Newly released documents state L Brands founder Les Wexner was trying to hire a criminal defense attorney in 2019 and that his relationship with convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein may have continued for longer than he previously has said.
The files reviewed by The Columbus Dispatch so far include several bizarre and rambling emails Epstein apparently sent himself but don’t shed much new light on his professional and personal relationship with Wexner.
In 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was attempting to serve Wexner a subpoena, according to a memo released by the Department of Justice on Jan 30. In the July 12, 2019, memo, FBI agents wrote that Wexner’s attorneys had been trying to hire a criminal defense attorney for him and that the retail mogul may be willing to be interviewed by the FBI.
The document does not give further context to the investigation. A case number on the file matches other FBI documents referencing online tips about Epstein and child sex trafficking. Another document refers to the number as the case number for Epstein acquaintance Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking.
Epstein died by suicide on Aug. 10, 2019, in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Another document that is labeled from JPMorgan Chase released Jan. 30 states that Wexner ended his relationship with Epstein in February 2008, months after the September 2007 date he previously referenced as severing all ties with his former financial adviser. But documents have shown the relationship continued for months after.
Wexner’s representatives told The Dispatch that both the FBI and Chase memos are consistent with their prior statements and his denials of wrongdoing.
“In 2007, Mr. Wexner terminated Epstein as his financial advisor, revoked his power of attorney, and directed that he be removed from all bank accounts,” a spokesperson wrote Jan. 30, while reiterating an earlier statement. “Mr. Wexner will cooperate fully with any governmental inquiry into Epstein, just as he did regarding the U.S. Attorney’s investigation into Epstein in which Mr. Wexner was told that he was neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect.”
The DOJ’s Jan. 30 records dump included 3.5 million more files on Epstein. The release was made to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed by Congress in 2025. The Justice Department released an earlier batch of records in December and no additional records are expected.
Wexner faces subpoena in Epstein investigation
The latest documents come as the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has subpoenaed Wexner and other associates to testify about their relationship with Epstein. Wexner will be required to testify Feb. 18.
Included in the release was a handwritten note on Justice Department letterhead from August 2007. The note says the writer had exchanged messages and spoke to Wexner’s attorney at the time.
The note says Wexner’s attorney said the retail titan was “very advanced in age.” Wexner, who is now 88, was 69-years-old at the time and still leading L Brands. He eventually stepped down from the company in May 2020, roughly 13 years after the note was written.
The DOJ official also wrote that Wexner’s attorney said he did not interact with his “money manager.” Epstein held power of attorney for Wexner for from 1999 to 2007.
Epstein’s rambling emails unclear
Among the documents are what appear to be multiple rambling notes sent from one of Epstein’s email accounts to himself. It’s unclear what the notes mean.
In one email dated June 14, 2014, Epstein wrote “I would never put les in harms way” [sic]. In that same email, Epstein also wrote the name “Jack Kessler.” Kessler is one of the founders of the New Albany Company. The Dispatch has reached out to Kessler for comment.
In another email dated Aug. 2, 2015, Epstein wrote various notes including “jean luc (REDACTED), 34 girls wexner” [sic].
“jean luc” likely refers to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agency head who was connected to Epstein and was held “for over a year as he was investigated on suspicion of the rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation,” Reuters reported in 2022. Brunel died by suicide in a French jail in 2022.
Representatives for Wexner have long pointed to a 2019 news conference in which Brad Edwards, an attorney who has represented a number of Epstein victims, said that he had doubts about claims that Wexner was aware of Epstein’s crimes. Edwards called Wexner’s denial that he knew about Epstein’s activities “very highly likely to be true.”
Wexners mentioned in prior Epstein file releases
This isn’t the first time Wexner’s name has popped up in files that have trickled out over months from the DOJ.
An email released by the DOJ in December mentioned Wexner alongside potential “co-conspirators” of Epstein.
The FBI email message mentioning Wexner was sent a day after Epstein’s 2019 arrest and was about possible accomplices of Epstein. Its subject line was “co-conspirators,” and several names throughout are redacted.
Other emails obtained from Epstein’s Yahoo! account by a nonprofit group called Distributed Denials of Secret showed Wexner had reached out to Epstein a year after he said he ended the relationship with him. Those files were not part of the Justice Department release.
Four days before he pleaded guilty in Florida in 2008 to soliciting sex with someone younger than 18, Epstein received an email from Wexner.
“Abigail told me the response,” Wexner wrote, referring to his wife. “All I can say is I feel sorry. You violated your own number 1 rule … Always be careful.”
Epstein replied: “no excuse.”
Dispatch investigative reporter Max Filby can be reached by email at mfilby@dispatch.com. Find him on X at the handle @MaxFilby or on Facebook at @ReporterMaxFilby.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: FBI memos, bank record, odd emails mention Wexner in new Epstein files
Reporting by Max Filby, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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