TheBadPlaceyahoo news | Epstein accusers sue Wexner, claiming funding enabled sex trafficking
Accusers of the late sex‑offender Jeffrey Epstein have filed a civil suit in New York State Supreme Court alleging that Ohio retail magnate Les Wexner and his foundation helped finance Epstein’s criminal enterprise. The complaint, filed on March 30, asserts that Wexner and the Wexner Foundation provided Epstein with “$200 million or more” over roughly two decades, enabling him to build a sophisticated sex‑trafficking network that victimized the plaintiffs. It further claims that Wexner transferred his Manhattan townhouse at 9 E. 71st St. to Epstein, facilitating the abuse of the women named in the lawsuit around 2000‑2001.
Wexner’s representatives have called the allegations “untrue.” A spokesperson said Epstein was compensated only for wealth‑management services and that Wexner had no knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing. Records show Wexner sold the Manhattan townhouse to Epstein for $20 million in November 1998, a transaction that predates the alleged abuse. The spokesperson added that the lawsuit “fails to state any factual basis” and that the claims will be “vigorously defended.” In a February 2026 deposition, Wexner told members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee that he had been conned by Epstein, who he accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from him.
Congressional investigators have scrutinized Wexner’s relationship with Epstein amid the Justice Department’s release of related records. Rep. Robert Garcia (D‑CA) remarked that Epstein “would not be the man that he was without Les Wexner,” echoing the plaintiffs’ contention that Wexner’s money was essential to Epstein’s crimes. Although DOJ documents have at times listed Wexner as a potential co‑conspirator, a 2019 statement from an Assistant U.S. Attorney clarified that Wexner was “neither a co‑conspirator nor a target” and that he had fully cooperated by providing background information on Epstein. The lawsuit therefore centers on whether Wexner’s financial support constituted enabling and conspiracy in Epstein’s sex‑trafficking operation.
#jeffreyepstein #leswexner #newyorkstatesupremecourt #u.s.houseoversightcommittee #justicedepartment
