Billionaire Retail Mogul Les Wexner to Testify in Congressional Epstein Investigation
Les Wexner, the billionaire founder of L Brands, is scheduled to face a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio on Wednesday. The session will scrutinise his long-standing friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, focusing on newly released Justice Department documents that shed light on their complex relationship.
Decades of Association Under Scrutiny
Wexner, 88, has agreed to comply with a subpoena issued by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The retired retail executive has spent years addressing questions about his association with Epstein, which spanned decades before ending acrimoniously. In court filings, prominent Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre alleged that Wexner was among the men to whom Epstein trafficked her. Wexner has consistently denied these allegations, stating he never met Giuffre and had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities.
"I was embarrassed that I ever got close to someone so sick, so cunning, so depraved," Wexner told L Brands investors in 2019. Despite his name appearing over 1,000 times in the Epstein files, Wexner has never been accused of criminal wrongdoing. The Justice Department documents indicate Epstein did not operate a sex trafficking ring, though they reveal new details about his relationship with the billionaire.
Financial Entanglements and Power of Attorney
Epstein first met Wexner through a business associate around 1986, during a period of significant financial growth for the Ohio businessman. Wexner had transformed a single Limited store in Columbus into a retail empire including The Limited, Limited Express, Lane Bryant, and Victoria's Secret. Within a few years, Wexner entrusted Epstein with managing his vast fortune, granting him power of attorney in 1991.
This authority allowed Epstein to make investments, conduct business deals, purchase property, and help develop what would become the extensive Wexner estate in New Albany, Ohio. In a 2003 Vanity Fair interview, Wexner described Epstein as having "excellent judgment and unusually high standards," calling him "always a most loyal friend."
Newly Released Documents Reveal Troubling Details
The latest document release includes rough notes Epstein wrote to himself about Wexner, stating: "never ever, did anything without informing les" and "I would never give him up." Another document appears to be a draft letter to Wexner claiming the two "had 'gang stuff' for over 15 years" and were mutually indebted—Wexner helped make Epstein rich, and Epstein helped make Wexner richer.
Wexner's spokesperson, Tom Davies, stated the billionaire never received such a letter. "It appears Epstein was furious that Mr. Wexner refused to meet with him years after Mr. Wexner terminated Epstein and cut off all ties following his discovery of Epstein's theft and criminal conduct," Davies said. "The draft appears to fit a pattern of untrue, outlandish, and delusional statements made by Epstein."
The Relationship Unravels
Wexner publicly revealed he had severed ties with Epstein only after Epstein's 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, claiming in a Wexner Foundation letter that the relationship ended in 2007. However, newly released records show communication continued after that date.
On June 26, 2008, after Epstein's plea deal requiring 18 months in a Florida jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor, Wexner emailed him: "Abigail told me the result… all I can say is I feel sorry. You violated your own number 1 rule…always be careful." Epstein replied simply: "no excuse."
Davies clarified that the 2007 date referred specifically to firing Epstein as financial adviser, revoking his power of attorney, and removing his name from bank accounts. Wexner stated in 2019 that Epstein had misappropriated "vast sums" from his family's fortune while overseeing their finances. An investigative memo reveals Wexner's attorneys told investigators in 2008 that Epstein had repaid $100 million, believed to be only a portion of what he stole.
Continuing Fallout and Broader Implications
The newly released documents have emboldened sexual assault survivors, increasing pressure on Wexner. Epstein survivor Maria Farmer feels vindicated by a redacted FBI report confirming she filed one of the earliest complaints against Epstein, which reported his possession of nude photos of underage girls. The documents also draw attention to her account of an alleged sexual encounter with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1996 at Epstein's New Albany home, located half a mile from the Wexners' residence.
Meanwhile, survivors of another sexual predator—the late Ohio State University team doctor Richard Strauss, who abused at least 177 male students—are citing Wexner's Epstein association to request removal of his name from a campus football complex built with his contributions. Their request remains pending before a university committee.
In a legal development last week, a district court judge ruled that an alumni group can compel Wexner to testify in their lawsuit against Ohio State University. Wexner served on the university's board of trustees during the period when Strauss committed his crimes.
Separately, Ohio State University confirmed that Dr. Mark Landon, head of its Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is cooperating with an investigation into his mention in the Epstein files. Documents indicate Epstein had Landon on retainer in 2006 for $25,000 per quarter. Landon stated he "did not provide any clinical care for Jeffrey Epstein or any of his victims," explaining he was a paid consultant for the New York Strategy Group regarding biotech investments from 2001 to 2005. Davies noted this advice was solicited on the Wexners' behalf.
The congressional deposition represents the latest chapter in the ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's powerful associates, with Wexner's testimony expected to provide further insights into their financial and personal relationship.
