Ohio billionaire Les Wexner issued a statement Wednesday as he is slated to be fired by the U.S. Government Reform and Oversight Commission over the commission’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
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The in camera filing is scheduled to take place in New Albany. There, he is expected to face questions about information obtained in Epstein-related documents released by the Justice Department, our news partners at WBNS reported.
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Wexner, 88, said he plans to cooperate with the committee members’ investigation and sees the chance to testify as “an opportunity to clear things up.”
The founder and former chairman and CEO of L Brands was seen as one of Epstein’s most important former friends, but denied any knowledge of or involvement in his crimes.
WBNS reported that Wexner’s name appears in documents related to Epstein more than 1,000 times.
Wexner, who has never been accused of wrongdoing, ended his relationship with Epstein after learning he had stolen from them.
The full statement from Wexner, obtained by WBNS, can be read below:
I am happy to testify today. Delighted because it’s an opportunity to set the record straight.
Over the years I have been the subject of outrageous untrue statements and hurtful rumours, innuendo and speculation. Let me say at the outset: I was naive, stupid and gullible when I put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein. He was a crook. And while I was cheated on, I did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide. I completely and irrevocably severed ties with Epstein nearly twenty years ago when I learned he was an abuser, a con artist and a liar. And, let me be very clear: I never witnessed or had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity. I was never a participant or co-conspirator in any of Epstein’s illegal activities. To my enormous embarrassment and regret, I, like many others, was duped by a world-class con artist. I can’t undo that part of my personal history, even if I regret ever meeting him.
Before I go any further, however, I want to acknowledge the survivors of Epstein’s terrible crimes and the devastation each of them suffered as a result. The pain he caused them is unfathomable to me. My heart goes out to each of them.
I want you to know something about the man standing before you. I am 88 years old, married to Abigail since 1993, father of four grown children and proudly a grandfather. I’ve lived in Ohio all my life. I am a philanthropist, community builder, business owner, and founder and former CEO of LBrands. I constantly strive to live my life in an ethical manner, in accordance with my moral compass, devoting time and energy to my faith, my community, my business, my LBrands associates, my family and my friends.
I founded The Limited Stores in 1963 with a $5,000 loan from my Aunt Ida. I grew the company from a small store, The Limited, by creating, acquiring and leading the development of a large multi-divisional retail company of brands such as Express, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Lerner, Lane Bryant, Abercrombie & Fitch and Henri Bendel. I took the company public in 1969 and was the longest-serving CEO of a publicly traded company at the time of my retirement in 2020. While also leading LBrands, I planned, marketed, designed and developed both the Village of New Albany, one of the largest master-planned communities in America, and Easton Town Center, an innovative outdoor retail center in Ohio, in my hometown of Columbus. As an important part of my long-standing commitment to philanthropy, I created and continue to personally participate in the Wexner Foundation, which trains leaders and public servants. Our family’s total philanthropic giving to worthy causes exceeds $1 billion.
Almost every waking hour during my work weeks was spent on the business. My weekends were also filled with business responsibilities, my real estate development interests, community, charity projects, and ultimately my growing family. Given these time-consuming commitments, I long ago began hiring others to manage my personal finances, starting with Harold Levin, then Epstein, followed by Dennis Hersch, and now a combination of my wife Abigail and an outside multi-family office.
I was introduced to Epstein in the mid-to-late 1980s by Bob Meister, the former vice president of Aon. Bob knew I needed help managing my personal finances and suggested I talk to Epstein. I didn’t just rely on Bob’s recommendation. I consulted Ace Greenberg and Jimmy Cayne of Bear Stearns, Epstein’s former employer, both of whom supported Epstein without hesitation. Epstein also provided a reference, Elie de Rothschild. When I spoke with Elie, he highly recommended Epstein based on the work Epstein did for his family. At first, Epstein didn’t want to take me on as a client. In fact, for the first few years I knew him, Epstein offered me advice here and there while explaining that giving individual financial advice was not his focus and refusing to accept compensation. He said he was helping me as a favor. I didn’t realize that from the very beginning, Epstein was condescending to gain my trust.
As my financial resources and time demands continued to grow, I officially hired Epstein to manage my personal finances. Because my public company and other duties required my full attention, I gave Epstein a power of attorney so he could execute transactions quickly without constantly asking for my signature. The need for a power of attorney was clear to me, and I gave Epstein the same sphere of authority as his successor, Dennis Hersch. What I did not anticipate was that Epstein abused the trust I placed in him despite his fiduciary duty to act in my best interest.
What is only now so clear is that Epstein lived a double life. He was intelligent, diabolical and a master manipulator. He was meticulous in revealing just a few glimpses of his life as a sophisticated financial guru who consulted with heads of state, high-ranking politicians, royalty, university presidents, professors, CEOs, musicians and other luminaries. He was a member of the Trilateral Commission and was a trustee of Rockefeller University. Although I did not socialize in Epstein’s social circle, he often told me about his famous acquaintances and the important positions he held, and I sometimes experienced what appeared to be chance encounters, probably orchestrated by Epstein, with prominent individuals who said they knew Epstein. Over many years, he carefully used his acquaintance with important individuals to maintain an aura of legitimacy which he then used to further expand his network of knowledge and apparent credibility.
The other life he led, which we now know was full of unthinkable crimes, he carefully and completely hid from me. He knew I would never have tolerated his horrible behavior. None of them. At no time did I witness the part of Epstein’s life for which he is now infamous. I am a father of two daughters, now women, and the thought of what he did makes me sick. I have been dating Abigail for three years and have been married to her for 33 years. We are completely devoted to each other. To be clear, never in 36 years have I been unfaithful to Abigail in any way, shape or form. Not. Any suggestion to the contrary is absolutely and completely false.
Again, to be clear, I have not seen or heard of Epstein being in the company of a minor girl. On the contrary, he led me to believe that he was in serious, long-term relationships with two women, Dr. Eva Andersson and later Ghislaine Maxwell, both of whom he said he intended to marry. I’ve never been on his plane. Contrary to rumors, I did not give Epstein the New York house; bought it from me for what I was told was the appraised value. After we moved, I never set foot in that house again. We only visited Epstein’s island once, shortly after he bought it, when Abigail, our young children, and I stopped by for a few hours one morning while on a cruise on our boat. Again, the side of Epstein he chose to reveal to me was far different from the predator he was ultimately exposed to.
As I have stated before, my contact with Epstein completely ceased almost twenty years ago. In late 2006, Epstein told Abigail that he had a legal problem in Palm Beach, but insisted that what he called baseless and false allegations of an overly aggressive police chief would be dismissed. In 2007, however, Epstein informed Abigail that his situation might become messy and he might have to spend time away. To say the least, it was shocking. At the same time, Epstein suggested that Abigail could handle our personal finances if she became unavailable and, for the first time, provided her with the financial information she would need. Due to the complexity of the information, it took time to unravel, but after reviewing the information it became clear to Abigail that Epstein had stolen huge sums of money from our family. Once I learned of his abusive behavior and theft from my family, I never spoke to Epstein again. Not.
In September 2007, nine months before he pleaded guilty in Florida, we revoked Epstein’s power of attorney, removed his access to our bank accounts, and forced him to resign from all of our affiliated entities. Confronted with his financial wrongdoing by Abigail, Epstein agreed to return a substantial amount of money, even as he continued to maintain his complete innocence of any wrongdoing, never giving up on the scam. In light of his possible guilty plea and deception of our family, we have completely severed our relationship with Epstein. Epstein is permanently and irrevocably out of my life. While others visited Epstein in prison and associated with him after his release, I did not. Nor did I witness, accept or allow his crimes in any way. I want to thank the Commission for its efforts to get to the bottom of Epstein’s illegal activity and fraud. I hope you are able to uncover the truth and bring closure to all the survivors. If I am able to assist you in this endeavor by answering your questions, I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.
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