Epstein Case: The Dark Threads Behind Les Wexner’s Deposition, Victoria’s Secret Magnate

In a closed-door session at his residence in Ohio, 88-year-old billionaire Leslie Wexner, the magnate and founder of Victoria’s Secret, was questioned by U.S. lawmakers regarding his involvement in the financial and social rise of Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in custody in 2019 and is known for sex trafficking allegations. A delegation of five members from the House Oversight Committee traveled specifically to meet with Wexner, after Democrats issued a subpoena following the release of new documents by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30.

Wexner and his relationship with Epstein

Wexner’s name appears in various documents, both redacted and unredacted, including correspondence and financial transactions. In a statement, Wexner admitted to having been “naive and gullible” in trusting Epstein, calling him a con artist, but emphasized that he had committed no wrongdoing and had no secrets to hide. For years, Epstein cultivated ties with influential figures in business, politics, and academia. Among them, Wexner stands out as the founder of the retail empire L Brands, which included brands like Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works.The latest documents show that Epstein was deeply involved in Wexner’s affairs: a connection that transformed a relatively unknown money manager into a figure of immense power and wealth, capable of engaging with half the global elite.

Epstein met Wexner in the mid-1980s. At the time, Epstein was a former teacher who had dropped out of university, briefly worked at an investment bank, and then founded his own consulting firm. In 1991, Wexner granted him a general power of attorney, allowing him to handle transactions, hire staff, and manage real estate in his name.From the reviewed documents, details emerge about asset transfers, such as the acquisition of a luxurious Manhattan residence at 9 East 71st Street through an arrangement that included a $10 million promissory note and personal guarantees.

In the 1990s, Epstein took on key roles: trustee of the Wexner Foundation and president of affiliated real estate companies. In 1996, he moved his operations to the U.S. Virgin Islands, setting himself up as an offshore operator. This position not only elevated his social profile but also gave him institutional legitimacy, allowing him to present himself as an investor with access to capital and international networks.Moreover, as noted by the U.S. magazine The American Conservative, Wexner is the founder of The Limited, the empire behind Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. In the 1990s, he gave Epstein unlimited general power of attorney over his billions.

The mega-mansion in Manhattan where Epstein committed his crimes was owned by Wexner until 1998; it then transferred to one of the financier’s companies for zero dollars. Wexner is also a co-founder of the Mega Group, a club of about twenty ultra-wealthy pro-Israel philanthropists (including Charles Bronfman and, according to some sources, Steven Spielberg) that funds Birthright Israel and influences U.S. debate on Tel Aviv.

When Stephen M. Walt and John J. Mearsheimer published The Israel Lobby in 2007—an essay in which the two international relations professors exposed the hidden networks of the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S.—Wexner reportedly orchestrated the campaign to discredit Walt at Harvard, where he still teaches.Twenty-six years ago, while the world was distracted, Ohio journalist Bob Fitrakis was already connecting the dots: Southern Air Transport—the same company that in the 1980s flew for the CIA during the Iran-Contra scandal (in which the Reagan administration secretly sold missiles to embargoed Iran to free hostages in Lebanon, then diverted the illicit profits to arm the Contra rebels in Nicaragua despite a congressional ban)—had relocated to Columbus with millions in state incentives. Its main client? Leslie Wexner’s The Limited. Jeffrey Epstein, from 1991 Wexner’s personal attorney and manager of his most opaque funds, was deeply involved.