Thomas Pritzker

Thomas Pritzker is a billionaire businessman and former executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The Pritzker family founded Hyatt in 1957 and ranks among the wealthiest families in the United States. His cousin J.B. Pritzker serves as governor of Illinois.

Resignation from Hyatt

In February 2026, Pritzker resigned from the Hyatt board after Department of Justice files documented his contact with Jeffrey Epstein.

In a statement released through Hyatt’s newsroom, Pritzker said: “I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner.”

The statement did not specify:

• When his contact with Epstein began or ended
• What their interactions involved
• Whether contact was social, professional, or both
• How frequently they communicated
• Whether he has been contacted by law enforcement

Hyatt announced that Pritzker’s board position would remain vacant pending a search for his replacement. The company did not address whether the board had prior knowledge of his contact with Epstein.

Third Executive Departure

Pritzker’s resignation was the third major executive departure following DOJ file releases in February 2026. Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer resigned after being named, and the chief of Dubai’s DP World stepped down after hundreds of emails with Epstein were made public.

What Is Established

Pritzker has never been charged with any crime. The DOJ files documented contact between Pritzker and Epstein’s network, but the specific nature and extent of that contact has not been publicly detailed. What is known is that Pritzker acknowledged “maintaining contact” and described it as the product of “terrible judgment” — and that the revelation was serious enough to end his decades-long leadership role at the family’s flagship company.

Documents

Primary-source records that name or reference Thomas Pritzker. Inclusion in or being named in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Pritzker has never been charged with any crime and, through a spokesperson, has vehemently denied the allegation described below.

• Giuffre v. Maxwell — unsealed court records (Jan. 2024) — “Tom Pritzker,” identified in a court filing as “the chairman of the Hyatt Corporation,” is named in records unsealed in this civil case (U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., No. 1:15-cv-07433). In her deposition, Virginia Giuffre named him among individuals she alleged she was directed to have sex with; he also appears on a list of people said to have potential knowledge of Epstein and Maxwell’s conduct. Pritzker has vehemently denied Giuffre’s allegation, which his spokesperson has called a “false and isolated allegation” (per Newsweek).
• DOJ Epstein Files (full EFTA release portal) — Separately, Department of Justice files released in 2026 documented contact between Pritzker and Epstein; Pritzker said he “exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact” and stepped down from the Hyatt board in February 2026.