What drove philanthropist Leslie Wexner into Epstein’s arms?

BEN SALES

For those immersed in the Jewish world, there’s an added question. How did Wexner – a prominent philanthropist seen as a champion of Jewish learning and ethical teaching, whose foundation has trained waves of rabbis, Jewish professionals, and volunteer board leaders – end up so enmeshed and enamoured with a future convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker?

Is Wexner connected to the sex-abuse accusations against Epstein? Has the philanthropist been accused of any wrongdoing? Does any of this taint Wexner’s legacy or the beneficiaries of his many programmes?

Since the Epstein sex scandal resurfaced this year, these questions have dogged Wexner, the owner of Victoria’s Secret who at one point was Epstein’s only known financial client. Wexner was very close to Epstein, and trusted him as a money manager and legal representative.

Epstein, who served a year in prison and registered as a sex offender more than a decade ago, was arrested recently and charged with sex trafficking. He was found hanged in his jail cell on Saturday in what officials are calling a suicide.

As the scandal has unfolded, Wexner and his associates have put out a series of statements on Epstein and their relationship. His connection with Epstein has also led to stormy discussions among the recipients of his largesse about the ethical dilemmas they face.

Wexner is an 81-year-old Jewish billionaire who lives in the Columbus, Ohio, area. He made his fortune by founding The Limited, a women’s clothing brand, in 1963. Wexner has since expanded his apparel empire to include other brands, like Bath & Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch and, most notably, Victoria’s Secret.

He also ventured into real estate, developing the posh community of New Albany, Ohio, where Wexner lives in a 60 000-square-foot (5 574 square metre) mansion. According to Forbes, he’s worth $4.6 billion (R69.8 billion).

The Wexner Foundation is among the most prominent private Jewish charities in the world. In 2017, according to tax documents, it gave $3.6 million (R54.8 million) in charity, much (but not all) of it to Jewish educational causes, as well as more money for educational programmes.

What does all of this have to do with Epstein?

Nothing, and everything. For decades, if Wexner spent any money, Epstein was probably connected to it somehow. Epstein met Wexner in the 1980s, and the two forged a close relationship. Epstein eventually received power of attorney over Wexner’s finances.

In a statement last week distributed by his foundation, Wexner wrote that Epstein “had wide latitude to act on my behalf with respect to my personal finances while I focused on building my company and undertaking philanthropic efforts”. In 2003, Wexner told Vanity Fair that Epstein had “excellent judgement and unusually high standards”.

Epstein also was involved with Wexner’s charitable efforts. In 1990, the two helped fund the construction of a new building for the Harvard Hillel.

In his recent statement, Wexner insisted that Epstein “had no executive responsibilities in the running of the foundation” and “didn’t work directly with foundation staff, and didn’t engage with leadership initiatives in any way”.

However, their relationship was more than a typical professional one. They were invested together in Wexner’s Ohio real estate development. Epstein lived in Wexner’s New York City townhouse for years, eventually acquiring it, along with a private plane from Wexner.

Epstein also supervised the construction of Wexner’s yacht, Limitless, and was a frequent guest at Wexner’s Ohio parties, according to the New York Times.

Wexner says he broke off his relationship with Epstein in 2007, and later found out that Epstein had taken a lot of money from him.

“This was, frankly, a tremendous shock, even though it clearly pales in comparison to the unthinkable allegations against him now,” Wexner wrote in his recent message. “I’m embarrassed that, like so many others, I was deceived by Mr Epstein. I deeply regret having ever crossed his path.”

In 2008, Epstein made a $46 million (R700 million) donation to one of Wexner’s charities. Wexner wrote in his letter that “payments Mr Epstein made to the charitable fund represented a portion of the returned monies” Epstein had misappropriated.

According to CNBC, Wexner has provided documents showing the financial misconduct to federal investigators.

So has anyone implicated Wexner in Epstein’s crimes? And what does it have to do with Alan Dershowitz?

Some of Epstein’s alleged abuses occurred at the Manhattan townhouse once owned by Wexner, where Epstein lived. Another Epstein accuser, Maria Farmer, said Epstein hired her to work on a mural at Wexner’s home in Ohio in the summer of 1996, and assaulted her there.

However, Farmer’s affidavit doesn’t suggest Wexner himself was involved with or knew about the incident.