Whistleblower Who Revealed Commerce Secretary’s Epstein Links Dies by Suicide

Simon Andriesz, a 57-year-old former Wall Street banker residing in Cornwall, England, died by suicide after years of exposing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this year, Andriesz supplied House Oversight Committee members with a 2018 email thread in which Lutnick and Epstein discussed their joint investment in the digital advertising firm Adfin, undermining Lutnick’s public statements that contact had ceased long ago.

The whistleblower had originally uncovered the emails by searching the Justice Department’s released Epstein files for Lutnick’s initials, drawing on his experience at BGC Partners where Lutnick was CEO. In addition to the congressional tip, Andriesz had warned the FBI in 2020-21 about alleged undeclared ties between Lutnick and Epstein, but the agency did not investigate. He was also dismissed from BGC after raising concerns about accounting irregularities. Andy Agathangelou, who runs the Transparency Task BGForce, confirmed Andriesz’s death, while the Commerce Department and FBI declined to comment.