Washington, D.C. – In a powerful show of solidarity, a group of survivors from Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking network has publicly endorsed legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., aimed at compelling the U.S. Treasury Department to disclose thousands of previously withheld financial records tied to the late financier's illicit operations. The endorsement, detailed in a letter from the victims' attorneys dated December 1, 2025, underscores the ongoing demand for full governmental transparency in unraveling the vast financial web that enabled Epstein's decades-long abuse of dozens of women and underage girls. This development comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Trump administration's handling of Epstein-related documents, following last month's bipartisan passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandates the Department of Justice to release its investigative files by December 19.
The bill in question, the Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act (PETRA), or S. 2746, was formally introduced by Wyden on September 9, 2025, and referred to the Senate Finance Committee. Unlike the recently enacted Justice Department measure, PETRA targets a distinct trove of records held by the Treasury: Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed by banks under the Bank Secrecy Act, which flag potentially illicit transactions such as money laundering or fraud. These documents, estimated to detail over $1.5 billion in Epstein-linked transactions, include wire transfers, cash withdrawals, and payments that investigators believe reveal the "detailed map" of his financial network, including enablers, co-conspirators, and potential victims. Wyden's office has emphasized that these files were partially reviewed in person by Senate staff at Treasury headquarters on February 14, 2024, during the Biden administration, but full access has been repeatedly denied under current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
"These Epstein records at the Treasury Department, which Secretary Bessent has been hiding all year, would provide a detailed map of Epstein’s financial network and help us learn more about who funded, enabled and participated in his trafficking operation," Wyden stated in a December 2 press release from the Senate Finance Committee. The Oregon Democrat, who has spearheaded a three-year "follow-the-money" probe into Epstein's finances, added that the survivors' backing is both an honor and validation of his efforts. "I’ve been investigating Epstein’s finances for more than three years, and I am routinely awestruck by the bravery of these women and their commitment to uncovering the full truth of Epstein’s crimes," he said. Wyden's investigation originated in 2022 with scrutiny of Epstein's ties to billionaire Leon Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, and expanded to include IRS audits, JPMorgan Chase's role, and international wire transfers suggestive of cross-border trafficking.
The survivors' letter, addressed to Wyden, Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), explicitly calls for swift passage of S. 2746. "Consistently, the Epstein survivors have voiced the importance of transparency and championed the message that all records contained within the government’s files must be produced—and that includes these Treasury Department records," the attorneys wrote. They described the withheld SARs as "crucial to exposing how Epstein financed a cross-border criminal organization that abused countless women and girls," arguing that the files could illuminate not only payments to trafficked individuals but also potential violations of federal anti-money laundering laws by banks like JPMorgan Chase. The endorsement builds on the victims' long-standing advocacy, including public testimonies before Congress in November 2025 that helped secure passage of the Justice Department transparency bill.
If enacted, PETRA would impose strict deadlines on Treasury. Within 30 days, Secretary Bessent would be required to deliver physical copies of all Epstein-related SARs to the chairs and ranking members of the Senate Finance and Banking Committees. This includes reports on transactions involving Epstein, his convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and any "third-party individual or entity that transacted with" them—encompassing indicted and unindicted co-conspirators, as well as entities like Epstein's foundations or representatives. An accompanying report, due within the same timeframe, would list all submitting financial institutions, flagged individuals and entities, and the aggregate dollar value of suspicious activities. By day 60, Treasury must detail any internal probes into Bank Secrecy Act violations by those institutions, including by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Bessent's refusal to comply has drawn sharp criticism from Wyden and bipartisan lawmakers. The hedge fund veteran, confirmed as Treasury Secretary in early 2025, has twice rejected Wyden's formal requests this year, once claiming in a September congressional hearing that investigating such records falls outside Treasury's purview—a stance Wyden dismissed as implausible given Bessent's finance background. "The basic question here is whether a bunch of rich pedophiles and Epstein accomplices are going to face any consequences for their crimes, and Scott Bessent is doing his best to make sure they won’t," Wyden wrote in introducing PETRA. House Oversight Committee Republicans, led by Chair James Comer, echoed these concerns in an August 31 letter demanding SARs from Bessent, citing potential ethics violations by elected officials.
Epstein's financial opacity has long frustrated investigators. A convicted sex offender in 2008 for procuring underage girls, he evaded deeper scrutiny until his 2019 arrest on federal trafficking charges, followed by his suicide in a Manhattan jail. JPMorgan, Epstein's primary bank from 1998 to 2013, settled survivor lawsuits for $290 million in 2023 and faced a $75 million fine from the U.S. Virgin Islands, admitting it ignored red flags like $1.3 billion in late-reported suspicious transfers. Wyden's November 20, 2025, staff report revealed top JPMorgan executives, including those reporting to CEO Jamie Dimon, coached Epstein on disguising cash withdrawals and underreported activities, potentially breaching anti-money laundering statutes. The IRS, too, has come under fire: Wyden's July probe found no audits of Epstein's multimillion-dollar "tax planning" services for clients like Black, despite his lack of credentials.
The survivors' support injects new urgency into PETRA's path, though its prospects remain uncertain in a Republican-controlled Senate. No GOP co-sponsors have signed on, and Wyden plans to attach it as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. Advocacy groups and figures like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who co-led the Justice bill, have praised the victims' resilience, calling this a step toward a "moral reckoning."
Wyden remains resolute. "Earning the victims’ support was an honor and a sign that I am on the right path," he said, vowing to "keep following the money until we get justice." As the December 19 DOJ deadline looms, the Treasury standoff highlights persistent questions: How deep did Epstein's influence run, and who profited from the silence? For the survivors, the answer lies in those locked-away ledgers—records they insist must finally see the light of day.
