Who is Martin Zeman in the Epstein files?

Martin Zeman was a Deutsche Bank employee (martin.zeman@db.com) who appears in hundreds of internal bank documents produced in the Epstein investigation. He was part of the team managing compliance and account oversight for Epstein-linked corporate entities, including Southern Financial LLC, Southern Trust Company, and the Butterfly Trust. His communications span from late 2017 through 2018, a critical period when Deutsche Bank was processing KYC reviews and flagging compliance breaches related to these accounts.

What was Martin Zeman's role at Deutsche Bank regarding Epstein's accounts?

Based on the released documents, Zeman was involved in KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance reviews, MD-level account approvals, and product extensions for Epstein-related entities. He appears in email chains discussing KYC breaches for Southern Financial LLC, reviewing compliance action plans, and approving new account openings such as the Butterfly Trust. He worked alongside colleagues including Xavier Avila, Nina Tona, and Davide Sferrazza on these matters.

What were Southern Financial LLC and the Butterfly Trust in relation to Jeffrey Epstein?

Southern Financial LLC was a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Trust Company Inc., a U.S. Virgin Islands entity that Deutsche Bank opened brokerage accounts for in 2013. Court documents later revealed Southern Trust was described as a fraud that acted as a conduit for payments to foreign women, credit cards, airplanes, and other instrumentalities rather than its stated purpose as a database company. The Butterfly Trust was another Epstein-linked entity for which Deutsche Bank employees, including Zeman, processed account approvals. Deutsche Bank was ultimately fined $150 million by New York regulators for compliance failures related to these Epstein accounts.

Who is Martin Zeman in the Epstein files?

Martin Zeman was a Deutsche Bank employee (martin.zeman@db.com) who appears in hundreds of internal bank documents produced in the Epstein investigation. He was part of the team managing compliance and account oversight for Epstein-linked corporate entities, including Southern Financial LLC, Southern Trust Company, and the Butterfly Trust. His communications span from late 2017 through 2018, a critical period when Deutsche Bank was processing KYC reviews and flagging compliance breaches related to these accounts.

What was Martin Zeman's role at Deutsche Bank regarding Epstein's accounts?

Based on the released documents, Zeman was involved in KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance reviews, MD-level account approvals, and product extensions for Epstein-related entities. He appears in email chains discussing KYC breaches for Southern Financial LLC, reviewing compliance action plans, and approving new account openings such as the Butterfly Trust. He worked alongside colleagues including Xavier Avila, Nina Tona, and Davide Sferrazza on these matters.

What were Southern Financial LLC and the Butterfly Trust in relation to Jeffrey Epstein?

Southern Financial LLC was a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Trust Company Inc., a U.S. Virgin Islands entity that Deutsche Bank opened brokerage accounts for in 2013. Court documents later revealed Southern Trust was described as a fraud that acted as a conduit for payments to foreign women, credit cards, airplanes, and other instrumentalities rather than its stated purpose as a database company. The Butterfly Trust was another Epstein-linked entity for which Deutsche Bank employees, including Zeman, processed account approvals. Deutsche Bank was ultimately fined $150 million by New York regulators for compliance failures related to these Epstein accounts.

Back to People & Entities

Martin Zeman

Person

654

Total Mentions

654

Documents

526

Connected Entities

Individual referenced in Epstein documents

Martin Zeman was a Deutsche Bank employee ([email protected]) who appears extensively in internal bank communications related to Jeffrey Epstein's corporate accounts, including Southern Financial LLC, Southern Trust Company, and the Butterfly Trust — entities later identified as conduits in Epstein's financial network.

Zeman appears in approximately 610 documents from Deutsche Bank's internal records produced under subpoena (EFTA production). The emails show him as a direct participant in KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance processes, account onboarding decisions, and day-to-day management of Epstein-linked entities such as Southern Financial LLC and the Butterfly Trust. He is consistently copied on or directly involved in email chains with colleagues including Xavier Avila, Nina Tona, Stewart Oldfield, and Davide Sferrazza, discussing KYC breaches, account extensions, and compliance reviews for Epstein's accounts. One email chain specifically addresses the 'source of wealth' for Southern Financial, identifying Jeffrey Epstein as the sole shareholder.

Key Highlights

•Zeman was a Deutsche Bank employee directly involved in managing KYC compliance for Epstein-linked entities including Southern Financial LLC, Southern Trust Company, and the Butterfly Trust
•His email address ([email protected]) and role in product approvals and compliance reviews show he was part of the internal team handling Epstein's corporate accounts during the 2017-2018 period
•Documents reference KYC breaches for Southern Financial LLC and discussions about source-of-wealth documentation identifying Jeffrey Epstein as sole shareholder
•He appears in MD (Managing Director) approval chains for new Epstein-related accounts, including the Butterfly Trust in October 2018
•Southern Financial LLC and Southern Trust Company were later identified by regulators and courts as entities used by Epstein to route payments to alleged co-conspirators, leading to Deutsche Bank's $150 million fine

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

James Patterson

Bestselling account of Epstein's crimes and network

Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Bradley J. Edwards

Victims' attorney's firsthand account

Document Mentions (20 of 654)

EFTA01290514.pdf

EFTA01290514

1 mention

019 Account Number Portfolio at a Glance %%Period Year4o-Cele Your Investment Specialist BEGINNING ACCOUNT VALUE 23,268,984.84 33,268,984 84 MARTIN ZEMAN Adjusted Previous Account Value 3,268,984.84 3,268,984 64 Dividends lateral and Other Income 6,409.31 6,409.31 Estimated Anneal Income 36,409

EFTA01290105.pdf

EFTA01290105

1 mention

Account Number: Portfolio at a Glance ThisPerlad Yeur4o-Date Your Investment Specialist: BEGINNINGACCOUNT VALUE 85,205,298.67 $5,205,298.67 MARTIN ZEMAN Net Cash Deposits and Withdrawals 4,000,909.00 4,000,000.00 Adjusted Previous Account Value 1,205,298.67 1,205,298.67 Dividends. Interest and

EFTA01291276.pdf

EFTA01291276

1 mention

P.O. Box 1776, Baltimore, MD 212O3 JEPSTBN VIRGIN ISLANDS FOUNDATION INC 6/30 RED HOOK QUARTER B3 ST THOM ASVI00802 Your Investment Specialist. MARTIN ZEMAN (212) 250-0432 Asset Summary NOW,. Sant Private MOM Min/eaten Mulct Contn. 6, w{ oitehaw Sank SetwItlei Fic Nov ten Me HS ft ilk Autry. MO Mo

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EFTA01290414.pdf

EFTA01290414

1 mention

tity displayed may have been rounded. Client Service Information 0.00 6,105.99 0.00 6,105.99 USD Your Investment Swigs:2BI Corded InfotmatIon MARTIN ZEMAN Your Account Information Telephone Number: ( TAX LOT DEFAULT DISPOSITION METHOD Default Method for Mutual Funds: First In First Out Default Met

EFTA01291791.pdf

EFTA01291791

1 mention

count Number: Portfolio at a Glance ThisPeriod Year-k Date Your Investment Specialist. BEGIN NI NG ACCOUNT VALUE 917,931,001.10 $16,956,877.74 MARTIN ZEMAN Net Cash Deposits and Withdrawals 0 00 .213.072.07 Adjusted Previous Account Value 17,931,001.10 16,713,805.67 Dividends, Interest and Other I

EFTA01297869.pdf

EFTA01297869

1 mention

uthern Financial LLC update [SC] Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged From: Kimberly Hart Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 4:53 PM To: Martin Zeman <[email protected]>; Keith Buckholz Cc: Stewart Oldfield < >; Xavier Avila Daniel-E Kaiser a Subject: RE: Southern Financial LLC update [SC] C

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EFTA01355980.pdf

EFTA01355980

1 mention

Product Name - GED Global Credit Derivatives Business Sponsor (Sales Person) - John Kennedy Martin Zeman Business Approver (Managing Director) Joe Aglione Xavier Avila Follow the following link to see full request details: htto://dbcar.gto.intranet.db

EFTA01358357.pdf

EFTA01358357

1 mention

Thank you Nina Tona From: Xavier Avila Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2018 7:00 PM To: Nina Tona ; Davide-A Sferrazza a; Alastair Mackinlay Cc: Martin Zeman ; Joshua Shoshan ; Billy Obregon Subject: RE: GM KCP Bible - Action Plan - Update I ill Good work, let's review later this week.... From: Nina T

EFTA01358355.pdf

EFTA01358355

1 mention

Nina Tona From: Xavier Avila Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2018 2:32 PM To: Nina Tona Cc: Joshua Shoshan Davide-A Sferrazza ; Alastair Mackinlay ; Martin Zeman < ..; Billy Obregon Ian Salters Subject: Re: GM KCP Bible - Action Plan Update I KYC Priority List [I] Both GBK and GKFF have trades in the books

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EFTA01358358.pdf

EFTA01358358

1 mention

From: Davide-A Sferrazza Sent: 2/8/2018 12:03:02 PM To: Nina Tona CC: Martin Zeman ; Liam 0sullivan Subject: Southern Financial KYC dots ICI Attachments: Southern Financial Operating Agreement.pdf; Southern Trust Company Inc. Fi

EFTA01358382.pdf

EFTA01358382

1 mention

egus Sent: Monday, April 16, 2018 9:03 AM To: Xavier Avila Akash Malhotra Cc: Shawn Staker NCAOTC Derivatives Chopra Alka Gopala Ian Salters Martin Zeman Subject: RE: KYC Breach_SOUTHFINANMD_Southem Financial, LLC_FFT Location [I] Classification: For Internal use only I would re-book to London if th

EFTA01358407.pdf

EFTA01358407

1 mention

Martin lunch Location: Milos - 125 West 55th Start: 8/6/2018 1:00:00 PM End: 8/6/2018 2:30:00 PM Show Time As: Tentative Recurrence: (none) Martin Zeman This communication may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this communicati

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EFTA01358409.pdf

EFTA01358409

1 mention

L.P. KCP US AB Centaurus Capital LP Thank you Nina Tona From: Xavier Avila Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2018 7:00 PM Davide-A Sferrazza Cc: Martin Zeman ; Alastair Mackinlay Joshua Shosha ; Billy Obregon Subject: RE: GM KCP Bible - Action Plan - Update I [I] Good work, let's review later this wee

EFTA01358415.pdf

EFTA01358415

1 mention

ent decision is that we are engaging the client. Thanks Xavi From: Mathew Negus Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2018 1:57 PM To: Zack Bunimovich Cc: Martin Zeman Subject: RE: Southern Financial RDC Alerts Ill Yes From: Martin Zeman Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2018 1:01 PM To: Zack Bunimovich Anthony Lentini

EFTA01358412.pdf

EFTA01358412

1 mention

To: Nina Tona < >; Davide-A Sferrazza Alastair Mackinlay Cc: Martin Zeman < Joshua Shoshan a; Billy Obregon Subject: RE: GM KCP Bible - Action Plan - Update I [II let's target end of March/Mid April? I also need to giv

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EFTA01358421.pdf

EFTA01358421

1 mention

From: Xavier Avila Sent: 01 March 2018 16:08 To: lain Macara Rita Shteynberg Jitan Patel a; Mathew Negus Cc: Nina Tona a Alastair Mackinlay Martin Zeman ; Davide-A Sferrazza < Subject: SF Ian, thanks for the call. So Rita who is the Case Manager seems to suggest that she sees Southern Financial Re

EFTA01358427.pdf

EFTA01358427

1 mention

first thing tomorrow morning and get the product extension kicked off now. Kind regards, Abs From: Xavier Avila Sent: 14 December 2017 17:21 To: Martin Zeman Abhinav Gandhi Liam Osullivan Cc: paul Sennet Nina Tona Subject: RE: Loan docs - can you help direct me please? [I] Nina can check what product

EFTA01358428.pdf

EFTA01358428

1 mention

From: Liam Osullivan Sent: 10/11/2018 4:29:56 PM To: Daniel-E Kaiser CC: Martin Zeman ( Subject: MD Approval IC) Classification: Confidential ;Joyce Tsoi New Account Case #: Entity: Butterfly Trust Sole Owner/Manager Grantor —

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EFTA01358425.pdf

EFTA01358425

1 mention

anything we are missing. From: Nina Tona Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2018 1:16 PM To: Xavier Avila ; Davide-A Sferrazza a Alastair Mackinlay Cc: Martin Zeman < Joshua Shoshan •: .; Billy Obregon Su • ect: RE: GM KCP Bi ile - Action Plan - Update I KYC Priority List ill Hi Team. Please see the below and

EFTA01291383.pdf

EFTA01291383

1 mention

t Number: N4G-024968 Portfolio at a Glance TbisPorisii Year-to-Dale Your Investment Specialist. BEGIN KING ACCOUNT VALUE 9669.802 96 166902 96 MARTIN ZEMAN Net Cash Deposits and Withdrawals 670.009 42 670.009.42 (212) 250-0432 Adjusted Previous Account Value -206.46 -206.46 Dividends, Interest an

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Connected Entities(20 of 526)

Martha Stewart

Person

American businesswoman, writer, TV personality (born 1941)

330 docs330 co-mentions

Stewart Oldfield

Person

Deutsche Bank Wealth Management director, relationship manager for Epstein entities

288 docs288 co-mentions

Davide Sferrazza

Person

Person referenced in documents

240 docs240 co-mentions

Xavier Avila

Person

Person referenced in documents

239 docs239 co-mentions

Nina Tona

Person

Person referenced in documents

216 docs216 co-mentions

Liam Osullivan

Person

Person referenced in documents

169 docs169 co-mentions

Paul Barrett

Person

American investment banker and fund manager, founder of Alpha Group Capital, former JPMorgan private banker who managed Jeffrey Epstein's assets (2017-2019)

156 docs156 co-mentions