By Micah Jonah, February 20, 2026
Fresh documents released by the United States Department of Justice have revealed that Charles Schwab Corporation processed about 27.7 million dollars in wire transfers on behalf of late financier Jeffrey Epstein shortly before his arrest in 2019.
The transactions were linked to an attempted purchase of the Bin Ennakhil palace in Marrakesh, Morocco. The funds were reportedly wired to a Moroccan based realtor as Epstein sought to acquire the luxury property in the days leading to his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges.
According to the documents, Schwab opened three accounts in April 2019 for companies associated with Epstein, including Southern Trust, which listed him as president and sole beneficial owner.
Between June 26 and July 9, 2019, Southern Trust instructed Schwab to transfer about 12.7 million dollars for the property purchase. The initial transaction was later reversed after a request to terminate the payment due to disagreements over the real estate terms.
However, on July 4, just two days before Epstein’s arrest, another instruction was issued to wire 14.95 million dollars for the same property. The documents indicate that this transfer was processed even though the account reportedly lacked sufficient funds at the time, as the earlier reversed payment had not yet been fully credited back.
Seven days after Epstein’s arrest, Schwab filed a Suspicious Activity Report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network under the United States Treasury Department, raising concerns about the attempted real estate transactions and the negative publicity surrounding the financier.
In its response, Schwab stated that an associate of Epstein opened the accounts in April 2019 and that its internal risk team commenced a review shortly afterwards. The company said it decided within 60 days to terminate the relationship and referred the matter to federal law enforcement authorities. It declined to provide further details, citing regulatory and privacy obligations.
The documents further showed that the funds were directed to a Swiss bank account linked to the realtor handling the Marrakesh transaction. The property deal ultimately did not go through.
Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, on charges of sex trafficking minors. He later died in custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial.
Although there is no indication in the documents that Schwab has been accused of wrongdoing, the revelations have renewed attention on how major financial institutions handled transactions connected to Epstein in the months preceding his arrest.
