Les Wexner’s 2019 Public Letter and Statement

Following Jeffrey Epstein’s July 2019 re-arrest on federal sex trafficking charges and the subsequent explosion of media coverage, Leslie H. Wexner — founder and longtime CEO of L Brands (parent of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works) — issued a letter in September 2019 addressed to the Wexner Foundation community that constituted his most public accounting of the relationship.

Content of the Letter

Wexner acknowledged that he had terminated his professional relationship with Epstein in 2007, citing that he had discovered Epstein had misappropriated “vast sums” of money from him. He stated he was “embarrassed and disgusted” by Epstein’s conduct and that he had “no knowledge whatsoever of those reprehensible crimes.”

He described the relationship in implicitly limited transactional terms, while acknowledging the closeness of their earlier association. He spoke of being “saddened and betrayed” but offered no additional details about the financial misappropriation, the mechanism of their separation, or the precise circumstances of the Power of Attorney arrangement.

What Was Not Said

The Power of Attorney scope: Wexner’s letter made no reference to the sweeping Power of Attorney granted to Epstein ca. 1991, which allowed Epstein to act as Wexner’s fully empowered agent in virtually all financial and personal matters. The sheer scope of this document raised questions about the depth of trust extended to Epstein.

When the misappropriation was discovered: Wexner said the relationship ended in 2007, but did not specify when he discovered the alleged fraud, the amount involved, or whether he pursued any legal or law enforcement action against Epstein for the theft. No civil suit by Wexner against Epstein has ever been publicly filed.

Staff and properties: Multiple properties and members of staff moved through Wexner’s network and into Epstein’s orbit. The letter did not address how this occurred or who bore responsibility.

The Manhattan townhouse: The extraordinary transfer of a Manhattan townhouse to Epstein — one of the most valuable private residences in the city — was not meaningfully addressed.

Credibility Questions Raised by Journalists

Investigative journalists including Vicky Ward (Epstein: Dead Men Tell No Tales) and the Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown pressed the question of how someone as sophisticated as Wexner could fail to notice one of the biggest fraud schemes allegedly conducted against him. The absence of any legal follow-up against Epstein suggested to some that the “fraud” narrative had been constructed to provide plausible distance.

Wexner’s Subsequent Actions

Wexner stepped down as CEO of L Brands in February 2020, months after the letter, in a transition accelerated by the Epstein scandal. His departure was framed as a planned generational transition, though the timing closely followed sustained investor and media scrutiny.

He has since maintained a lower public profile, declining substantive interviews about Epstein. His philanthropic work through the Wexner Foundation has continued.

Significance

The letter became a reference document in subsequent investigations into Epstein’s wealth and network. Senate Judiciary investigators cited the Wexner relationship as central to understanding how Epstein amassed his fortune and operated with impunity. The letter’s opacity — saying much while revealing little — was itself seen as emblematic of elite accountability failures in the case.

Les Wexner's 2019 Public Letter and Statement