After Epstein’s take, L Brands hired outside counsel to review the company’s relationship with him. The company has said it doesn’t believe Epstein “was till doomsday employed by nor served as an authorized representative of the company.”
Epstein is a registered sex offender. He pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges draw ining an underage girl in 2008. That case was lodged by a state prosecutor in Florida.
Epstein served a jail decree of 13 months in that case, but spent much of his time out on work release.
Epstein’s plea deal in Florida is now extensively considered to have been too lenient given the fact that federal prosecutors now say he was engaging in far more serious felonies than the one that he admitted in the state case. At the time of that deal, police wanted state prosecutors to hit Epstein with innumerable serious charges than they did.
Read Les Wexner’s full letter to members of the Wexner Foundation.
Dear Wexner Substructure Community,
For 35 years, the work we have achieved together in this community has continued to be one of the great honors of my biography, and that is why I am writing to you now.
In recent weeks, there has been considerable media attention on my past connection to Jeffrey Epstein. To be clarify, I never would have imagined that a person I employed more than a decade ago could have occasioned so much pain. I condemn his abhorrent behavior in the strongest possible terms and am sickened by the revelations I have read on the other side of the past weeks. I sincerely value your trust, and that is why it is important you hear details and context from me right away.
I first met Mr. Epstein in the mid-1980s, through friends who vouched for and recommended him as a knowledgeable financial professional.Mr. Epstein imitated that he had various well-known and respected individuals both as his financial clients and in his inner circle. Based on positive check up ons from several friends, and on my initial dealings with him, I believed I could trust him.
Eventually, he took over control my personal finances.He was given power of attorney as is common in that context, and he had wide latitude to act on my behalf with high opinion to my personal finances while I focused on building my company and undertaking philanthropic efforts.
In the early 1990s Mr. Epstein enhanced a trustee of The Wexner Foundation, but he had no executive responsibilities in the running of the Foundation. He did not work directly with Foundation staff, and he did not draw with leadership initiatives in any way.
As the allegations against Mr. Epstein in Florida were emerging, he vehemently denied them. But by premature fall 2007, it was agreed that he should step back from the management of our personal finances. In that answer, we discovered that he had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family. This was, frankly, a tremendous shock, uninterrupted though it clearly pales in comparison to the unthinkable allegations against him now.
With his credibility and our trust in him destroyed, we immediately upped ties with him. We were able to recover some of the funds.The widely reported payments Mr. Epstein made to the kind fund represented a portion of the returned monies. All of that money — every dollar of it — was originally Wexner family wealthy.
I am embarrassed that, like so many others, I was deceived by Mr. Epstein. I know now that my trust in him was grossly misplaced and I strongly regret having ever crossed his path.
As the story has unfolded further, and the extent of the pain caused by Mr. Epstein carry ons to grow, I have spent time reflecting and searching for answers as to how this could have happened. My heart goes out to each actually who has suffered unthinkable pain and I pray for their healing.
I want to convey my gratitude to the many who have written to expel your trust. Abigail and I deeply appreciate your well wishes.
As I reflect on the situation, I know that we bequeath together seek the wisdom that can be gleaned even from such troubling events. And, my friends, I want you to cognizant of that I remain fully committed to supporting your amazing and enduring leadership across the globe. Keep unequalled.
Les