British Whistleblower Uncovers Howard Lutnick's Undisclosed Epstein Business Links

A British financial services professional has exposed evidence that US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick did not publicly acknowledge a business relationship with convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein, prompting scrutiny from federal lawmakers. The discovery emerged from millions of documents released by the US government relating to the notorious sex offender, and the findings were provided to the House Oversight Committee before Lutnick's congressional testimony.

The Discovery

Simon Andriesz, a former managing director at Wall Street financial firm BGC Partners, uncovered an email chain from 2018 in which Lutnick and Epstein discussed investment prospects for a startup venture they both held stakes in. Andriesz, now residing in Cornwall, located the correspondence while reviewing the extensive Epstein file collection made public in recent years. Upon presenting his findings to House Oversight Committee members, Andriesz raised questions about whether Lutnick had properly disclosed the connection during his appointment process and prior business dealings.

Lutnick's Response and Additional Concerns

When questioned by the committee, Lutnick stated that, to his knowledge, he only learned this year that Epstein had been an investor in the firm. The US Commerce Department subsequently told investigators there was no evidence of wrongdoing on Lutnick's part. However, Andriesz's investigation uncovered a second matter: documents indicating one of Lutnick's companies had proposed a £1 million loan arrangement to Prince Andrew in 2013, framed as a way to commercially leverage the former UK trade envoy's professional contacts.

Andriesz's Background and Credibility Questions

Andriesz discovered his own name within the Epstein files—appearing in FBI interview records related to an employment dispute with his former employer. In 2016, Andriesz raised internal concerns about accounting irregularities at BGC Partners. He was terminated in 2017, but his allegations ultimately contributed to regulators ordering BGC to pay $3 million in penalties for supervision, reporting, and record-keeping violations. BGC has disputed Andriesz's credibility, stating that investigations in multiple jurisdictions found his allegations lacked substantiation.

Lutnick, appointed as the 41st US Secretary of Commerce in 2025, has built a career managing Cantor Fitzgerald and navigating significant challenges, including the firm's recovery after losing 658 employees in the September 11, 2001 attacks. The current disclosure raises questions about disclosure protocols within the Trump administration's vetting process for cabinet-level appointments.