Question
How did Leslie Wexner discover that Jeffrey Epstein had stolen money from him?
Answer
The precise circumstances of how Leslie Wexner discovered that Epstein had misappropriated funds from him are not fully documented in the public record, but the general timeline is known.
Wexner’s 2019 statement to members of the Columbus community (where he is a major philanthropist) acknowledged that Epstein had “misappropriated” approximately $46 million from him. Wexner stated that when he discovered this, he severed ties with Epstein.
The discovery appears to have occurred in the period leading up to or around 2007-2008, coinciding with the Palm Beach criminal investigation. Forensic accountants or auditors reviewing Wexner’s finances in connection with the investigation, or simply in the normal course of financial oversight, appear to have identified unexplained transfers or irregularities in accounts that Epstein had controlled under his broad power of attorney.
Wexner’s public framing consistently presented himself as a victim of Epstein’s financial deception — though critics noted that the broad power of attorney he had granted to Epstein was an extraordinary level of trust that made the oversight failure difficult to explain and placed Wexner in a complicated relationship with questions about due diligence.
The $46 million figure was Wexner’s own accounting. The full extent of financial transfers over the two decades of Epstein’s control of Wexner’s financial affairs was never independently audited and made fully public.
Sources
- Wexner letter to Columbus community, 2019
- Media reporting on Wexner-Epstein financial relationship
- Columbus Dispatch reporting on Wexner statement