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What role did Les Wexner play in Epstein's wealth?
Executive summary
Leslie (Les) Wexner was Jeffrey Epstein’s principal and most prominent client for roughly two decades: Epstein served as Wexner’s personal money manager from about 1987 until Wexner says he cut ties in 2007, during which time Epstein had unusually broad authority over Wexner’s finances, including power of attorney and trustee roles [1] [2] [3]. Wexner has said Epstein “misappropriated vast sums” and that he severed ties after the first public allegations in 2007, but reporting and legal filings show continuing questions about property transfers, recovered donations, and the precise scale of any alleged theft [1] [4] [2].
1. How close were Wexner and Epstein — and what roles did each play?
Reporting paints Epstein as Wexner’s “money manager” and closest financial confidant for more than a decade: Epstein was Wexner’s primary client and worked intimately on personal finances, charitable work and real-estate projects such as New Albany, Ohio; some accounts list Epstein as co-president of a Wexner entity, and say he had power of attorney and trustee responsibilities starting in the early 1990s [2] [3] [5]. Journalistic reconstructions describe a long-standing, unusually broad delegation of authority from Wexner to Epstein that placed Epstein in control of large swaths of Wexner’s wealth-management decisions [6] [7].
2. What exactly did Wexner say about Epstein’s conduct with his money?
Wexner has publicly stated he cut ties with Epstein around 2007 and later accused Epstein of misappropriating “vast sums” from him and his family; he also disclosed that donations recovered from Epstein included at least a $46 million gift to a foundation run by his wife, though Wexner has not publicly outlined the full scope of funds he says were taken [4] [1]. Wexner told employees he regretted ever “crossing paths” with Epstein and said Epstein was involved in many aspects of his financial life while he acted as personal money manager [8] [4].
3. Evidence, transfers and continuing questions
Investigations and reporting show transactions and property moves that raised questions: Epstein owned or ran business from properties Wexner purchased and later sold to or transferred to entities tied to Epstein or Wexner-related entities around 2007, and Epstein appeared on corporate or local filings tied to New Albany development projects with Wexner [2] [5]. Multiple outlets and commentators note there remain unresolved details — including the exact amount allegedly misappropriated and how funds flowed — because neither full bank statements nor a complete public accounting have been produced by Wexner or investigators in the sources provided [4] [5].
4. Legal and reputational fallout: what happened next?
Wexner says he severed ties after the first criminal allegations against Epstein in 2007; Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 under a controversial deal and was later arrested in 2019 [4] [8]. Wexner faced reputational scrutiny and lawsuits by shareholders and critics who argued his relationship with Epstein and its governance implications warranted further inquiry, though, according to the available reporting, he has not been criminally charged in connection with Epstein’s sex-trafficking prosecutions [9] [3].
5. Competing interpretations and implicit agendas
There are two competing framings in the record: some commentators and activists present Wexner as a victim of Epstein’s financial manipulation who recovered at least some funds [4], while others argue Wexner enabled Epstein’s operations by concentrating authority in Epstein’s hands and by permitting Epstein’s proximity to Wexner’s wealth and philanthropic platforms [5] [9]. Investigative pieces and opinion pieces differ in tone: detailed profiles focus on the unusual trust Wexner placed in Epstein and on transactional anomalies [6] [2], while advocacy-oriented sources emphasize institutional or systemic failures and call for greater accountability [5].
6. Key limitations in available reporting
Available sources do not provide a definitive accounting of how much money Epstein is alleged to have taken from Wexner or a full forensic paper trail that would settle disputed claims; Wexner has declined to disclose the full scope publicly, and press accounts rely on filings, interviews and selective documents [4] [2]. In other words, precise dollar figures and the exact mechanics of transfers are not fully documented in the provided materials [4].
7. Bottom line for readers
The record shows Epstein was Wexner’s principal money manager for years and had extraordinary authority over Wexner’s finances, and Wexner has accused Epstein of misappropriation and said he cut ties in 2007; at the same time, reporting documents transfers and partnerships that create unresolved questions about the flow of assets and whether more accountability is warranted [3] [4] [5]. Readers should weigh Wexner’s statements of victimhood alongside investigative reporting that highlights the unusual delegation of power to Epstein and the remaining gaps in public accounting [6] [5].