A former British banker who publicly raised questions about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s past connections to Jeffrey Epstein has died suddenly at the age of 57, with his death being reported as a suicide.
Simon Andriesz spent more than 35 years working in financial markets and had previously served as a managing director at BGC Group, where Lutnick was chief executive.
His death was confirmed by Andy Agathangelou, founder of the campaign group Transparency Task Force.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Simon Andriesz, a valued member of our community, passed away last week,” Agathangelou said.
Andriesz had recently drawn public attention after speaking out about what he said were previously undisclosed details involving Lutnick and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Lutnick, who now serves as U.S. commerce secretary, acknowledged earlier this year that he visited Epstein’s private island in 2012.
That admission drew scrutiny because it appeared to conflict with earlier statements suggesting he had ended his relationship with Epstein years before.
Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Lutnick described the island visit as brief and tied to a family vacation.
“I did have lunch with him as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation,” Lutnick said.
He said his wife, four children and nannies were with him during the visit.
“We had lunch on the island. That is true. For an hour,” Lutnick added.
Andriesz later told the BBC that he had uncovered evidence suggesting Lutnick’s ties to Epstein continued beyond what had previously been publicly understood.
According to Andriesz, he discovered a 2018 email chain in which Lutnick and Epstein discussed a startup business in which both men were involved, per The Banker.
The matter was later featured in a BBC “File on 4 Investigates” episode titled “The Epstein Files: Lutnick, the Royals and the British Whistleblower.”
The program aired in July.
Shortly after the broadcast, Andriesz appeared at an event hosted by Transparency Task Force.
There, he spoke about what he described as mistreatment of whistleblowers by regulators in the United Kingdom.
He also discussed the personal cost of coming forward.
Andriesz said the whistleblowing experience had affected his career, health and family.
His death now comes only months after those disclosures became public.
The source reports that Andriesz’s death was a suicide, but it does not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding his death.
It also does not establish any connection between his death and the information he disclosed about Lutnick.
There is no evidence in the source suggesting Lutnick or anyone associated with him played any role in Andriesz’s death.
Lutnick has previously addressed his past association with Epstein and condemned the crimes attributed to the disgraced financier.
“I unequivocally condemn the conduct attributed to Jeffrey Epstein and everyone who participated in his illegal activities,” Lutnick said.
“The survivors of his crimes deserve our respect and support.”
Andriesz’s allegations focused on the extent and timing of Lutnick’s relationship with Epstein, not on claims that Lutnick participated in Epstein’s crimes.
His background in finance gave him direct familiarity with BGC Group and the business environment surrounding Lutnick.
Andriesz had spent decades working in financial markets before becoming more publicly associated with whistleblower advocacy.
Transparency Task Force had previously hosted events involving Andriesz and broader concerns about the treatment of people who expose alleged wrongdoing.
His sudden death has drawn renewed attention because of the high-profile disclosures he had made only months earlier.
For now, the known facts remain limited.
Andriesz is dead at 57, his death has been reported as a suicide, and he had recently played a prominent role in bringing previously undisclosed details about Lutnick’s relationship with Epstein into public view.
