Billionaire Les Wexner Claims He Was ‘Duped’ by Epstein, Denies Wrongdoing
NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WSYX) — Lawmakers questioned Columbus billionaire Les Wexner on Wednesday at his home in New Albany about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Wexner, the founder of L Brands, is repeatedly mentioned in documents related to Epstein’s crimes. Following a deposition with the House Oversight Committee, a spokesperson for Wexner stated that he “honestly answered every question put to him today by the Committee” and reiterated that he “has no knowledge of, and did not participate in, Epstein’s illegal conduct.”
Financial Ties Questioned
Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, argued that Wexner played a central role in financially enabling Epstein’s crimes. “There is no single person that was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner,” Garcia told reporters. He indicated that survivors of Epstein’s abuse have expressed concerns regarding the scale of financial transfers connected to Wexner, and Epstein.
Garcia pointed to approximately $1 billion in value that he claims moved to Epstein through Wexner. “To be very clear, we know that approximately over a billion dollars—it looks like—that was either transferred, provided in stocks, or given directly to Mr. Epstein by Wexner,” he said. Garcia stated that Wexner claimed he was unaware of the extent of the money moving between them and was attempting to downplay the closeness of their roughly two-decade relationship.
“We should be very clear that there would be no Epstein island, there would be no Epstein plane, there would be no money to traffic women and girls, Mr. Epstein would not be the wealthy man he was without the support of Les Wexner,” Garcia said.
Wexner’s Testimony and Claims of Naiveté
Ahead of the deposition, Wexner issued a statement calling Epstein a “world-class con man” and stating he severed ties with Epstein nearly 20 years ago. He testified to the committee that he was “duped” by Epstein, but denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.
Wexner described meeting Epstein in the “mid-to-late 1980s” and hiring him to manage his personal finances based on recommendations from other businessmen. He explained that he granted Epstein “power of attorney” to expedite transactions. “What is so clear only now is that Epstein lived a double life,” Wexner said, adding, “At no time did I ever witness the side of Epstein’s life for which he is now infamous.”
In 2007, as Epstein faced accusations of soliciting prostitution in Florida, Wexner said a review of his finances revealed that “Epstein had stolen vast sums from our family.” Wexner stated that Epstein returned a “substantial amount of money” and that they “completely severed our relationship” following Epstein’s guilty plea and subsequent deception.
Wexner also addressed questions about his travel and contact with Epstein, stating, “I was never on his airplane,” and that he “visited Epstein’s island only once” with his family during a cruise on their boat. He claimed he did not observe Epstein in the company of any minor girls.
“I am the father of two girls, now women, and the thought of what he did makes me sick,” Wexner said. He also expressed sympathy for Epstein’s survivors, stating, “The pain he inflicted upon them is unfathomable to me. My heart goes out to each of them.”
Allegations of Co-Conspiracy and Doubts About Wexner’s Account
An FBI document from 2019 reportedly alleges that Wexner was a co-conspirator in Epstein’s crimes, a claim Wexner denied. “I was never a participant nor co-conspirator in any of Epstein’s illegal activities,” he said.
Wexner’s statement did not directly address allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein victim who claimed she was trafficked to Wexner. Wexner asserted that any suggestion of infidelity to his wife is “absolutely and entirely false,” and expressed “enormous embarrassment and regret” at being “duped by a world-class con man.”
Representative Dave Min of California expressed skepticism about Wexner’s account. “I can basically say that he has basically alleged that he ‘saw no evil, heard no evil,’ despite being in the room with Jeffrey Epstein over and over and over. And it’s really just not credible. I realize he’s an elderly gentleman; memories fade. But the reputation of Jeffrey Epstein is very clear,” Min said.
The House Oversight Committee indicated that a video and transcript of the deposition will be released soon.
