Whistleblower Who Exposed Howard Lutnick's Ties to Epstein Found Dead

Simon Andriesz, a whistleblower who raised allegations about business ties between Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein, died by suicide last week, according to Transparency Task Force founder Andy Agathangelou.

The Details: Andriesz, 57, was a former managing director at BGC Group – a subsidiary of Lutnick's Cantor Fitzgerald investment firm. Andriesz said he'd uncovered undisclosed business connections between Lutnick and Epstein through Adfin, a company both men had invested in. Documents released as part of the Epstein files said Andriesz alleged that Lutnick "made his money through Ponzi schemes and money laundering." Lutnick previously claimed that he didn't have any business ties to Epstein and didn't know he was invested in Adfin until the Epstein files were released.

For Context: Andriesz also appeared in the Epstein filed after he spoke with the FBI about Lutnick in 2021. He provided evidence to the House Oversight Committee during its Epstein investigation in the months before his death. According to documents in the Epstein files, Lutnick traveled to Epstein's private island and had a business relationship until at least 2018.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the political spectrum covered the story similarly by focusing on Andriesz's findings, his work with the Oversight Committee and Lutnick's denial of the claims. The Daily Caller (Right bias) included a quote from Andriesz saying, "The personal consequences of whistleblowing, and the retaliation I say followed, have been devastating for my family and me." The outlet also used photos of Lutnick, including one of him smiling and shrugging as its feature photo, which could signify photo bias. In its headline, The Daily Beast (Left) linked Lutnick to President Trump writing, "Whistleblower Who Exposed Trump Goon's Ties to Epstein Found Dead". Forbes (Center) noted Andriesz's other work reporting claims of fraud and wrongdoing at Cantor Fitzgerald before he was fired in 2017.

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