Simon Andriesz, a whistleblower who exposed ties in the Epstein files between Jeffrey Epstein and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, has died by suicide, The Banker reports, renewing scrutiny over Lutnick and his business links to Epstein.

The Banker reported Andriesz’ death Friday citing Transparency Task Group founder Andy Agathangelou, who said Andriesz had died by suicide the week before, and a representative for Andriesz also confirmed his death on the whistleblower’s X account Monday.

Andriesz was a former Wall Street executive who worked for BCG Partners, a subsidiary of Lutnick’s Cantor Fitzgerald, before being terminated in 2017.

Andriesz alleged he had uncovered undisclosed business ties between Lutnick and Epstein in the federal government’s Epstein files, as the two men sent emails discussing Adfin, a company they were both invested in—undercutting Lutnick’s claims that he didn’t have any business ties to Epstein and didn’t know he was also invested in Adfin until the Epstein files were released.

The whistleblower also appeared in the Epstein files himself after he spoke to the FBI in 2021 about Lutnick, with documents in the Epstein files noting Andriesz alleged Lutnick “made his money through Ponzi schemes and money laundering.”

Andriesz worked more broadly to report claims of fraud and wrongdoing at Cantor Fitzgerald that he allegedly witnessed while he worked for BCG, he told the BBC, alleging the company embezzled funds from its brokers’ commission pools to cover other revenue losses—and also alleging BCG retaliated against him for blowing the whistle.

BCG strongly denied any wrongdoing to the BBC in July, saying Andriesz’s claims are “categorically false” and denying it had ever tried to retaliate against him, and Lutnick has broadly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein or knowing about any business ties between them.

Andriesz was a managing director at BCG, according to the BBC . While working at the firm, he uncovered alleged instances of fraud, which he reported internally in 2016, refusing to sign off on documents with allegedly fraudulent figures. He told the BBC he was then let go from the firm in 2017 over disputes after he ended up in the hospital with heart problems, suggesting he believed the firm used his health issues as a pretext to fire him for flagging wrongdoing. BCG has strongly denied those claims, describing Andriesz as a former employee with an “axe to grind,” and characterized his termination to the BBC as being based on Andriesz refusing to follow medical advice and failing to perform certain job duties. After leaving his Wall Street role, Andriesz reported Cantor Fitzerald’s alleged fraud to authorities in both the U.K. and U.S., he told the BBC, eventually also speaking with the FBI about Lutnick and his alleged ties to Epstein. Andriesz relocated from Wall Street to Cornwall, a region in southwestern England, and told the BBC his whistleblowing and the alleged retaliation he faced from it had taken a significant toll on his health. BCG had continued to seek retaliation against him even after he left the company, he claimed, which the company thoroughly denied. BCG has not yet responded to a request for further comment in light of Andriesz’s death. Andriesz suffered from dissociative seizures and had checked himself into a trauma center to cope with the stress from his “intense ordeal” he faced with his whistleblowing, he told the BBC, and said he had opposed BGC’s alleged wrongdoing because “it’s in my DNA to fight for justice.” The whistleblower created an account on X in August and introduced the claims he had uncovered in a post on the platform, writing, “The personal consequences of whistleblowing, and the retaliation I say followed, have been devastating for my family and me.” Andriesz said in his post on X that he intended to use the account to “share more of the evidence and the story behind what happened,” but he did not share any more posts on the platform before his death.

Did Epstein and Howard Lutnick Do Business Together?

Andriesz’s allegations regarding Epstein and Lutnick center on the two men both being invested in the company Adfin. A 2018 email exchange in the Epstein files, which Andriesz alleged he first uncovered, shows the two men discussing the company, with Epstein asking Lutnick, “What do you think the prospects for Adfin are?” Lutnick responded by writing, “Producing revenue finally. This is their year. Next 12 months they need to become economically self sufficient.” That email took place after both men had already invested in Adfin, with the BBC noting Epstein invested in the company shortly after Lutnick visited the financier’s private island in 2012, and Lutnick invested shortly thereafter. In an interview with the House Oversight Committee in May, Lutnick denied having any business relationship with Epstein or knowledge that Epstein was also invested in Adfin, telling lawmakers that to the “best of [his] recollection,” he didn’t learn about the financier’s involvement until the Epstein files were publicly released earlier this year. He also described it as “inexplicable and unsettling” that documents regarding his Adfin investment were included in the Epstein files. When asked about his 2018 email exchange with Epstein, Lutnick claimed he was trying to market Adfin to advertising clients at the time and “would’ve been out talking to everybody” about the company. “So it wouldn’t surprise me that people knew about it,” Lutnick alleged as an explanation for why he talked to Epstein about Adfin without knowing the financier was invested in it. Epstein asking about Adfin’s prospects was not “unusual,” Lutnick claimed, because the company was trying to “get attention.” Lawmakers also asked Lutnick about a 2013 email between Epstein and former Adfin board member David Mitchell about trying to meet with Lutnick about Adfin, which Lutnick denied having any knowledge of.

Howard Lutnick’s Relationship With Epstein

Lutnick and Epstein were neighbors on Manhattan’s Upper East Side before the financier’s arrest and subsequent death, and Lutnick has drawn scrutiny for his shifting explanation of their relationship. He has never been accused of wrongdoing or abuse in connection with Epstein, and has denied any knowledge of the financier’s alleged abuse. Before the Epstein files were released, Lutnick told the New York Post he had a “one and absolutely done” meeting with Epstein in 2005 when Lutnick and his wife were given a tour of Epstein’s home. Lutnick claimed they left after Epstein insinuated he was receiving sexual massages at his home, and told the Post he “was never in a room with [Epstein] socially, for business, or even philanthropy” after that, calling Epstein “gross.” The Epstein files contradicted Lutnick’s account, however, showing the two had communications that continued as late as 2018, and Lutnick later admitted to Congress he had actually met Epstein on three occasions after they first became neighbors. Those interactions included Lutnick visiting Epstein’s private island in 2012, with Lutnick claiming he and his family had lunch on the island and spent roughly “an hour” there. He told Congress he did not see anyone on the island besides Epstein’s staff or witness any wrongdoing. In his interview with the House Oversight Committee in May, Lutnick said he “had no personal or professional relationship with [Epstein], despite the proximity of our addresses.”

Forbes values Lutnick and his family’s net worth at $7.2 billion as of Monday afternoon.

Details are scant about the circumstances of Andriesz’s death, beyond it coming after the whistleblower telling the BBC of the mental health challenges he had faced. There is no evidence to suggest any foul play regarding his death, though the news of the whistleblower’s passing coming shortly after speaking with the media about Epstein has sparked intrigue nevertheless. “And it’s just a coincidence that one of the whistleblowers in the scandal was just found dead?” Julie K. Brown, the journalist who first exposed the full scale of Epstein’s alleged abuse, posted on X on Sunday in response to the Trump administration fighting the release of further Epstein files in court. Deaths of people related to Epstein’s case have long drawn public fascination, with a French model recruiter with ties to Epstein most recently being found dead in July, though Epstein’s own death—by suicide in his prison cell in 2019—has drawn the most speculation and accusations of foul play.

In addition to allegations about Lutnick and Epstein, Andriesz also uncovered information in the Epstein files about Lutnick and Cantor Fitzgerald’s ties to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew. Mountbatten-Windsor is a longtime Epstein ally who has faced accusations of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, which he denies, and was stripped of his royal title over his dealing with the late financier. According to emails in the Epstein files, Cantor Fitzgerald had sought to reach a deal with Mountbatten-Windsor, in which it would loan £1 million to the royal in exchange for him introducing wealthy friends to the firm. He would also receive a 50% cut for any fees Cantor Fitzgerald received if those friends became clients. An advisor for Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded the agreement on to Epstein and the financier strongly objected to it, noting it barred the royal from doing business with any other firms and could pose additional legal issues. Cantor Fitzgerald told the BBC the deal never came to fruition, and Mountbatten-Windsor did not comment on the allegations.

Whistleblower who flagged Lutnick’s links to Epstein dies (The Banker)

How US commerce secretary’s Epstein links were uncovered by British whistleblower (BBC News)

Howard Lutnick’s Ties To Epstein Explained—As He Testifies Before Congress Today (Forbes)