Les Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein: The Relationship That Made It All Possible
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Les Wexner appears 162 times in the Epstein archive. As the founder of L Brands — parent company of Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Lane Bryant — Wexner was one of the wealthiest men in America when he met Jeffrey Epstein in the mid-1980s. He became Epstein's most significant early patron, and their relationship transformed Epstein from a relatively obscure financial advisor into a billionaire with properties on four continents.
The Financial Relationship
The precise nature of Epstein's financial relationship with Wexner has been a subject of scrutiny for decades. What the documents and public record confirm:
- Power of Attorney: Wexner gave Epstein sweeping power of attorney — an extraordinary level of financial control that allowed Epstein to buy and sell properties, manage assets, and conduct transactions on Wexner's behalf.
- The Manhattan Mansion: Wexner purchased the nine-story townhouse at 9 East 71st Street in Manhattan for approximately $13.2 million in 1989. He transferred it to Epstein in 1995 for $0, according to property records. This mansion later became one of the primary locations cited in survivor accounts.
- The New Albany estate: Wexner's Ohio compound was also reportedly managed through arrangements involving Epstein.
How Epstein Became "Wexner's Money Manager"
Epstein positioned himself as a financial advisor to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, but his actual qualifications were limited — he dropped out of college, worked briefly as a teacher, and had no formal investment banking credentials when he joined Bear Stearns. His trajectory changed when he met Wexner.
The nature of Epstein's financial work for Wexner was never fully disclosed. Epstein claimed to manage only billionaire clients, taking a percentage of returns — a claim that was never independently verified. Some investigators believe Wexner may have been unaware of the full extent of Epstein's activities, while others suggest the relationship was more knowing.
Wexner's Response
In 2019, following Epstein's arrest, Wexner released a statement saying he had "severed all ties" with Epstein around 2007, after discovering that Epstein had "misappropriated" funds. He said he was "embarrassed" by his relationship with Epstein and "profoundly" sorry for allowing it.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Ohio State University — which Wexner had heavily supported — was among the institutions that distanced themselves from him following the Epstein revelations.
The Victoria's Secret Connection
Among the most discussed elements of the Wexner-Epstein relationship is Epstein's apparent access to Victoria's Secret's modeling world through Wexner's companies. Jean-Luc Brunel — the French modeling agent who appears 258 times in the Epstein archive and who died in custody in France in 2022 while awaiting trial on rape charges — reportedly had connections to Epstein's network through the modeling industry.
Whether Wexner had any knowledge of how that connection operated has never been legally established.
The Unanswered Question
Wexner has never been charged with any crime related to Epstein. No civil case has held him liable. His public statements frame him as a victim of Epstein's deception.
But the foundational question — how did a man like Wexner give another man this level of access to his finances, his properties, and his social world for over a decade without knowing more than he has disclosed — remains unanswered in the public record.
The documents are public. So is the question. Eps Tees Archive Series.
Sources: House Oversight Committee Epstein document release (November 2025); New York property records; L Brands public statements (2019).