Elon Musk shared a viral social media post linking Jeffrey Epstein, former White House strategist Steve Bannon, and World of Warcraft (WoW) in-game gold-selling schemes, alleging Epstein laundered sex trafficking money through the game, and that Bannon helped him do so.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, Musk reshared the post, including images and text suggesting the Epstein WoW money laundering allegations, and that Bannon’s past role at a Chinese virtual gold-selling company created a financial link between the two. Musk captioned the repost: “Bannon was laundering money for evil people.”
There is, however, no credible evidence supporting claims that Epstein laundered money through WoW or that Bannon was involved in any such criminal activity. Investigations by independent fact-checking sites and reporting make clear that these money-laundering claims are unsubstantiated speculation, not documented fact.
Epstein did have a W0W trial account
Bannon was laundering money for evil people https://t.co/1WkomaNT0i
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026
However, recently released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act do reveal that Epstein maintained a WoW account, but nothing in the files indicates that the account was used for any illegal financial activity.
In fact, the WoW account referenced in the materials appears to be a standard trial or personal account, and not evidence of a sophisticated money-laundering network using virtual currency.
Meanwhile, Bannon indeed had a connection to Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE), a company that sold virtual game currency for real money in the mid-2000s.
During that time, IGE became controversial for exploiting “gold farming” networks that outsourced WoW gold acquisition in China, which was then sold to Western players, a grey-area practice that was heavily criticized by gaming publishers like Blizzard Entertainment, WoW’s developer.
Bannon served as a leader at IGE during that period, and the company secured significant venture funding and later faced pushback from Blizzard, which considered such operations contrary to its terms of service.
Musk, Bannon, and the Epstein controversy
“One of those working most closely with Epstein, including attempting to scrub his public image, was Bannon…Bannon, the man millions of MAGA fans trust to tell it like it is, stands revealed as one of the most cynical liars ever to mar this country.”https://t.co/fymfFpZ8Su
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 30, 2025
Musk’s involvement in amplifying claims about the Epstein files is not new. In mid-2025, he made headlines by suggesting that former President Donald Trump and others — including Bannon — appeared in portions of the files, a claim he later deleted but has continued to broach publicly.
Bannon himself has argued for broader public release of the Epstein documents and has pushed for a special prosecutor to make all materials available. His own presence in the files is a matter of records and correspondence, not proof of criminality.
While the “WoW laundering” theory is unfounded, 2025 records reveal Bannon and Epstein collaborated from 2017 to 2019 on cryptocurrency and image rehabilitation. Epstein even dubbed himself Bannon’s “cornerman” for European political projects. Analysts suggest Musk’s attacks may deflect from his own name appearing in the files regarding a 2014 meeting.
