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1.71 MB
Extraction Summary
5
People
4
Organizations
1
Locations
3
Events
3
Relationships
6
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
News article / government exhibit
File Size:
1.71 MB
Summary
This document is a news article, marked as a House Oversight exhibit, detailing an email prank on then-Barclays CEO Jes Staley on May 10, 2017. An imposter posing as Chairman John McFarlane drew effusive praise from Staley, who was under fire for trying to unmask a whistleblower. The prankster revealed the deception with an acrostic poem spelling 'Whistleblower', highlighting Staley's poor judgment, a relevant theme given investigations into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
People (5)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Jes Staley | Barclays Boss (CEO) |
Recipient of prank emails, who believed he was communicating with his chairman. He was previously criticized for atte...
|
| John McFarlane | Barclays Chairman |
Impersonated by an email prankster. He is nicknamed "Mack the Knife" for his habit of ousting chief executives.
|
| Unnamed Prankster | Imposter |
Sent emails to Jes Staley while posing as John McFarlane, using the email address john.mcfarlane.barclays@gmail.com. ...
|
| Eric Clapton | Legendary Guitarist |
Mentioned by Jes Staley in an email as a point of comparison for John McFarlane's supposed "fearlessness".
|
| Mason-Mahon | Unknown |
Mentioned in the prankster's initial email as being "as brusque as he is ill informed."
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Barclays |
The bank where Jes Staley was CEO and John McFarlane was Chairman. The prank was related to a "battle with Barclays" ...
|
|
| Financial Times (FT) |
The news organization that was contacted by the prankster, verified the emails as genuine, and reported on the story.
|
|
|
The social media platform the prankster used to contact the Financial Times.
|
||
| HOUSE_OVERSIGHT |
The footer text 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030353' indicates this document is an exhibit, likely from the U.S. House Committee ...
|
Timeline (3 events)
May 10, 2017
An email prank was carried out on Barclays CEO Jes Staley by an individual impersonating Chairman John McFarlane. The exchange involved multiple emails and ended with the prankster revealing the ruse via an acrostic poem.
Digital (Email)
On or before May 10, 2017
Barclays held its Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was the context for the prankster's actions.
Unknown
Barclays staff/shareholders
Prior to May 10, 2017
Jes Staley was heavily criticized for his attempt to unmask a whistleblower within Barclays.
Barclays
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Indicated as Jes Staley's location in the 'To' field of the email.
|
Relationships (3)
Jes Staley is the CEO of Barclays and John McFarlane is the Chairman. Staley's emails show he believed he was corresponding with his chairman.
The prankster impersonated Staley's chairman and engaged him in an email conversation, which Staley believed to be genuine.
The prankster used a fake email address ([john.mcfarlane.barclays@gmail.com]) to impersonate John McFarlane in emails to Jes Staley.
Key Quotes (6)
"Surely the fickleminded nature of the angry few will help tie up any loose ends. You owe me a large Scotch."Source
— Unnamed Prankster (impersonating John McFarlane)
(From the initial prank email to Jes Staley.)
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Quote #1
"You are a unique man, Mr McFarlane."Source
— Jes Staley
(Reply to the prankster, whom he believed to be his chairman.)
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Quote #2
"You came to my defense today with a courage not seen in many people... You have a sense of what is right, and you have a sense of theatre. You mix humor with grit. Thank you John. Never underestimate my recognition of your support. And my respect for your guile."Source
— Jes Staley
(Email praising the prankster, whom he believed to be John McFarlane.)
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Quote #3
"And some day I want to see an ad lib guitar run. You have all the fearlessness of Clapton."Source
— Jes Staley
(Email praising the prankster, referencing Eric Clapton.)
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Quote #4
"Thanks for sharing the foxhole."Source
— Jes Staley
(Reply to the prankster's acrostic poem that spelled 'Whistleblower'.)
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Quote #5
"I thought I'd see how Jes was relaxing after his AGM."Source
— Unnamed Prankster
(Statement to the Financial Times explaining the motive for the prank.)
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Quote #6
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,998 characters)
"Surely the fickleminded nature of the angry few will help tie up any loose ends," the short email concluded. "You owe me a large Scotch."
Mr Staley, who has been heavily criticised for his attempt to unmask a whistleblower, soon replied to the prankster in effusive terms. Presumably thinking he was talking to his chairman, who has been dubbed "Mack the Knife" for his habit of ousting chief executives, Mr Staley said, "You are a unique man, Mr McFarlane".
"You came to my defense today with a courage not seen in many people. How do I thank you?" Mr Staley wrote. The 60-year-old Barclays boss continued in the same style: "You have a sense of what is right, and you have a sense of theatre. You mix humor with grit. Thank you John. Never underestimate my recognition of your support. And my respect for your guile."
He had time for yet more praise before he signed off. "And some day I want to see an ad lib guitar run. You have all the fearlessness of Clapton," said Mr Staley, referencing the legendary guitarist Eric Clapton and his chairman's fondness for playing his guitar in public meetings.
The brief conversation ended with a final email around 11pm. The imposter sent a poem, which began "Worry not of tomorrow's end" and ended "Revel in their bloodied eyes". The first letter of each line spelled out the word 'Whistleblower'.
"Thanks for sharing the foxhole," Mr Staley replied.
The prankster, who contacted the Financial Times via Twitter, told us the email was part of his "battle with Barclays" over a customer issue. "I thought I'd see how Jes was relaxing after his AGM," he said.
Barclays declined to comment.
The emails, which the FT has verified are genuine, are reproduced below.
—
[Prankster's email]
From: John McFarlane [john.mcfarlane.barclays@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2017 08:47 PM GMT Standard Time
To: Staley, Jes: Barclays (LDN)
Subject: The fool doth think he is wise
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2017 08:47 PM GMT Standard Time
To: Staley, Jes: Barclays (LDN)
Subject: The fool doth think he is wise
Mason-Mahon is as brusque as he is ill informed.
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030353
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