Billionaire Les Wexner, the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret’s parent company L Brands, told U.S. Lawmakers on Wednesday he was “naive, foolish, and gullible” to have trusted his former financial advisor, the late Jeffrey Epstein, and denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity.
Wexner, 88, appeared before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door deposition at his estate in central Ohio, responding to a subpoena issued after the latest release of Epstein-related documents. He maintained his innocence, stating in a prepared statement that he had “done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide,” and characterizing Epstein as “a con man.”
“I was naive, foolish, and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a con man,” Wexner said, according to his statement. “While I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide.”
The deposition comes after decades of scrutiny regarding Wexner’s relationship with Epstein, who managed his finances for years and was granted power of attorney over much of his wealth in 1991. Critics allege Wexner facilitated Epstein’s social standing, and influence. Wexner testified he severed ties with Epstein in 2007 after discovering Epstein had been stealing from him.
Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), who attended the deposition, expressed skepticism about Wexner’s claims. “There is no single person that was more involved in providing Jeffrey Epstein with the financial support to commit his crimes than Les Wexner,” Garcia told reporters.
Wexner’s name appears over 1,000 times in the released Epstein files, a figure his spokesperson, Tom Davies, said was not unexpected given the length of their association. The files include a draft letter purportedly from Epstein to Wexner, referencing “gang stuff” and mutual indebtedness, suggesting a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Davies dismissed the letter as a “desperate attempt to perpetuate his lies and justify his misconduct.”
The Justice Department records show Wexner emailed Epstein in 2008, after Epstein’s plea deal for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Wexner wrote, “Abigail told me the result… all I can say is I experience sorry. You violated your own number 1 rule… always be careful.” Epstein replied simply, “no excuse.” Davies clarified that the 2007 severance referred to ending Epstein’s role as financial advisor and revoking his power of attorney.
Wexner testified he was unaware of Epstein’s abuse, stating Epstein “lived a double life,” presenting himself as a legitimate financial advisor while concealing his crimes. He claimed he only visited Epstein’s private island once, for a few hours with his wife and children while on a boat trip.
Accusations have surfaced alleging Epstein leveraged his connection to Wexner to facilitate abuse, telling aspiring models and actors that he could help them secure work with Victoria’s Secret. One woman told the FBI that Epstein claimed to be “best friends” with Wexner and suggested she would need to be comfortable with revealing clothing. Wexner’s lawyers previously told investigators that he had heard rumors of Epstein falsely claiming a connection to Victoria’s Secret, and confronted Epstein, who denied it.
Wexner sold Victoria’s Secret in 2020.
Congressional investigators have identified more than $1 billion that was transferred from Wexner to Epstein, according to Garcia, though Wexner reportedly remains unaware of the full extent of these transactions. Wexner stated Epstein returned “a substantial amount” of the misappropriated funds, though the exact figure remains undisclosed.
The renewed scrutiny of Wexner’s ties to Epstein has prompted calls for his name to be removed from facilities at Ohio State University, including the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Wexner Medical Center, following a sweeping sexual abuse scandal at the university. Survivors of the abuse are citing Wexner’s association with Epstein as justification for the removal.
