Leslie Herbert Wexner
Founder of L Brands (Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, The Limited); Epstein's primary financial patron 1987–2007
Document Connections (4)
Between 1987 and 2007, Leslie Wexner — billionaire founder of L Brands — retained Jeffrey Epstein as his financial manager. By July 1991, Wexner granted Epstein full power of attorney, giving Epstein 'full power and authority to do and perform every act necessary' over Wexner's finances. This is the arrangement that is the original source of Epstein's public wealth.
In the mid-1990s, Wexner transferred ownership of his Upper East Side Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street — purchased by Wexner in 1989 for approximately $13 million and at the time the largest single-family home in New York City — to Epstein. Documents show the transfer was structured through a $10 million promissory note and a personal guaranty. Released records indicate Wexner ultimately received no cash for the property.
House Oversight Committee testimony from Wexner's longtime accountant (March 2026) indicated that over the course of the Wexner–Epstein relationship, in excess of $1 billion was transferred, provided in stocks, or given directly to Epstein by Wexner. A 2008 $46 million donation from Epstein to a foundation run by Wexner's wife Abigail represented only 'a portion' of the funds Wexner later said he recovered from Epstein.
In February 2026, 11 Epstein survivors filed suit against Wexner in New York State Supreme Court. Wexner was subsequently deposed in connection with the Epstein files probe. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee publicly disputed Wexner's characterization that he had been 'conned' by Epstein.