Billionaire investor Leon Black said Friday that Jeffrey Epstein deceived him during a yearslong relationship in which he paid the disgraced
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Billionaire investor Leon Black said Friday that Jeffrey Epstein deceived him during a yearslong relationship in which he paid the disgraced
Wigdor LLP accuses billionaire of trying to ‘destroy those who seek to hold him to account for alleged sexual assault’
Parents panicked as school districts across the country said they are investigating Lifetouch over unsubstantiated rumors related to the lat
One of the nation’s largest school photography companies is facing canceled photo shoots and district-wide investigations amid unsubstantiated online rumors suggesting that children’s photos could have been accessed by a person named in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Several school districts announced this week that they have launched investigations into the popular company Lifetouch due to its former, indirect ownership by billionaire businessman Leon Black, who was an associate and friend of the late child sex offender.
Epstein Files derailing the school photo industry was not on my 2026 bingo card but here we are.
Ben Black’s lawyers deny relationship with disgraced financier, but DoJ records reveal years of interactions
Cate Brown at The Guardian:
Ben Black, the head of a little-known government investment agency funded by billions of dollars from US taxpayers, had personal and business ties to Jeffrey Epstein, according to emails and business filings released by the Department of Justice. His father, Leon Black, had once been the disgraced financier’s highest-paying client – calling on the convicted sex offender for tax advice and to orchestrate payments to women, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg.
A Guardian review of more than 5,000 records from Epstein’s private correspondence found that Ben Black invested in the same company as the financier in 2011 and that the two men had a relationship for several years afterwards. Epstein told a friend that he attended Ben Black’s 30th birthday, advised him on the purchase of an $11.5m townhouse and helped one woman compose messages to him. She wrote to Epstein to say that she and Black had kissed the following day. Now Black holds a Senate-confirmed position overseeing the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Trump administration’s largest overseas investment arm. The agency was previously confined to work in low-income countries, but Congress recently cleared it to invest in high-income countries and tripled its lending cap to $205bn, greatly expanding Black’s influence over taxpayer funds.
Donald Trump has appointed at least three other men with known ties to Epstein to federal office. Howard Lutnick, the secretary of commerce, testified recently to the House oversight committee after admitting that he traveled to Epstein’s private island. He has never been accused of any wrongdoing related to Epstein or otherwise. Lutnick sits on DFC’s board of directors, where he and Ben Black join six other presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed members in reviewing and approving the agency’s overseas investments.
The scope of Ben Black’s personal connection to Epstein has not been previously reported. Black has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection to Epstein or any other matter. The DFC did not respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for Leon Black responded to questions on behalf of both Leon and his son. And a White House spokesperson sent the Guardian an unsolicited defense of Black’s fitness for his job.
A personal spokesperson for Ben Black said: “Ben Black had no personal or professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.” Trump created the DFC with bipartisan support during his first term, and appointed Jared Kushner’s former college roommate, Adam Boehler, to transform the lending agency into a tool to counter China and pursue more direct private investments. It’s not clear exactly what led Trump to appoint Ben Black to the DFC post, particularly given that public records suggest thin experience in international development finance. (A White House spokesperson told the Guardian Black had “elite” experience for the role.) In January 2025, Ben Black and the Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale co-authored an essay calling for a “pro-market” approach to foreign aid. They specifically cited the missteps of the Biden administration and the promise of investing in Greenland, a Danish outpost that Trump has said he would like to control.
The Guardian reported on Trump appointee Ben Black’s ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
In an exclusive statement to the Guardian in which Doe described her feelings about what has transpired, she said: “We are often taught that the justice system is there to protect victims and correct wrongs. My experience has shown me that it is far more complicated than that. Justice is not always blind. It is often shaped by power, access, and who is able to withstand the process. I am still here. And I am not done.”
Jane Doe quoted in a report by Johanna Berkman in The Guardian. Epstein-linked billionaire accused of rape privately reached out to federal judge to defend his ‘good name’
Leon Black has denied he ever met or raped ‘Jane Doe’. In an exclusive statement, Doe tells the Guardian: ‘I am still here. And I am not done’
This report really rattled me. I am quite aware that I am not a lawyer. But the actions by lawyers reported in this piece appear improper.
It seems unfair that a judge exercising highly-unusual ex parte oversight over a fund to compensate Epstein abuse survivors for injuries would shield from his docket very unusual private correspondence from Leon Black and his sprawling legal team from the docket to the detriment of a beneficiary of the fund, who is suing Leon Black in a different court.
"Edwards Henderson, together with co-counsel Boies Schiller, were paid $87m for their work representing Epstein victims in the JPMorgan class action lawsuit" over which Judge Rakoff presided. Edwards representing the abuse victims was also party in the mediated settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands where Leon Black paid $62,500,000 to be released form potential claims that local officials might bring.
The role that Edwards Henderson played to get Judge Rakoff to rescind the damage payment the court-appointed administrator had awarded Jane Doe seems improper. And, the judge hiding private correspondence from them in the docket, correspondence received just days after the correspondence from Black's attorneys reflects poor discretion..
This whole affair just stinks.
Epstein Updates II
House Judiciary Committee Democrats have called for an urgent review of the unredacted files, questioning why millions of pages remain withheld and warning that redactions must not be used to protect officials from embarrassment or political harm. Members of Congress is making clear that this drop is incomplete, as more Epstein Files have yet to be released:
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A video of Epstein chasing young girls around a kitchen emerged in the release.
A draft memo from 2007 shows that federal prosecutors had detailed evidence and sought a 60-count indictment against Epstein as a high flight risk and danger to minors. The case was halted after a controversial plea deal limited him to minor state charges. You can find the full memo supporting the prosecution here:
Newly released files show that less than two weeks before Epstein’s death, his lawyers met with Manhattan federal prosecutors to discuss a possible case resolution and potential cooperation. No definite proposal was made.
Epstein after being told he has “permission to kill” an unidentified man:
Another email talking about killing someone:
Epstein named young girls “little” when describing them:
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The DOJ is blatantly violating the law. This is a screenshot from the FBI-302 interview with Epstein survivor Danielle Hannah Bensky. Her name is not redacted. That is a clear violation of the law. She has permitted the information below to be shared for the sake of accountability:
This document appears to be a screenshot of an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury by "Tiffany Doe," noting that she "personally witnessed Defendant Trump telling the Plaintiff that she shouldn't ever say anything if she didn't want to disappear like the 12-year-old female . . ." The document has been removed from the DOJ website:
Epstein after being told that Mary Kennedy was found dead in her backyard:
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An FBI tip declares that Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploited a young girl. It is unclear if this was ever investigated:
Three weeks after Trump was elected for his first term, Epstein emailed Larry Summers, "do you have any suggestions for treasury?":
This famous boxer previously supported Trump, but has recently spoken out against him with the release of more files:
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In a 2013 email, Richard Branson joked to Epstein about “bringing his harem.” He offered public-relations advice years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting a minor, which Branson downplays as limited contact, and says would not have occurred had he known the full extent of Epstein’s crimes:
This appears to be an image of Brett Ratner, Epstein, and two girls. Ratner has been in the headlines recently as he produced Melania Trump’s new movie:
Emails showing Epstein in communications with Elon Musk:
In a 2012 email revealed in the newest release of the files, Epstein said he considered the possibility that convicted child abuser Jerry Sandusky was innocent, criticizing what he viewed as a rush to judgment by the media and public:
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Emails show that Epstein organized two business meetings in 2011 with Todd Boehly - the current owner of Chelsea and part-owner of the Dodgers and Lakers - nearly three years after Epstein’s first jail term. There is no indication that the exchanges involved anything beyond business, and Boehly has made no allegations of misconduct.
Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris had years of business-related contact with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, including plans for meetings at Epstein’s house in Manhattan. There is no evidence of sexual misconduct by Harris, just new details about the extent and continuance of their professional relations.
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Emails show federal prosecutors were actively investigating sexual assault allegations against former Apollo Capital chairman Leon Black and had at least one cooperating witness. This indicates that the inquiry went further than previously known:
An email indicating that Epstein was apprehensive about journalist Julie K. Brown:
Peter Attia, a recently hired CBS News contributor, exchanged dozens of crude and friendly emails with Epstein over several years - continuing long after Epstein’s first conviction. This has raised scrutiny of Attia and other figures connected to Bari Weiss amid the newest release of the files:
Journalist Nellie Bowles said that her name appearing in newly released emails reflects a disclosed, on-the-record meeting she later reported on for the NYT, not secret or improper contact:
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Epstein asked former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson if he knew any non-US "products" that might want the endorsement of Leonardo DiCaprio because DiCaprio wants to make money:
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pressed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before the U.S. Congress over his connections to Epstein after newly released files detailed continuous contact - including a Buckingham Palace invitation - years after Epstein’s conviction, reigniting scrutiny of notable figures connected to the case.
Slovakia’s prime minister called for the resignation of national security adviser Miroslav Lajčák after the newly released documents uncovered past communications. Lajčák said these were legitimate diplomatic communications made before any U.S. investigation.
The 2013 buyer of this GBP 10.4m Francis Bacon Head painting has not been publicly identified, and neither has the person taking feet pics in front of it and a coffee tableful of MoMA catalogues as recently as 2018 that end up in the Epstein files.
Francis Bacon Head, Epstein Friend Foot [greg.org]
No arrests from Epstein Files in the USA. No action from DOJ. Thomas Massie naming names on the House floor.