Leslie Wexner

Wexner says he broke with Epstein in 2007 after discovering substantial misappropriation carried out under his financial mandate. Later documents and statements initially identified at least 46 million dollars transferred to a foundation linked to the family, while records published in 2026 described a total private settlement of nearly 100 million dollars paid by Epstein.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Directly implicated

Former students suing Ohio State over sexual abuse by doctor Richard Strauss sought to depose Wexner, who had served on the university's board from 1988 to 1997 and chaired it in 1996–1997. Following difficulties serving him with a subpoena, a court authorised alternative methods of service in January 2026; Wexner moved to quash the subpoena.

State of the evidence

Documented

Epstein documents made public in 2026 showed that an internal FBI document from August 2019 included Wexner on a list of people described as co-conspirators or potential co-conspirators. Other documents from the same period, however, referred to limited evidence against him. His name was initially redacted in a public version before being revealed following intervention by members of Congress.

State of the evidence

Documented

Subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee, Wexner testified for several hours in Ohio about his relationship with Epstein. He called Epstein a 'world-class con man', said he had never known about or participated in his crimes, explained that he had broken off ties in 2007 and acknowledged visiting Little St. James once for a few hours with his family.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is a witness

Eleven women brought a civil action in 2026 against Leslie Wexner, the Wexner Foundation and Nine East 71st Street Corporation. The complaint alleges, among other matters, that the resources and properties made available to Epstein helped enable his system of sexual exploitation, emphasising the Manhattan townhouse.

Attribution

Accused

A separate second action was brought by two anonymous claimants against the executors of Epstein's estate, Leslie Wexner, Nine East 71st Street Corporation and the Wexner Foundation. Initially filed in a New York court and transferred to federal court in July 2026, it concerns the same properties and network but involves different claimants.

Attribution

Accused

Shareholders brought several derivative actions against Wexner and other directors alleging breaches of fiduciary duties, notably in oversight of workplace harassment and retaliation and corporate culture. A global settlement required far-reaching governance changes and a combined investment of 90 million dollars, divided between the two businesses created from L Brands.

State of the evidence

Settlement

After stepping down as CEO and chairman in 2020, Wexner announced in March 2021 that he would not stand for re-election to the board of L Brands, ending his formal role at the company he founded in 1963. His wife Abigail also left the board.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Wexner's closeness to Epstein prompted Ohio State University to review decades of donations associated with Epstein, the Wexner Center for the Arts and related entities. The review identified 336,000 dollars in gifts or pledges from Epstein or his foundation, and the university chose to donate an equivalent amount to an anti-human-trafficking initiative.

State of the evidence

Documented

Journalistic investigations described a culture at Victoria's Secret in which executives, including Ed Razek, allegedly made sexual remarks, harassed models or employees and benefited from an environment that discouraged reporting. Several witnesses also claimed that Wexner had been warned about some of these problems without taking sufficient action.

L Brands had agreed to sell 55% of Victoria's Secret to Sycamore Partners for approximately 525 million dollars. Following store closures and other measures taken during the pandemic, Sycamore alleged that L Brands had breached the agreement and went to the Delaware Court of Chancery to withdraw. L Brands disputed that interpretation. The parties eventually abandoned the transaction and settled their disputes without a penalty.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Activist investor Barington Capital publicly called on Wexner to modernise Victoria's Secret's image, consider separating the businesses, improve board diversity and independence, and reduce the influence of very longstanding directors. Barington subsequently prepared a challenge for board seats.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Following Epstein's renewed arrest in 2019 and revelations about the use of the Victoria's Secret name to approach models, L Brands instructed an external law firm to investigate Epstein's historical connections with Wexner and the company. This confirmed that the relationship had become a major corporate governance risk.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Ed Razek, L Brands' marketing director and a longstanding close associate of Wexner, stated that the Victoria's Secret fashion show was not intended to feature transgender or plus-size models because it was supposed to sell a 'fantasy'. The reaction was immediate: allegations of exclusion, criticism from customers, models and competitors, and renewed questions about the brand's cultural adaptation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Shareholder proposals criticised governance regarded as insufficiently open: Wexner's annual remuneration estimated by GMI Ratings at approximately 58 million dollars, exceptionally long service by several directors, performance criteria considered insufficiently precise and previous resistance to certain reforms supported by a majority of shareholders.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

After more than forty years during which Wexner held the roles of chairman and CEO simultaneously, the AFL-CIO Reserve Fund called for an independent board chairman. Supporters argued that an independent chairmanship would strengthen oversight of the CEO and shareholder confidence.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Epstein served as a trustee of the Wexner Foundation from 1992 to 2007, during the same period in which he managed the Wexner family's personal finances. Following the 2019 scandal, his longstanding presence in the governance of a major philanthropic foundation raised questions about his possible influence and the origins of certain funds.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Shareholders sued The Limited's board, including Leslie and Abigail Wexner, alleging corporate waste and breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with the cancellation of an agreement involving shares held for the Wexner children and a share repurchase tender offer. Wexner was simultaneously founder, CEO, chairman and principal shareholder.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Virginia Giuffre alleged that Epstein had sexually trafficked her to Wexner, among other men. This direct allegation against Wexner acquired particular significance because for years he had been Epstein's main known client and most important financial backer.

Wexner bought the townhouse at 9 East 71st Street in Manhattan in 1989 for approximately 13.2 million dollars. According to property records and sources familiar with the case, he sold it to Epstein in 1998 for approximately 20 million dollars. The residence later became one of the emblematic locations associated with Epstein's sexual abuse.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Victoria's Secret executives were warned as early as 1993 that Epstein was presenting himself as a model recruiter for the brand. According to accounts cited in several investigations, this information reached Wexner, who reportedly said he would put a stop to the practice. In 1997, Alicia Arden reported to police that Epstein had lured her into a hotel room by posing as a Victoria's Secret recruiter and assaulted her.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Maria Farmer alleges that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sexually assaulted her at the New Albany house Epstein had acquired from a company linked to Wexner. She also stated that security personnel associated with the Wexner estate restricted her movements and that she had to wait for her father to arrive before leaving.

State of the evidence

Documented

Leslie Wexner hired Jeffrey Epstein as a financial adviser in the mid-1980s. Epstein gradually took control of a substantial part of his personal finances and, in 1991, obtained power of attorney giving him very broad authority to act on Wexner's behalf in relation to assets, transactions and wealth management structures.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility