David Stern

Stern pitched Sal Oppenheim bank deal to Epstein (Aug 2009): urgently needed bullet points on JEE, Financial Trust Co, Stern role, and Jes Staley contacts. The chairman von Krockow was about to close with Deutsche Bank. Stern positioned himself as broker between JPM/Epstein and German private banking.

Stern's Witan Group was structurally embedded inside JPMorgan. March 5, 2011 proposal to Epstein: '1. Witan Group private co with JPM people on board. 2. DS employed by JPM either CEO Special Situations Group (can not have word China in the name) or Special Advisor to Jes?? 3. I think its best: DS reports to Jes, and close contact with both Emilio + Gaby. For JPM political reasons: DS officially based in two offices: London + Hong Kong' (EFTA02687707). Stern renamed Asia Gateway Ltd to Witan Group Ltd on May 4, 2011 with Epstein's permission (EFTA02688727). The name Witan comes from the Anglo-Saxon council of nobles — Stern researched the etymology and sent it to Epstein (EFTA02687006). Witan Holdings established in Hong Kong, Witan Consultancy (Beijing) Ltd established in Beijing, and UK company renamed (EFTA02535983). The Witan/JPM structure mirrors the FTC/JPM relationship: nominally independent private company with JPMorgan institutional backing and oversight.

Stern brokered relationship between Epstein and Richard Merkin via Asia Gateway China healthcare investments. Merkin assessed Chinese RMB assets as potential security (May 2012). Stern met Merkin regularly in LA and introduced Adam Goldston. AG China deal discussions 2012-2013 included signed agreements between Asia Gateway and Heritage Provider Network (Merkin).

Stern pitched German distressed asset fund to Epstein (Jun 11, 2016): 'Think about who wants to give us money to deploy in Germany? We have Stefan (it doesn't get better for Germany corporate) and a little leverage and truly unique access esp financial institutions who need to unload assets due to Basel. We can buy loan portfolios, mortgages, real estate blocks with tens of thousands of units... No auction, no American or Chinese rejection - one of safest markets in the world... Maybe that's our Stability Fund or Company...?' (EFTA02345529). Strategy: exploit Basel III forced disposals by European banks, using Krause's insider DB network to access off-market portfolios. Also proposed Witan-Evergrande JV for UK/European real estate with Hui Ka Yan ($10.6B Forbes, Nov 2015, EFTA02671356). Witan Group described as 'independent, privately-owned investment firm... operates discreetly and has an unrivalled global network' (EFTA02539706).

David Stern drafted description of Financial Trust Company (Epstein's USVI entity) as 'the independent, private investment arm of JP Morgan' with 'David Stern heads the European investments and reports directly to the Chairman.' This positions Stern as Epstein's European investment chief operating under the JPM umbrella.

Epstein told Stern that Financial Trust Company was a JPM joint venture: 'financial trust is joint venture, all the guarantees and reputational risk will only be JP Morgan.. they will deal the head of the private bank, jes staley, with 1.5 trillion dollars under management and the chairman jamie'

David Stern told Epstein about ProtonMail as the safest email on July 26, 2017, providing the protonmail.com URL. This is the earliest documented reference to ProtonMail in the Epstein corpus and may be the origin of the network shift to encrypted communications.

David Stern served as primary intermediary between Epstein and Prince Andrew. Organized Andrew trips to China and KL (2011). Reported on Andrew activities. Named new company Witan with Andrew approval. Visited Sanger Institute Cambridge with Andrew (Feb 2016). Organized Karyna Shuliak to attend Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (Apr 2016). Appointed director of St Georges House trust at Windsor Castle (2016). Seated directly left of Queen Elizabeth at St James Palace. Resigned from Pitch at Palace 2019 after Epstein scandal.

David Stern (identified in Wave 4 as FTC='JPM joint venture'/Prince Andrew intermediary) wrote to Epstein on Sep 6 2011: 'I am going with PA to China on 23 October (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong), then private weekend in Zheijiang, then two days in Kuala Lumpur. Most meetings by now are organised by me except mayors and governors and nothing in KL. I stay in the background/hidden, just make the arrangements.' PA = Prince Andrew. This confirms Stern was organizing Prince Andrew's Malaysia/China itinerary while deliberately staying 'background/hidden' -- classic intelligence tradecraft. Three copies of this email exist (EFTA02693853, EFTA02367886, EFTA02543035), confirming its significance. Stern had KL contacts and organized high-level meetings, connecting the Epstein network to Malaysian political infrastructure.

Stern explicitly described Prince Andrew's commercial value to Epstein (Aug 28, 2013): 'PA has access to decision makers and capital (but no deal flow) such as China, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait. Kleinwort Benson is a UK bank with merchant banking aspirations, and wanting to do international deals. What is the right structure to combine this? I am the connecting piece joining Kleinwort formally? What are the terms? Or JV with my entity Witan?' (EFTA02678390). This is the most explicit statement of the Epstein-Stern-Prince Andrew commercial triangle: PA provides sovereign access, Stern is the 'connecting piece,' and Witan/Kleinwort provide banking infrastructure. Epstein is the strategic advisor being asked to design the structure. Kleinwort Benson was later acquired by Societe Generale (2016). The RHJI/Kleinwort connection links to Lenny Fischer (CEO of RHJI/Kleinwort parent) whom Stern met in St. Moritz Dec 2011.

Stern pitched Epstein on Al Jazeera IPO for Qatar during the 2017 Gulf blockade crisis (Jun 28, 2017, EFTA02644597). Plan: accelerated IPO on NASDAQ or London Stock Exchange, Qatar to remain significant minority shareholder, Witan Group to present IPO plan and introduce CEO candidate Marc-Antoine d'Halluin (former CEO of Zodiak Media, Showtime Arabia, OSN, Canal+ Nordic). Witan would introduce key investors for underwriting and select global coordinator banks. This was 23 days after Saudi/UAE/Egypt/Bahrain imposed blockade on Qatar (Jun 5, 2017), and just 8 days after Stern connected Centricus (Vision Fund advisors) to Epstein. Four months later (Oct 2017), Stern attended FII Riyadh with PIF Saudi chairman alongside Leon Black and Tom Barrack. Stern was simultaneously advising Qatar (Al Jazeera IPO) and attending Saudi Arabia's flagship investment summit — playing both sides of the Gulf crisis, mirroring Epstein's documented both-sides pattern.

David Stern FII Riyadh connections Oct 2017: Stern told Epstein 'Chairman of PIF Saudi Arabia has invited me to Riyadh on Oct 24-26. I am going. Seem like a lot of your friends are there too: Leon Black, Tom Barrack, Sultan etc' (EFTA02383329). This was the inaugural Future Investment Initiative. Stern thus had direct access to PIF (Public Investment Fund) Saudi leadership, connecting Epstein network to MBS's flagship economic vehicle. Leon Black and Tom Barrack (later arrested for UAE lobbying) were both present.

David Stern (Epstein's European investment head, Asia Gateway) told Epstein on June 12, 2018 he was 'going to Tokyo tomorrow to meet Softbank COO (former Sprint Chairman)' — referring to Marcelo Claure. This is a direct Epstein network touchpoint to SoftBank senior management, contemporaneous with the period when the SoftBank dirty tricks story was public (WSJ March 2018). No direct evidence of Stern-K2 Intelligence connection found in corpus.

David Stern asked Epstein to arrange North Korea access through Steve Bannon on Jun 14 2018: Ask Bannon to get me to North Korea? I want to buy prime real estate. I have the money. Two days earlier Jun 12 Stern had told Epstein he wanted to go to North Korea to see No.1 Via US channels seems best. How? Epstein replied not sure about sanctions. On Apr 22 2017 Stern relayed Chinese intelligence: my senior Chinese friends tell me the top gave Trump the go ahead to take on North Korea. No idea if its real. Stern was simultaneously meeting SoftBank COO Marcelo Claure in Tokyo the same week. This reveals Stern operating as a multi-directional intelligence broker spanning North Korea-China-Japan-SoftBank-Bannon channels.

David Stern was in Tokyo with PA (Prince Andrew) on Feb 9-10 2018 (EFTA02527724) asking Epstein How did Belarus go? and on Jun 12-14 2018 meeting SoftBank COO Marcelo Claure in Tokyo while simultaneously asking Epstein for Bannon-facilitated North Korea access. The Feb 2018 Tokyo trip with Prince Andrew and Jun 2018 SoftBank meeting place Stern as Epsteins primary Tokyo-based intelligence asset during the exact period leading up to Ghosns arrest (Nov 19 2018). Stern is the strongest candidate for Epsteins my guy on Ghosn given: (1) active Tokyo presence (2) SoftBank executive access (3) routine intelligence relay to Epstein (4) role as Prince Andrew intermediary in Asia.