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What evidence ties Leslie Wexner to Jeffrey Epstein before Epstein's 2019 arrest?
Executive summary
Leslie (Les) Wexner’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein before Epstein’s 2019 arrest is documented mainly as a long-standing business and social relationship in which Epstein served as Wexner’s financial adviser, held power of attorney, acquired real estate tied to Wexner, and participated in Wexner-related philanthropy; multiple court and media records say that relationship ran from the 1980s until Wexner says he cut ties around 2007 [1] [2] [3]. Newly unsealed court documents and reporting between 2019 and 2025 added deposition references, property transfers, photographs, and alleged entries in a 2003 birthday book that link Epstein and Wexner in business, social, and foundation contexts [4] [2] [5].
1. A decades‑long financial relationship: “financial manager” and sole known client
Reporting and biographical summaries identify Epstein as Wexner’s financial manager beginning in the 1980s; some outlets describe Wexner as Epstein’s primary—or for a time only—known client, and state Epstein managed significant portions of Wexner’s money [1] [3] [6]. Vanity Fair and other profiles stress that Epstein’s role gave him public legitimacy as a money manager for a major billionaire, which shaped how Epstein was perceived in elite circles [7].
2. Power of attorney and legal authority: wide latitude to act
Wexner’s own foundation statement and news coverage say Epstein was granted power of attorney and “wide latitude” to act on Wexner’s behalf in personal finances while Wexner focused on business and philanthropy; Wexner later accused Epstein of “misappropriat[ing] vast sums of money” [3] [1]. Contemporary reporting and the later unsealing of court files cite that document and Wexner’s public statement about the financial authority he once gave Epstein [2] [3].
3. Property transfers and proximity: mansions, New Albany links
Public records and reporting show property connections: Wexner purchased and later sold the Straus House in New York and a New Albany, Ohio development included land owned by both men; Epstein owned a New Albany house in the 1990s that was later transferred to the Wexners, and Epstein appeared on business records for Wexner’s New Albany Company in 1998 [1] [2]. These transfers and co‑ownership entries are repeatedly cited in local and national coverage of their ties [2] [4].
4. Court documents and depositions: names in unsealed files and testimony
Thousands of pages of legal documents unsealed after litigation in the 2010s and 2020s include references to Wexner in depositions and filings tied to Virginia Giuffre’s claims and other suits; those filings prompted renewed reporting about the depth of Wexner‑Epstein ties but do not by themselves charge Wexner with a crime [4] [8]. Some witnesses invoked the Fifth Amendment when asked about Wexner; other deposition fragments show questions about whether women were provided to Wexner, with denials or non‑exculpatory responses in the released excerpts [4] [8].
5. Social and philanthropic overlap: foundation roles and birthday book material
Epstein appeared on Wexner foundation rosters and donated to Wexner‑linked institutions, which reporting highlights as evidence of social and charitable overlap [9] [7]. Later reporting and committee releases allege a contribution attributed to Wexner in a 2003 birthday book for Epstein that includes a handwritten note and drawings; outlets reporting on those materials cite images and transcripts released by congressional and DOJ sources [5] [9]. Available sources do not resolve the provenance or full context of every page, and Wexner has denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes [9].
6. Allegations of sexual encounters and Wexner’s denials
Some unsealed materials contain testimony by accusers referencing Wexner when prompted; for example, Virginia Giuffre testified in a deposition that she had encounters with multiple associates of Epstein, including testimony that she had sex with Wexner — an allegation Wexner has strongly denied [2]. Reporting notes that these are allegations in civil filings and depositions, and that Wexner has not been criminally charged in relation to them [2] [4].
7. What the record does and does not prove
The documented evidence in reporting and court releases establishes (a) a business relationship and financial authority afforded to Epstein by Wexner; (b) property and foundation ties; and (c) multiple mentions of Wexner in civil depositions and unsealed files — but the sources do not show a criminal charge against Wexner or a definitive, public judicial finding that he participated in Epstein’s sex crimes [1] [4] [2]. Available sources do not mention exculpatory or prosecutorial evidence that conclusively clears or convicts Wexner; they record allegations, property and financial links, and Wexner’s public denials [2] [8].
8. Competing narratives and motives in coverage
Some reporting frames Epstein as a “surrogate son” and suggests the relationship gave Epstein access and credibility [7]; other pieces emphasize Wexner’s statements that he cut ties in 2007 and was unaware of criminality [9] [8]. Consider the incentives: accusers and plaintiffs seek testimony and damages; news outlets and documentary makers pursue revelations that explain Epstein’s source of wealth and networks; Wexner and his defenders stress severed ties and denial of knowledge. Each party’s agenda shapes how the same documents are presented [7] [2].
Conclusion
Available reporting and court documents provide multiple, corroborating pieces of evidence linking Wexner to Epstein before 2019—financial management, power of attorney, property transfers, foundation interactions, and repeated mentions in unsealed legal files—but the sources show allegations rather than criminal prosecution of Wexner, and Wexner has denied wrongdoing and stated he severed ties in the 2000s [1] [2] [4] [9].