Musk Fires Back At 'Idiotic' Epstein Allegations — Says Never Needed Financial Advice From 'A Dumb Crook'

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was served with a subpoena last month by the U.S. Virgin Islands in connection with the government's lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM over the financial services giant's potential involvement in sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's activities.

Court filings made public on Monday suggested that Epstein may have introduced Musk as a client to JPMorgan.

What Happened: Responding to the development, Musk tweeted that this is "idiotic on so many levels." Calling the now-deceased Epstein a "cretin," the billionaire said the former never advised him on anything whatsoever.

"The notion that I would need or listen to financial advice from a dumb crook is absurd," Musk said.

Throwing in another point to establish that such a thing would have never happened, Musk said JPMorgan let Tesla, his flagship electric vehicle venture, down 10 years ago despite having the company's global commercial banking business.

The business was withdrawn from JPMorgan, he said. "I have never forgiven them."

See Also: How Does Elon Musk Make His Money

Why It's Important: Epstein faced charges of sex trafficking, involving dozens of underage girls, and died by suicide in Aug. 2019 while he was in jail. His British heiress accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was imprisoned a year later for abetting the crimes.

When a 2014 after-Oscar party photo in which Musk was photographed along with Maxwell was shared on social media, Musk denied knowing her and said, "Don't know Ghislaine at all. She photobombed me once at a Vanity Fair party several years ago," he tweeted in 2020.

In a Times interview in August 2018, Epstein reportedly said he was hired by Musk to find a new chairman for Tesla and that he promised to keep the role private due to his prior conviction.  A spokesperson for Musk reportedly denied any involvement with Epstein at that time.

JPMorgan and Musk have had bitter experiences in the past. In late 2021, JPMorgan sued Tesla seeking a $162 million payment related to a series of stock warrant transactions that were impacted due to Musk's infamous 2018 "funding secured" tweet.

Related Link: Tesla Investors, Relax! Elon Musk Says He Isn’t Going Anywhere