Leon Black denies wrongdoing in House Epstein inquiry
The Apollo co-founder told House investigators Jeffrey Epstein misled him and said Epstein’s contacts included major tech figures.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Billionaire investor Leon Black told House investigators Friday that Jeffrey Epstein misled him during a yearslong business relationship, while denying any criminal misconduct, the Associated Press reported. His closed-door testimony matters because lawmakers are examining how Epstein maintained access to powerful people after his 2008 guilty plea.
Black, the co-founder and former chief executive of Apollo Global Management, appeared before the House Oversight Committee as part of its inquiry into Epstein’s relationships with wealthy and politically connected figures, according to AP. Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the committee, told reporters before the deposition that he expected it could be the panel’s most “groundbreaking” interview so far.
Black told the committee he did not know about Epstein’s “nefarious activity” until 2019, AP reported. He said he paid Epstein for legitimate work and described Epstein’s contacts as a reason he retained him, saying Epstein had an “unrivaled network of relationships” with influential people.
“I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde,” Black said, according to AP.
Payments drew scrutiny after Epstein’s conviction
Black left Apollo in 2021 after scrutiny of his ties to Epstein, AP reported. A review commissioned by Apollo that year found Black paid Epstein $158 million from 2012 through 2017, after Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.
That Apollo-commissioned review said the money covered “bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services,” according to AP. Black told lawmakers he gave Epstein “a second chance” and said he regretted doing so.
The Justice Department indicted Epstein in July 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges involving minors, AP reported. Prosecutors alleged Epstein built a network of girls, some as young as 14, for sexual abuse between 2002 and 2005; Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
AP reported that Black appears repeatedly in Justice Department files released in connection with the Epstein investigation. The House committee also released a collection of birthday messages to Epstein last year that included a poem attributed to Black referring to “Blond, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically.”
Black disputes allegations raised by Wyden
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, referred findings from a nearly four-year investigation of Black to the House committee this month, AP reported. Wyden said in a statement that Epstein appeared to have acted as an intermediary for Black to pay women on Black’s behalf.
Black rejected those claims in his opening statement, according to AP, calling them “rank speculation.” He said he had never abused a woman, been with an underage woman, engaged in sex trafficking, paid Epstein for access to women or been blackmailed by Epstein.
Comer said earlier this year that Epstein’s former accountant, Richard Kahn, told lawmakers Epstein received large payments from several high-profile people, including Black, according to AP.
Committee has sought testimony from prominent figures
Black said Epstein’s circle included SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, AP reported. The report did not say Black accused those figures of wrongdoing.
AP reported that other people who have appeared in the committee’s inquiry include former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, former Attorney General Pam Bondi and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Gates testified earlier this month and said meeting with Epstein was a “grave error in judgment,” according to AP.
Democrats on the committee have urged Republicans to seek testimony from President Donald Trump because of his past relationship with Epstein, AP reported. Republicans have declined, saying they have not found evidence that Trump did anything wrong during that friendship.
Comer has said he has been in contact with the Justice Department about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appearing for questioning soon, according to AP. Bondi told the committee that Blanche oversaw the release of federal Epstein files, a rollout AP described as chaotic and one that unintentionally included victim information.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.