Lawmakers Seek Probe After Epstein Whistleblower Suicide

British lawmakers want answers after a whistleblower who raised questions about Jeffrey Epstein's ties to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick died by suicide in Thailand. Simon Andriesz, a former senior executive at brokerage BGC Partners—founded and led by Lutnick before his appointment by President Trump—had reported concerns to the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, the FBI, and others, the BBC reports. In July, he said the FCA had failed to act on his allegations of wrongdoing at his former employer and had wrongly told him he didn't qualify for whistleblower protection. British lawmakers say his death exposes "deeply troubling questions" about how the FCA deals with whistleblowers and potential retaliation.

Andriesz's family says the 57-year-old took his own life on Sept. 23 and that there is no sign of foul play. He said he had found evidence of business links between Epstein and Lutnick that clashed with Lutnick's public statements, as well as suspected misconduct at BGC that the firm denies. Andriesz said he found an email chain from 2018, the year before Epstein's death, in which Epstein and Lutnick discussed the prospects of a business they were involved in, the Times of London reports. Lutnick once claimed to have cut ties with Epstein in 2005. Lutnick, who has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, later admitted to lawmakers that he went to Epstein's island in 2012 for a brief and "meaningless" visit.

Andriesz first raised concerns about accounting irregularities at BGC in 2016, the year before he was fired, the Guardian reports. He told the FBI about Lutnick's undeclared Epstein links in 2020 and 2021, and later spoke to House investigators, reports the Times. Weeks before his death, Andriesz told lawmakers he had been put through "absolute hell" by the FCA, which found "insufficient evidence" of whistleblower retaliation. The regulator denies that it failed to act on his information and has tapped new board member Lea Paterson to review its handling of his case, while lawmakers are pressing for a broader independent probe of the FCA's whistleblower regime.