In brief
A former trader named Simon Andriesz dug through the 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files and uncovered emails that showed Howard Lutnick, now US Commerce Secretary, had a business relationship with the notorious financier. Andriesz claimed the evidence was presented to the House Oversight Committee, prompting Lutnick’s defense that he was unaware of the ties until the filing. The revelations also included a proposed loan to Prince Andrew’s firm, hinting at a plan to “buy a prince.” Despite congressional calls for a resignation letter, the department insists there was no wrongdoing.
A former trader named Simon Andriesz dug through the 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files and uncovered emails that showed Howard Lutnick, the newly appointed US Commerce Secretary, had a business relationship with the notorious financier. Andriesz, who left a Wall Street firm after a dispute with his former employer, said the chain of emails from 2018 revealed that Lutnick and Epstein discussed a start‑up investment.
He sent the findings to the House Oversight Committee, prompting Lutnick’s defense that he had only become aware of the connection in 2025. The commerce secretary added that he unequivocally condemned Epstein’s conduct and had no knowledge of any wrongdoing.
The files also contained a diagram of a 2013 proposal in which Cantor Fitzgerald would have loaned £1 million to a firm controlled by Prince Andrew, thereby allowing him to introduce investors exclusively to the firm. Officially the deal never materialised, but the correspondence shows tentative discussions and concerns raised by Epstein’s associates.
BGC Partners — part of the Cantor Fitzgerald group — has denied the allegations, calling the reports “categorically false” and stating that investigations in multiple jurisdictions found no evidence to substantiate the claims. Repeatedly, the Commerce Department has insisted that the allegations were a partisan distraction and that there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
Andriesz now lives in Cornwall, where he says the litigation has ruined his career, finances and health. While he received a $420,000 whistleblower award from the US regulator, he claims the US and UK authorities have failed to hold his former employers accountable or protect him from retaliation.
The story underscores how a single British whistleblower’s persistence and the release of the Epstein files opened a new chapter in investigations of high‑profile officials and the complex webs of influence that run through finance, politics and royalty.
