What companies, trusts, or foundations tied to Leslie Wexner were used to buy or manage Jeffrey Epstein’s properties?
Executive summary
Leslie Wexner-linked corporate vehicles, trusts and local real-estate entities figure repeatedly in reporting as the legal owners or managers of properties that later became associated with Jeffrey Epstein, including a Manhattan townhouse bought in 1989 through a Wexner-controlled corporation and multiple New Albany-area holdings tied to Wexner entities and trusts [1] [2] [3]. Reporting also documents that Epstein was given durable authority over Wexner’s affairs — including trustee roles and power of attorney — which facilitated transfers and management of those properties [4] [5].
1. Manhattan townhouse: bought through a Wexner-controlled corporation
Public reporting says the 1989 purchase of a record-priced Manhattan townhome was executed by a corporation described as controlled by Wexner, and that Wexner later transferred his interest in that corporation to Jeffrey Epstein in the late 1990s for a reported $20 million, establishing a direct chain between a Wexner corporate vehicle and Epstein’s ownership of the New York property [1] [2]. Multiple news outlets have repeated that the original buyer was a Wexner-linked corporation and that the legal ownership shifted from Wexner-associated entities to Epstein over time [1] [2].
2. The New Albany Company, local trusts and King George Drive homes
In Ohio, Epstein and Wexner appear together on corporate records for The New Albany Company, with reporting noting Epstein was identified as president of that company in 1998 and that Epstein owned land within the New Albany development amid Wexner-owned parcels [1]. Local property transfers in the 1990s and 2000s show homes in the King George Drive area changing hands via trusts and entities tied to Wexner; for example, reporting records a 1992 sale in which Epstein bought a Dublin‑Granville Road house from a JW & CPK & Co. trust signed by Wexner (JW & CPK & Co./John W. Kessler & Charlotte P. Kessler Trust) and notes Wexner-created family property trusts that gave Epstein rights to acquire certain parcels [4] [1].
3. HHD & B LLC and later transfers back to Wexner-linked entities
Investigative reporting found that by the end of 2007, Epstein had transferred at least two New Albany homes to entities described as Wexner-related, and one of those transfers was to an entity named HHD & B LLC — an LLC with a mailing address that corresponded to the same building as The New Albany Company’s headquarters — according to Forbes reporting [6]. The New Albany Company’s spokesperson later disputed that HHD & B was an affiliate, but the corporate address and timing are documented in coverage [6].
4. Trusts, power of attorney, and the Wexner Foundation role
Reporting documents that Wexner granted Epstein power of attorney in 1991, and that Epstein was named a trustee on at least one Wexner family or philanthropic trust, which legally empowered Epstein to act on Wexner’s behalf in business and property matters [5] [4]. Epstein’s trustee or authorized roles are central in accounts describing how Epstein acquired or moved title to properties that had been associated with Wexner, and court filings and depositions cited in news coverage reference those formal authorities [5] [4] [3].
5. What the documents confirm — and what remains ambiguous
Court releases and news stories confirm that specific corporate names and trusts appear on property records (the Wexner-controlled corporation for the Manhattan townhouse, The New Albany Company filings, JW & CPK & Co., family property trusts, and HHD & B LLC) and that Epstein was legally empowered to manage Wexner-related assets via power of attorney and trustee appointments [1] [4] [6] [5]. Reporting also shows that many files and depositions mention Wexner without alleging criminal charges, and multiple outlets note disputes over whether some LLCs were informal, mischaracterized, or not operationally affiliated with The New Albany Company [1] [6] [3]. Where the sources do not provide full corporate hierarchies, beneficial‑ownership detail, or contemporaneous board minutes, the public record as reported leaves open finer questions about who initiated particular transfers and why [6] [3].
6. Implications and the balance of evidence
Taken together, contemporary reporting and released documents establish that a set of corporate entities, family trusts and an LLC tied in the record to Wexner were used at various times to buy, transfer or hold properties later associated with Jeffrey Epstein — most prominently a 1989 Manhattan purchase through a Wexner-controlled corporation, New Albany Company records showing Epstein’s corporate role, family property trusts giving Epstein acquisition rights, and a later transfer to HHD & B LLC [1] [2] [4] [6]. At the same time, ambiguity in public filings and competing statements from Wexner’s affiliates mean that attribution of intent, the full chain of beneficial ownership, and operational control in every instance are not fully resolved by the sources provided [6] [3].