Andrew aide advised Epstein to omit conviction on China visa form, files suggest | Jeffrey Epstein
An aide to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor advised Jeffrey Epstein to illegally hide his child sex abuse conviction so he could get a visa to China, according to Epstein’s latest filings.
David Stern, a close friend of both Epstein and the then-prince, was asked for help after the disgraced financier’s initial visa application was rejected.
Stern advised Epstein’s assistant to submit the application to the Chinese embassy in Paris, “and it would also be better not to check the boxes that have already been rejected or indicted.”
Stern added in the 2012 email chain: “Of course it should be J’s decision whether to do this or not, not mine.”
In 2008, Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison in the United States after pleading guilty to sexually abusing 14-year-old girls.
There is no suggestion that Mountbatten-Windsor was aware of Stern’s advice, and it does not appear that Epstein made the planned visit to Beijing.
Stern, 48, had worked as a mechanic at Mountbatten-Windsor since 2010 and was director of the Pitch@Palace business from 2016 to 2019. He was also close to Epstein and described him as a mentor.
Stern suggested a year ago that he and Epstein set up an investment office for “high-net-worth individuals” in Beijing and “very discreetly make the PA part of it and use their ‘aura and reach’.”
PA is the abbreviation regularly used by Stern and Epstein in correspondence contained in 3 million documents released by the US Department of Justice regarding the disgraced American financier who killed himself in his cell in 2019.
It is unclear whether the Beijing office idea was developed, but a June 23, 2012 email suggests the three men were further conspiring to work together in Asia. Stern, a German citizen who is now believed to be living in the United Arab Emirates, wrote to Epstein that two options were open to them.
The first of these will be the establishment of a company called the Serpentine group, which will be “a new company exclusively for this purpose”. The second was to use Stern’s company, Asia Gateway, which “has history and accounts and evidence (sic) of past customers available and available.”
“He said he informed PA that you were thinking about setting up the company and that I would wait for your feedback before taking action… He said I needed to at least send the letter so we could proceed… I will wait for your instruction,” Stern said.
Epstein responded: “Send the Asian gateway.”
In response, Stern wrote: “Understood and approved: It will be held as the Gateway to Asia. The PA accepts your decision. The letter will be sent as follows.”
In his letter to Mountbatten-Windsor, of which the royal family was already aware, Stern wrote that Asia Gateway is a consultancy firm based in South Kensington that focuses on “developing, structuring and investing in a wide range of projects, particularly those linked to the United Kingdom.”
He says: “My deep admiration for your unremitting work as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment inspires the AG business model. Knowing your commitment to the UK and its trade and businesses, I wonder if there is more that can be done to create a business network of unrivaled comparison.”
“Furthermore, based on my thirteen years of business experience in China, the AG aims to attract Chinese investors and companies to the UK market and related opportunities. I know that this is an area of opportunity for the UK as a whole and a priority for the UK government. I would be honored to discuss this approach with you personally and, if possible, understand how the AG can support your important work.”
Stern and Mountbatten-Windsor have been approached for comment.
Thames Valley police are liaising with prosecutors regarding allegations of “misconduct in public office” by Mountbatten-Windsor and are reviewing material from the Epstein files.
Former prince allegedly leaked confidential information epsteinThey included official reports on trips to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam in 2010 and 2011, where he served as the government’s trade envoy. Trade ambassadors have a duty of confidentiality.
According to police, officers are trying to “determine whether a criminal offense is suspected and whether a full investigation is warranted.”
Former British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson also faces an investigation into the same alleged crime, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Both men denied any wrongdoing.
