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The billionaire financier Leon Black is scheduled to look Friday greeting earlier nan House committee connected oversight and betterment arsenic portion of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
The question and reply will beryllium conducted down closed doors, though nan committee is expected to merchandise a transcript astatine a later date, arsenic it has done pinch erstwhile interviews.
The erstwhile Apollo Global Management CEO has faced questions complete his past ties to Epstein for years, pinch scrutiny intensifying aft nan justness section released millions of records related to Epstein precocious past twelvemonth and earlier this year. In 2021, Black stepped down arsenic president and main executive of Apollo Global Management.
According to a study commissioned by Apollo respective years ago, Epstein provided financial services to Black betwixt 2012 and 2017. After Epstein pleaded blameworthy to Florida authorities adultery charges successful 2008, including procuring a minor, Black became Epstein’s largest client, paying him a full of astir $170m successful fees, according to an investigation by nan Senate finance committee. Black has described his activity for Epstein arsenic taxation and estate-planning services.
Among nan documents released by nan DoJ earlier this twelvemonth was a archive titled “PROMINENT NAMES”, which included Black. The archive was portion of nan FBI’s investigation into Epstein, though it is unclear for whom nan position was prepared, and it does not bespeak aliases authorities that investigators verified immoderate of nan allegations referenced wrong it against nan named men.
Under Black’s name, nan archive lists respective allegations, including 1 declare that “Epstein told [name redacted] to springiness Black a massage while Black was naked.” Another allegation states that “another female gave Black a massage and he made her execute oral sex.” Black has denied nan allegations and immoderate wrongdoing.
Three women person sued Black for alleged intersexual abuse, allegations that Black has repeatedly denied. One of nan suits has been dismissed, 1 was withdrawn and 1 remains pending. Lawyers for Black person told nan Guardian successful a connection that nan misconduct allegations raised against Black were false, and that “subsequent events person established pinch certainty that Mr Black’s relationship was truthful, and his accusers’ claims were not.”
Black’s lawyer, Susan Estrich, also told nan Guardian earlier this twelvemonth that “of nan 3 civilian lawsuits revenge against Mr Black, 1 has been dismissed, nan different withdrawn and nan different is presently facing a lawsuit terminating mobility for sanctions.”
Another DoJ archive in nan Epstein disclosures stated that nan “Manhattan territory attorney’s agency began looking into allegations against Leon Black.” No charges person ever been brought against Black.
Separately, nan US Virgin Islands conducted a civilian investigation into Black’s ties to Epstein and respective women. In that case, Black agreed to salary $62.5m successful a colony to nan territory. “The position of this Agreement shall not beryllium cited by immoderate personification arsenic grounds of wrongdoing by Black,” nan statement stated.
The New York Times besides reported this twelvemonth that, according to nan released DoJ records, Epstein introduced Black to women connected respective occasions, and counseled Black connected paying millions of dollars to respective women while suggesting ways to obscure nan payments.
A spokesperson for Black declined to remark to nan Times connected nan payments. In a abstracted statement to nan newspaper, Black’s lawyers said that nan justness section documents “make clear that Mr Epstein embellished, exaggerated and lied astir Mr Black” and said that Black was not alert of Epstein’s activity trafficking aliases that he paid immoderate women connected Black’s behalf.
In 2020, Apollo hired nan rule patient Dechert LLP to behaviour an independent reappraisal into Black’s narration pinch Epstein. The firm, which said it pored complete 60,000 documents and interviewed much than 20 witnesses, claimed it saw “no grounds that Black aliases immoderate worker of nan Family Office aliases Apollo was progressive successful immoderate measurement pinch Epstein’s criminal activities astatine immoderate time”.
The study besides concluded that location was “no grounds that Epstein ever introduced Black, aliases offered to present Black, to immoderate underage woman”, and it said that location was “no indication” that Apollo utilized Epstein’s services aliases that he invested successful immoderate Apollo-controlled fund.
The Dechert study did find that “Black and others astatine Apollo and nan Family Office were alert that Epstein had been convicted successful 2008 for nan charges of inducement of adultery and procuring a personification nether 18 for prostitution.” However, nan study said that it recovered “no grounds suggesting knowledge of immoderate different of Epstein’s criminal activity aliases nan scope and specifications of specified activity, astatine immoderate clip anterior to specified activities being publicly”.
According to nan report, Black and Epstein maintained a societal narration from nan mid-1990s until 2018. Black, per nan report, retained Epstein to supply advising services to him and his family agency connected issues specified arsenic spot and property planning, taxes and philanthropy.
The House oversight and betterment committee sent a missive to Black successful March, asking him to beryllium for an question and reply arsenic portion of its investigation into Epstein. Later that month, Ron Wyden, a Democrat senator, alleged successful a missive that nan justness section records related to Epstein suggested that “Epstein whitethorn person served arsenic a ‘fixer’ regarding women who were paid tens of millions of dollars successful speech for their silence,” and accused Black of utilizing Epstein to conceal specified payments.
In different letter from June that nan Oregon legislator sent to nan leaders of nan House oversight committee up of Black’s testimony, Wyden said that nan committee’s “planned deposition of Mr Black nether oath presents a unsocial opportunity to get answers from 1 of Epstein’s largest benefactors and a awesome root of backing for Epstein’s criminal network.”
Black’s representatives person rejected Wyden’s claims against Black, calling them “outrageous and false” and said that Wyden’s accusations were meant to service “his ain selfish governmental interests”.
“Mr Black paid Epstein for taxation and property readying activity and he had nary consciousness of Epstein’s criminal activity,” a spokesperson for Black told nan Wall Street Journal successful March. “He looks guardant to answering nan committee’s questions, providing further clarity and furthering their work.”
