Absolute Control: How Jeffrey Epstein Captured the Richest Man in Ohio
A database-driven investigation into the Wexner-Epstein relationship — the power of attorney, the $20 mansion, the Victoria's Secret pipeline, the Foundation money flows, and the fabricated "separation" timeline — based on primary source documents from the DOJ Epstein Files release, FBI witness testimony, the Unsealed email archive, financial records, and the kabasshouse intelligence dataset.
Executive Summary
Leslie "Les" Wexner — founder of L Brands, owner of Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Express — was the richest man in Ohio. His fortune peaked north of $7 billion. For over fifteen years, Jeffrey Epstein — a college-dropout math teacher with a history of involvement in a $475 million Ponzi scheme — held total power of attorney over that fortune.
Not advisory access. Not consulting privileges. Absolute control.
Epstein could sign checks, borrow money, buy and sell properties, hire and fire staff, manage stock portfolios, draft prenuptial agreements, run charities and trusts, and represent himself as the Wexner family's investment advisor to sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East — all on Wexner's authority. He was given Manhattan's largest private residence. He used Victoria's Secret as a recruiting tool for young women. And when the arrangement finally attracted scrutiny, Wexner crafted a story about being an innocent victim who discovered "misappropriated" funds — a story that the documents in the Epstein files systematically dismantle.
Key findings:
- Wexner granted Epstein full power of attorney in 1991 and fiduciary control over all private trusts and foundations — giving him "absolute control" of a multi-billion dollar fortune
- Wexner's bodyguard told the FBI that the Manhattan townhouse (purchased for $13.2 million) was sold to Epstein for $20 — the largest private residence in New York City
- A Victoria's Secret employee told the FBI that Wexner had models who "could not have been over 18" do private viewings in swimsuits and lingerie for him and Epstein
- A forbidden 12th floor in a Wexner building — "no one could explain why" outsiders couldn't access it
- The COUQ Foundation — a Wexner-funded shell controlled by Epstein — received $21.2 million from Wexner entities ($11.2M from Wexner Children's Trust, $10M from Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund)
- The Wexner Foundation funneled $2.3 million to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, classified as "research" — suspected money laundering by an Israeli investigator who reported it to the FBI
- Wexner claimed to have "separated" from Epstein in early 2007, but:
- Bank records show a $75,000 "consultant" payment from Wexner to Epstein's entity in July 2007
- A separate $100,000 "reimburse outside consultant" transfer from Wexner to the same entity in April 2005 (and likely continuing)
- In November 2007, Epstein was still actively involved in a 1 million share purchase for the Wexner Trust, with Abigail Wexner personally reassuring him about his continued role
- In September 2007, a Dubai sovereign wealth fund executive was introduced to Epstein as "board member and investment advisor to the Wexner family"
- In September 2010, Epstein's assistant Lesley Groff was still calling Wexner's office trying to get his email address
- A victim who first reported to the FBI in 1996 identifies as an "Epstein/Maxwell/Wexner victim" — placing Wexner alongside Epstein and Maxwell in the abuse itself
- The SDNY co-conspirator memorandum names Wexner among its subjects
- The FBI was ordered in July 2025 to build derogatory files on Wexner alongside Clinton, Prince Andrew, Leon Black, and Dershowitz
Part I: The Origin — "He Literally Came Out of Nowhere"
Before Wexner: The Hoffenberg Years
Before there was Wexner, there was Steven Hoffenberg.
Epstein's pre-Wexner career is the part of the story that makes everything that follows harder to explain as mere naiveté. In the late 1980s, Epstein was deeply involved with Hoffenberg's Towers Financial Corporation — a company that would later be exposed as a $475 million Ponzi scheme, one of the largest in American history at that time. Hoffenberg went to prison for 18 years. Epstein was never charged.
The Vanity Fair profile that sits in the Epstein files — Vicky Ward's March 2003 "Talented Mr. Epstein" — documents the overlap:
When asked if Wexner knew about his connection to Hoffenberg, Epstein said that he began working for Wexner in 1989, and that "it was certainly not the same time."
The timeline is deliberately vague because it has to be. Epstein was running with a Ponzi schemer and an Ohio billionaire in the same years.
"Almost Everyone Wondered Who He Was"
The Vanity Fair profile captures the bafflement inside Wexner's own organization:
"In fact," says someone who used to work very closely with Wexner, "almost everyone at the Limited wondered who Epstein was; he literally came out of nowhere."
"Everyone was mystified as to what his appeal was," says Robert Morosky, a former vice-chairman of the Limited.
Epstein's own narrative is that he met Wexner through insurance executive Robert Meister and his late wife, in Palm Beach, around 1986. He claimed he won Wexner's confidence by advising him not to invest in the stock market just before the 1987 crash. Wexner described their bond in almost mystical terms:
"I think we both possess the skill of seeing patterns. But Jeffrey sees patterns in politics and financial markets, and I see patterns in lifestyle and fashion trends."
Epstein was more direct: "People have said it's like we have one brain between two of us: each has a side."
The Hatchet Man
What Epstein actually did for Wexner went far beyond investment advice. According to people inside the organization, he was Wexner's enforcer:
"Wexner likes having a hatchet man... Whenever there is dirty work to be done he'd stick Jeffrey on it... He has a reputation for being ruthless but he gets the job done."
"He was that mysterious person that everyone was scared to death of."
He fired personal staff. He inserted himself into the construction of Wexner's yacht (which led to litigation). He was involved in "everything, not just a little here, a little there. Everything!"
Part II: The Takeover — "Absolute Control"
Power of Attorney (1991)
In 1991, Les Wexner signed over power of attorney to Jeffrey Epstein. The documents were filed in Franklin County, Ohio. This wasn't a limited financial advisory role. It was total delegation.
The New York Times investigation, preserved in the Epstein files, summarized it plainly:
In 1991, Mr. Wexner granted Mr. Epstein authority to borrow money, pay expenses, sign contracts and handle other financial dealings on his behalf, according to power-of-attorney documents filed in Franklin County, Ohio. "He had absolute control" of Mr. Wexner's wealth, one person said.
Fiduciary Over All Trusts
The power of attorney was only the beginning. According to the Vanity Fair profile:
Wexner trusts Epstein so completely that he has assigned him the power of fiduciary over all of his private trusts and foundations, says a source close to Wexner.
All trusts. All foundations. Every dollar of Wexner's charitable, personal, and family wealth — under Epstein's signature authority.
Managing L Brands Stock
Epstein's control extended into the publicly traded company itself:
For almost a decade, Mr. Epstein co-managed up to 7% of the retail company's stock through trusts he controlled, federal filings show.
Seven percent of L Brands. Through trusts Epstein controlled. For a decade.
The Prenup, the Boeing, the Staff
The scope of delegation was extraordinary:
Mr. Epstein drafted the prenuptial agreement between Mr. Wexner and his wife, Abigail... The retail company sold Mr. Epstein a Boeing 727, and Mr. Wexner sold him his large Upper East Side Manhattan townhouse... When Mr. Wexner did deals for assets such as real estate, Mr. Epstein would take a cut... As Mr. Wexner's personal money manager, Mr. Epstein received a percentage of investment gains, totaling millions of dollars annually.
Epstein drafted the document governing Wexner's marriage. He took a percentage of every investment gain. He received the Boeing 727 that would become the infamous aircraft at the center of Epstein's trafficking operation.
Part III: The $20 Mansion
The Herbert N. Straus House at 9 East 71st Street in Manhattan is the largest private residence in New York City — a 40-room, 21,000-square-foot Gilded Age mansion. Through a trust, Wexner purchased it for $13.2 million in 1989.
In 1993, Wexner married Abigail Koppel, a 31-year-old lawyer, and the couple relocated to Ohio. In 1996, Epstein moved in. The question of how Epstein acquired the house has never been satisfactorily answered.
Public records suggest the house remained owned by the trust. Epstein claimed he owned it. The Vanity Fair profile noted the ambiguity.
Then came the bodyguard.
Richard Adrian — FBI Witness
On July 16, 2019 — days after Epstein's arrest — Richard Adrian, who served as Les Wexner's personal bodyguard from 1991 to 1992, called the FBI's National Threat Operations Center:
Adrian stated that he had information that could help the investigation and fill in some of the blanks... Epstein got all of his money from Wexner, and that in 1993 Wexner sold his mansion in New York to Epstein for $20.
Twenty dollars. For the largest private residence in Manhattan.
Adrian also told the FBI that he had been to Epstein's Palm Beach home and noted that "there were young girls there, but assumed they were family." Another bodyguard told him to "keep to yourself and not ask questions."
Part IV: The Victoria's Secret Pipeline
Underage Model Viewings
On July 18, 2020, a woman called the FBI's National Threat Operations Center. She had worked in the Victoria's Secret orbit and described what she had witnessed:
She said that often she would see Epstein with Les Wexner. She stated that often Wexner would have models who could not have been over 18 years old do private viewings for him and Epstein. She said the models would be wearing swim suites and some were in lingerie.
This was not about Epstein using Wexner's brand without Wexner's knowledge. According to this FBI witness, Wexner was in the room. Watching. Alongside Epstein.
The Forbidden 12th Floor
The same witness described another detail:
She said that in Wexner's building no one was allowed to go on the 12th floor but no one could explain why not when asked.
An entire floor of a corporate building, off-limits, with no explanation.
Watching Women
The witness described a specific incident:
She said that one time her and another stylist were dressing some mannequins and they had bras and panties all over the floor. She said that while they were bent over it felt like someone was watching them. When they stood up and turned around Epstein and Wexner were watching them. Wexner asked them if that is what their rooms looked like with the bras and panties everywhere.
The Unknown Handler
The witness noted one more detail: "There was always a woman who she did not know that was around at these parties and seemed to be in charge of the models."
Given the timeline and the description of a woman managing models on behalf of Epstein at Wexner functions, the identity of this unnamed handler invites obvious speculation.
Ed Razek
The witness also placed Ed Razek — Victoria's Secret's longtime chief marketing officer, the man who built the VS Fashion Show into a cultural phenomenon — at these functions. Razek "retired" in August 2019, weeks after Epstein's arrest, as Wexner told L Brands employees the company was conducting a review of the Epstein relationship.
The Recruiter Pitch
The New York Times reported that company executives in the mid-1990s had learned that Epstein was trying to pitch himself as a recruiter for Victoria's Secret models. This was not a secret within the company. Epstein used the Wexner-VS connection as a lure — and the documents suggest Wexner knew it.
Part V: The Money Laundry
The COUQ Foundation
The C.O.U.Q. Foundation was a charity Epstein controlled, housed at 457 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 — the same address as Epstein's New York Strategy Group. It held accounts at JPMorgan Chase.
Before the supposed "separation," Wexner-backed entities poured money into COUQ:
| Year | Source | Amount | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Wexner Children's Trust | $11,200,000 | EFTA00172284 |
| 2004 | Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund | $10,000,000 | EFTA00172284 |
| Total | $21,200,000 |
Twenty-one million dollars from Wexner family entities into a foundation controlled by Epstein.
COUQ held assets in Bear Stearns Asset Backed Securities Overseas Ltd. (a Cayman Islands exempted company) and Second City Capital Partners I (a Delaware limited partnership). In January 2008, COUQ's interests in these entities were transferred out via a "Grant Agreement" — EFTA00301024.
The COUQ bank statements show a pattern of wire transfers directed by Epstein personally — to JPMorgan, to Wachovia Bank in West Palm Beach, to various recipients. The foundation was a personal ATM with a charitable veneer.
Wexner's 2019 letter claimed he "recovered" approximately $46 million in securities from COUQ and a Virgin Islands entity controlled by Epstein. He described this as "a portion of the returned monies" and insisted "All of that money — every dollar of it — was originally Wexner family money."
The Wexner Foundation → Ehud Barak Pipeline
In a separate channel, Epstein used the Wexner Foundation itself as a conduit. An Israeli investigator named Erez Zadok wrote to the FBI to flag what he considered suspicious:
The foundation appointed Jeffrey Epstein to the trustee of the fund. Mr. Epstein is also one of the fund's main donors. In 2001, Mr. Epstein transferred approximately 9 million USD to the Wexner Foundation. During the years 2004-2006, the Wexner Foundation transferred at least 2.3 million USD to the Israeli former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Mr. Epstein signed personally on few of the transfers' forms.
Zadok's analysis was blunt:
The amounts transferred to Mr. Barak were described as "research", but Mr. Barak and the Wexner Foundation refuse to reveal the research issue or any other details. It doesn't make sense for a small charity fund such as the Wexner Foundation, to pay a relatively huge amount of money, for an unknown research... The exception, weird and unusual payment from the Charity Fund to Mr. Barak, while he is running for the Israeli Parliament during that period, before it and after it, looks like a forbidden political contribution. Also there is a suspicion for Money Laundering violation, when Mr. Epstein uses The Wexner Foundation, to wire millions to Mr. Barak.
The flow was simple: Epstein's money → Wexner Foundation → Barak. With Epstein signing the transfer forms personally.
New York Strategy Group — The Consulting Entity
Bank records in the Epstein files show New York Strategy Group, LLC (NYSG) — Epstein's entity at 457 Madison Avenue — as the vehicle for receiving Wexner payments:
| Date | From | To | Amount | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2005 | Leslie H Wexner, New Albany OH | NYSG Money Market | $100,000 | "REIMBURSE OUTSIDE CONSULTANT" |
| Jul 2007 | Leslie H Wexner Personal Assets, New Albany OH | NYSG | $75,000 | "CONSULTANT" |
The NYSG account at JPMorgan held a $2.4 million money market balance as of April 2005 (EFTA01514070). Regular payments from Wexner entities, labeled as "consultant" reimbursement, flowed through this account.
In the same month as the $75,000 "consultant" payment (July 2007), Epstein's accounts show a $267,180 transfer to N A Property Inc in New Albany, Ohio — Wexner's hometown. Money flowing both directions.
Part VI: The "Separation" Myth
Wexner's public narrative rests on a single claim: that he separated from Epstein in early 2007, after Florida authorities charged Epstein with molestation in 2006.
"It was agreed that he should step back from the management of our personal finances."
— Les Wexner, letter to Wexner Foundation, August 7, 2019 (EFTA00172284)
The documents tell a different story.
July 2007: Still Paying "Consultant" Fees
Bank records show a $75,000 book transfer from "LESLIE H WEXNER PERSONAL ASSETS" to New York Strategy Group on July 18, 2007, referenced as "CONSULTANT" (EFTA01514157).
This was six months after the supposed separation. The payment was labeled identically to prior Wexner-to-Epstein transfers.
September 2007: "Investment Advisor to the Wexner Family"
On September 21, 2007, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem — chairman of Dubai World and Nakheel (the company that built the Palm Islands) — introduced Epstein to his chief investment officer, Dr. Lai Boon Yu, by email:
Dear Laiboon — comunicate with mr jefffrey epstein board member and investment advisor to the wexner family
Nine months after the supposed separation, Epstein was being introduced to sovereign wealth fund executives as Wexner's investment advisor. Dr. Yu responded enthusiastically from a DubaiWorld.ae email, calling Epstein's offer "the opportunity" and requesting due diligence documents.
November 2007: The Wexner Trust Stock Purchase
This is the most damning evidence against the separation narrative.
On November 22, 2007 — Thanksgiving Day — David Caplan, a lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell, sent an email to multiple L Brands executives and Wexner's legal team, CC'ing Abigail Wexner:
Per Abigail, final decision is to implement the original arrangement: buy in the mkt tomorrow without disrupting mkt activity with the remainder (1 million less the shares bought tomorrow) to be purchased thru a 10b5-1 plan. Darren, Tim and Anne, I assume you'll finalize with Citi?
Epstein forwarded this internal Wexner Trust stock-purchase communication to Abigail Wexner, adding his own commentary:
Darren said frankly he thought you didn't want me involved. he and gideon opened an acct with citi.. the trader told darren that he could buy no more than an additional 50-100 thousand shares without moving the market.
"Darren" is Darren Indyke — Epstein's personal attorney, who also represented Epstein's estate after his death. Eleven months after the supposed separation, Epstein was not only receiving internal communications about million-share Wexner Trust stock purchases, but Indyke was telling Epstein he thought Abigail "didn't want me involved" — implying Epstein expected to be involved.
Abigail's response: "I spoke to Darren and told him not to worry about it — in the end it is fine and not a problem."
Fine. Not a problem. Keep going.
September 2010: Groff Calls the Office
More than three years after the supposed separation, Epstein's assistant Lesley Groff emailed Epstein:
I called Les Wexner's office and spoke to Rachel Sutherland. I asked her for Les' email address and mentioned, possibly it is still the same from before but she told me it would be best to use either her or Donna's email address for Les which are below. She would not confirm we have the correct address for Les.
The gatekeeping is notable — Sutherland wouldn't confirm Wexner's email directly — but the fact that Epstein's office was still reaching out to Wexner's office in 2010, and that the conversation was cordial enough to provide alternative contact information, undermines the "clean break" narrative.
The Timeline, Reconstructed
| Date | Event | Status per Wexner |
|---|---|---|
| Early 2006 | Florida charges filed | |
| "Early 2007" | Claimed separation | "Stepped back" |
| Apr 2007 | Epstein's assistant emails re: painting with Leeds (via NYSG email) | Separated? |
| Jul 2007 | $75,000 "consultant" payment, Wexner → NYSG | Separated? |
| Jul 2007 | $267,180 Epstein → N A Property Inc (New Albany, OH) | Separated? |
| Sep 2007 | Dubai World introduced to Epstein as "advisor to Wexner family" | Separated? |
| Nov 2007 | Epstein actively managing 1M-share Wexner Trust purchase | Separated? |
| Jun 2008 | Epstein pleads guilty, Florida | |
| Sep 2010 | Groff calls Wexner's office for email address | Separated? |
| Aug 2019 | Wexner: "misappropriated vast sums" letter | Victim narrative |
The separation wasn't a separation. It was a rebranding.
Part VII: The Victim Who Named Wexner
Among the thousands of documents in the Epstein files, one voice stands out with a different kind of testimony.
In September 2019, someone emailing from the handle "Artistic Whistleblower" wrote to the FBI's EpsteinVictimList mailbox:
I am the Epstein/Maxwell/Wexner victim that reported EVERYTHING in 1996. I have been ignored since my second interview in 2006. I need therapy to deal with what the FBI has done to me, as much as I do for what Epstein did.
Not "Epstein victim." Not "Maxwell victim." Epstein/Maxwell/Wexner victim. The three names placed together as a unit. This person reported in 1996 — years before Epstein's first arrest — and names Wexner as one of their abusers.
The FBI's internal response was bureaucratic. The message "came through the non-advertised mailbox" and "may need follow up." As of the last email in the chain, the victim was still seeking answers.
Part VIII: The Investigation
The FBI Subpoena (July 2019)
Days after Epstein's arrest in July 2019, the FBI moved to subpoena Wexner. An FD-302 records the contact:
Agents informed Zeiger of the existence of a subpoena agents needed to execute on Wexner. Zeiger indicated his office had been attempting to obtain a criminal defense attorney in New York for Wexner, and Wexner may be willing to be interviewed.
The fact that Wexner's office was already seeking a criminal defense attorney — before the subpoena was served — suggests awareness that his exposure was significant.
The SDNY Co-Conspirator Memorandum
An 86-page SDNY memorandum dated December 19, 2019, prepared by then-U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, listed potential co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein. According to the dossier analysis, Les Wexner is among the named subjects, alongside Leon Black, Jes Staley, Prince Andrew, David Copperfield, Alan Dershowitz, Bill Clinton, and Jean-Luc Brunel.
The memorandum is heavily redacted. The full scope of the investigation into Wexner remains unknown.
Prosecution Target Lists
Multiple prosecution documents list Wexner among key figures:
- Prosecution strategy memo: "Individuals with significant knowledge include Ehud Barak, Les Wexner, George Mitchell, Bill Richardson, Bill Clinton, and Doug Band."
- Edwards deposition target list (Feb 2011): Wexner listed alongside Clinton, Dershowitz, Trump, and Copperfield as targets for depositions
- Jane Doe trial witness list: Wexner listed as witness #66, Trump as #67
- Giuffre Rule 26 disclosure: Lists over 50 potential witnesses with knowledge of trafficking
The 2025 FBI Order
In July 2025, an FBI internal email assigned new investigative work:
Take these names and build out new spreadsheet w all the derog on them. Trump, Weinstein, Prince Andrew, Glen Dubin, Jes Staley, Leon Black, Les Wexner, Alan Dershowitz, Bill Clinton — Tony Blair, Howard Lutnick, Alexander Guest, Jean Luc Brunel, William Barr
The FBI was building derogatory files on Les Wexner as part of an active, ongoing Epstein investigation. As of 2025.
Maxwell's Proffer
When Ghislaine Maxwell sat for her DOJ proffer in July 2025, conducted by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, she described Wexner as Epstein's "closest friend."
The proffer covered Epstein's entire network — clients, associates, abuse infrastructure. Wexner's name appears repeatedly. The full transcript runs 343,000 characters. The relationship is characterized not as employer-employee but as something deeper: an intimacy that defied conventional explanation.
Part IX: The Financial Architecture
How the Money Flowed
The financial records in the Epstein files reveal a web of entities through which Wexner money reached Epstein and then radiated outward:
WEXNER (Personal Assets / Children's Trust / Charitable Fund / Foundation)
│
├── → New York Strategy Group LLC (Epstein's consulting entity)
│ • $75K "consultant" (Jul 2007)
│ • $100K "reimburse outside consultant" (Apr 2005)
│ • JPMorgan account, $2.4M+ balance
│ • Address: 457 Madison Ave, NYC
│
├── → COUQ Foundation (Epstein-controlled charity)
│ • $11.2M from Wexner Children's Trust (2002)
│ • $10M from Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund (2004)
│ • Bear Stearns offshore (Cayman Islands)
│ • Second City Capital Partners (Delaware)
│ • JPMorgan account, wire transfers to FL
│
├── → Wexner Foundation → Ehud Barak ($2.3M, "research")
│
├── → N A Property Inc, New Albany OH (Wexner-linked)
│ • $267K from Epstein (Jul 2007)
│
└── → Boeing 727 (sold by L Brands to Epstein)
• Became Epstein's trafficking aircraft
JPMorgan's Knowledge
Internal JPMorgan documents show the bank was fully aware of the Wexner-Epstein financial nexus:
Jeffrey Epstein has accumulated his net worth, which is estimated to be $500MM+, by advising billionaires on their wealth. His client base includes people like Leon Black (founder of Apollo) and Les Wexner. Even given these issues [conviction], he still clearly well-respected and trusted by some of the richest people in the world.
After Epstein's 2019 arrest, JPMorgan scrambled to assess exposure. Internal emails show bankers pulling AUM figures for "Wexner, Dubin, Mark Epstein, Leon Black" — treating them as an interconnected financial cluster.
Methodology and Sources
This investigation draws exclusively from primary source documents in the DOJ Epstein Files release, verified through multiple independent databases:
Full-text corpus (1,409,216 documents): 1,773 documents matching "Wexner"
Email archive (73,994 threads): 389 threads referencing Wexner, including direct Epstein↔Wexner correspondence
Financial records (49,770 transactions): Bank transfers between Wexner entities and Epstein-controlled accounts
Curated intelligence dossier (5,766 documents): SDNY memorandum, prosecution memos, FBI task orders, Maxwell proffer references
Knowledge graph (934 entities, 2,200 relationships): Wexner as business entity with documented Epstein connections
Person directory (3,228 persons): Multiple Wexner entries across knowledge-graph and pipeline sources
Timeline events (3,038 events): Financial transactions between Wexner and Epstein entities in 2007
All document citations link to their source pages on unsealed.truthtide.tv, where the full text can be read.
Conclusion
Les Wexner's public story is that he was conned. That a smooth-talking financial advisor wormed his way into his trust, stole money, and exploited a business relationship that Wexner terminated as soon as the first criminal charges appeared.
The documents say otherwise.
Wexner gave Epstein absolute control of a multi-billion dollar fortune. He gave him power of attorney, fiduciary authority over all trusts and foundations, management of publicly traded stock, and a $13.2 million mansion for the price of a mediocre lunch. He sat alongside Epstein while underage models paraded in lingerie. He maintained a forbidden floor that no one could explain. He continued to pay "consultant" fees and involve Epstein in million-share stock purchases after the supposed separation. His charitable foundation was used to funnel millions to a foreign politician through a convicted sex offender who signed the checks.
A victim who reported in 1996 named Wexner alongside Epstein and Maxwell — not as an employer, not as a bystander, but as an abuser.
The SDNY named him as a subject. The FBI is building a derogatory file. The investigation is not over.
Whatever Les Wexner told himself about the relationship — whatever story he sold to the Wexner Foundation, to L Brands shareholders, to the public — the documents preserved in these files tell a story that the word "victim" cannot contain.
He didn't lose control. He gave it away. And the question the documents force us to ask is not why Epstein had so much power over Wexner — but what Wexner was getting in return.
