Les Wexner: What was the former L Brands CEO’s relationship to Epstein?
Last week, former L Brands CEO Leslie Wexner was called to testify about Jeffrey Epstein. While the call had nothing to do with the investigation, people following the Epstein case hope that Wexner’s testimony might shed some light on Epstein’s earlier days.
We might not see any new information. Leslie Wexner is being called to answer questions for Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime friend and Harvard attorney Alan Dershowitz and one of Epstein’s former victims, Virginia Roberts-Giuffre. The case is a civil suit where Dershowitz is claiming Roberts-Giuffre is extorting him and Wexner.
Will this lawsuit uncover new information about Leslie Wexner & Jeffrey Epstein? Will Wexner talk? Let’s look at the history between Wexner and Epstein and see if there’s anything new there.
When Jeffrey met Leslie
Leslie Wexner was the CEO of the giant clothing conglomerate L Brands. L Brands began as The Limited and expanded & merged with companies like Limited Too, Victoria’s Secret, and Abercrombie & Fitch. These companies are household names and recognizable by anyone who’s been inside an American mall.
Jeffrey Epstein was an up and coming financier in the 80s. He first met Leslie Wexner while he was at Bear Stearns. Wexner was impressed with Epstein’s financial savvy and hired him to manage his personal net worth. Wexner was also Epstein’s only public client.
Leslie Wexner’s connections to Epstein’s sex trafficking ring
It’s not known if Leslie Wexner was a participant in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. However, his properties & company’s employees have connections. One of Epstein’s victims, Maria Farmer, reported that she was abused by Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell while staying at Wexner’s guest house in Ohio.
Secondly, Jeffrey Epstein hosted a party on his private island, Little St. James with Victoria’s Secret models. Guests recall that the party was “full of debauchery” which isn’t surprising. Little St. James was known as “Pedo Island” and “Orgy Island” and is where the worst of Epstein’s abuses took place.
Jeffrey Epstein also posed as a talent scout for Victoria’s Secret to lure victims into his ring. One victim reported that he tried to undress her & grope her once he got her into his hotel room. She filed a report with local police and only realized it was Epstein years later when he was charged with soliciting a minor.
Epstein and Wexner’s falling out
When L Brands learned that Jeffrey Epstein was trying to be a Victoria’s Secret talent scout and sidestepping the process to do so, they alerted Wexner. Wexner promised to handle the issue. This happened in the 1990s.
Jeffrey Epstein and Leslie Wexner’s friendship didn’t end until 2007. Wexner discovered that Epstein was mismanaging his funds shortly before Epstein’s first arrest on sex trafficking charges.
After Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest in 2019, L Brands opened an independent investigation into Wexner’s friendship with him. In the wake of Epstein’s arrest becoming international news, Leslie Wexner stepped down as CEO of L Brands.
The Dershowitz and Roberts-Giuffre lawsuit
Dershowitz & Roberts-Giuffre are suing each other for defamation regarding Epstein. Alan Dershowitz claims that Roberts-Giuffre is embellishing his role as one of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. He claims that he and Leslie Wexner were extorted and Roberts-Giuffre made up sex abuse allegations to extort money from them.
Virginia Roberts-Giuffre maintains that she was abused and sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and sexually assaulted by many of his rich, powerful clients. These include Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and others. She is suing Dershowitz for defamation for claiming she’s a liar.
Wexner’s latest testimony
Alan Dershowitz wants Leslie Wexner to answer a series of questions proving that Virginia-Roberts-Giuffre is trying to extort them. Further, Roberts-Giuffre wants Wexner to testify so she can prove there is no plan to extort, she’s a victim who wants justice for what was done to her.
Leslie Wexner and his attorney maintain that there was no deal. Dershowitz and his legal team remain convinced there was. They want Wexner to answer questions about communication he may have had with Virginia-Roberts Giuffre to uncover the alleged extortion plot.
Leslie Wexner offered to mail in his answers in writing. Dershowitz was having none of it. His attorneys stated that it was “inconceivable” that Wexner would try and escape an in-person discovery.
What can this mean?
From Wexner’s history with Epstein and from his distancing from the lawsuit, we can guess that Wexner wants to put his connection with Jeffrey Epstein behind him. Whether that’s because Epstein, Wexner’s long-time trusted friend & business partner betrayed him, or there’s something more nefarious going on remains to be seen.
