Washington (United States) (AFP) - The CEO of the Hyatt hotel chain resigned on Monday after emails revealed his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

First modification: 02/17/2026 - 17:53

American businessman Thomas Pritzker maintained contact with Epstein long after he was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Epstein died in prison in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide, awaiting charges for sex trafficking of girls.

"Good management (...) means protecting the Hyatt, particularly in the context of my relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, which I deeply regret," Pritzker said in a statement published by US media.

Epstein's associate Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in a conspiracy to traffic girls to the disgraced financier.

Hyatt said in a statement, without mentioning Epstein, that Pritzker will retire from his position as executive chairman of the board and will not seek re-election to the position at the company's shareholder meeting in May.

US media reported on a 2018 email exchange in which Epstein asked Pritzker for help securing reservations for a woman traveling in Asia.

The woman told Pritzker that she was "going to try to find Jeffrey a new girlfriend," to which Pritzker responded, "May the force be with you."

Files released by the US government in the Epstein case, including large amounts of his email correspondence, have exposed his ties to rich and powerful people around the world.

Many have resigned from their positions amid the scandal over their association with Epstein, even though the files do not prove they committed a crime.

Pritzker is the cousin of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a possible contender for the Democratic Party's 2028 presidential nomination.

© 2026 AFP

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