In a stunning twist that bridges whistleblowing and the Epstein saga, a British former Wall Street executive, Simon Andriesz, has revealed that Howard Lutnick – now serving as the United States’ commerce secretary – had maintained undisclosed business links with the convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Andriesz, who worked as a managing director at a Wall Street boutique, mined the millions of documents released by the U.S. government as part of the “Epstein files.” In 2018 he uncovered an email chain in which Lutnick and Epstein discussed the prospects of a joint start‑up, a digital advertising firm called Adfin.
Instead of shelving his discovery, Andriesz took the evidence to the House Oversight Committee – the primary investigative chamber of the U.S. Congress – where Lutnick had been scheduled to testify. Published documents also point to a 2013 plan in which Lutnick’s firm had considered loaning £1 million to a company controlled by former Prince Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, a deal that never materialised.
When confronted, Lutnick insisted he had only learned of Epstein’s investment in Adfin during 2025 and denied any impropriety. The U.S. Commerce Department characterised the accusations as “a desperate partisan distraction,” noting that no evidence of wrongdoing had surfaced.
Meanwhile, BGC Partners – the brokerage that had once employed Andriesz – has dismissed his allegations as “categorically false” and claims it has strong policies supporting whistleblowers. Andriesz, who now lives in a quiet Cornish seaside community, says the litigation and resulting fallout have ruined his career, finances and health, yet he has received a $420,000 award for his whistleblowing.
These revelations have intensified scrutiny of a powerful American official who once had close ties to high‑profile networks in both finance and the British royal family. As the Epstein case continues to unfold, the United States is forced to reckon with the extent of its political leaders’ shadow‑finance connections.
