 2016, Bloomberg News reported last week. As of Monday morning, a website for his Morris Group practice within Merrill Lynch was no longer active.
During his tenure at the bank, Morris tapped into Epstein’s powerful network, bounced investment ideas off him and on at least one occasion arranged to drop off gifts for Epstein and his assistant, according to documents released by the US Department of Justice in recent months.
“Paul Morris is no longer with Merrill,” Bank of America representative Abbey Collins said in an emailed statement. Collins declined to comment on the terms of his departure. Morris didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Morris wasn’t named as a defendant in lawsuits brought by Epstein victims against Bank of America, JPMorgan or Deutsche Bank, and hasn’t been accused of a crime.
Read More: BofA Banker Courted Epstein for Years Leading Up to His Arrest
Epstein never became a client at Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg reported last week. Still, Morris consulted him repeatedly after joining Bank of America.
On one occasion, less than a year into his tenure there, Morris asked if Epstein knew anyone who needed to borrow money for yachts or artwork. In another instance, Epstein’s assistant arranged time for Morris to talk to another contact, the music mogul Tommy Mottola. (Attorneys for Mottola have said he knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes.)
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to procurement of minors for prostitution, and in 2019 he was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges. Five weeks later, while in custody, he died by apparent suicide.
