Overview
Leslie Wexner, founder and longtime CEO of L Brands (formerly Limited Brands), built one of America’s most successful retail empires from Columbus, Ohio. His relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was geographically centered in both New York and Ohio — Epstein managed aspects of Wexner’s financial affairs in both locations and had a presence in the Columbus area through Wexner’s network.
Wexner’s Company and Wealth
Wexner founded The Limited in 1963 and expanded it into a retail group that at various times included Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch, and other brands. By the 1990s, when his relationship with Epstein was most active, Wexner was one of Ohio’s wealthiest individuals and a significant philanthropic figure in Columbus.
L Brands was headquartered in the Columbus area, and Wexner maintained an extensive personal and philanthropic presence there through the Wexner Foundation and other philanthropic vehicles.
New Albany Estate
Wexner developed a large estate in New Albany, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. The property included substantial facilities and was a focal point for his philanthropic and business activities. Epstein, who had power of attorney over Wexner’s financial affairs, had documented access to aspects of the Wexner estate’s management.
The extent of Epstein’s physical presence in the New Albany area is less documented than his New York activities, but the power of attorney’s scope covered Ohio assets.
Victims in Ohio Context
Some victims have described being transported to Wexner-associated properties in Ohio. The scale of this aspect of the operation is less documented in public court records than the Palm Beach and New York activities, but it has been referenced in various proceedings.
The Wexner Foundation
Wexner’s philanthropy through the Wexner Foundation focused heavily on Jewish philanthropic causes and leadership development. Epstein, prior to the degradation of their relationship, was occasionally associated with Wexner’s philanthropic activities.
After severing ties with Epstein around 2007, Wexner took steps to distance his philanthropic and business activities from any Epstein association.
L Brands and Victoria’s Secret
The modeling agency dimension of Epstein’s trafficking operation — particularly connections to Jean-Luc Brunel and model recruitment — has prompted questions about any connection to Wexner’s Victoria’s Secret operations, which ran large model-related infrastructure. The specific connection between modeling agency recruitment and L Brands operations has been alleged in some contexts but was not established as a core finding in the criminal proceedings.
Significance
Wexner’s Ohio base gave Epstein geographic reach beyond the New York-Palm Beach-Caribbean axis of his documented operations. The Columbus connection reflects Epstein’s ability to embed himself in the financial and philanthropic operations of a major American business figure.
Sources
Business press reporting on L Brands, investigative journalism on the Wexner-Epstein connection, Wexner’s 2019 public statements, and civil litigation materials that reference Ohio-based activity.