Thomas J. Pritzker, who served as the Executive Chairman for the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, announced that he is retiring from his role due to his “association” with deceased convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Pritzker explained “in a letter to the Hyatt board” that he would be stepping down from his position, referencing his “association” with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former assistant, the New York Times reported.
Pritzker’s announcement comes after “recently released files” showed that Pritzker and Epstein were in communication “in the years following Mr. Epstein’s 2008 plea deal on sex crimes charges,” according to the outlet.
“Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret,” Pritzker said.
In an “email exchange from 2018,” Epstein asked “Pritzker to help his girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, arrange a trip,” while correspondence between the two men in 2015 showed that they “made arrangements to meet,” according to the outlet:
In one email exchange from 2018, Mr. Epstein asked Mr. Pritzker to help his girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, arrange a trip to Southeast Asia. Mr. Pritzker agreed, and asked what she planned to do there.
Ms. Shuliak responded: “Going to try to find a new girlfriend for Jeffrey.”
Mr. Pritzker replied with a smiley-face emoticon and said “May the Force be with you.”
In another exchange, from 2015, as the two made arrangements to meet, Mr. Epstein joked to Mr. Pritzker about combining their plans: “would you find it amusing to have dali lama meet woody allen for lunch on sat = could be a memorable event.”
Pritzker also expressed that he had “exercised terrible judgement in maintaining contact with them,” according to the outlet.
According to a press release from Hyatt, Pritzker “served as a member of Hyatt’s Board and as Executive Chairman since August 2004 and began his senior executive and Chairman responsibilities for predecessor entities starting in 1980.”
“Tom’s leadership has been instrumental in shaping Hyatt’s strategy and long-term growth, and we thank him for his service and dedication to Hyatt,” Richard Tuttle, the Chair of the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, said in a statement.
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