New Epstein Emails Reveal How Pedo Squeezed Billionaire For Cash
Hedge fund manager Leon Black has previously said Epstein’s 2008 conviction didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.
A new batch of emails has shed light on the often-tense relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and one of his longest-serving Wall Street backers.
The emails, reviewed by The New York Times, reveal that Epstein was often malicious, even “cruel,” toward Leon Black. Black, the billionaire hedge fund manager, was ousted as CEO of Apollo Global Management in 2021 after it was revealed that he had continued to pay the late pedophile tens of millions of dollars in exchange for financial favors for more than a decade, following the revelations of Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors.
“He was dating a 17-year-old prostitute, and he was tried for that and sentenced to a year in prison,” Black told Book magazine last year of Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution. “I honestly didn’t think it was the end of the world.”
Between 2015 and 2016, emails obtained by The New York Times show how Epstein waged a “pressure campaign” against Black to maintain the funds, calling the work of his other advisers a “very dangerous mess” and a “waste of money and space.”
Part of this campaign appears to have involved directly attacking the Black family. “At least for a few weeks, I will not be able to devote much time or future to guiding you in rebuilding the mess created by your procrastination,” the deceased pedophile wrote in a November 2016 letter regarding Black’s estate. “You have a bomb of colored threads formed by your mentally retarded children. It must be untangled with the utmost care.” »
Despite the content of these messages, the hedge fund manager continued to make payments to Epstein, which the New York Times reported totaled $170 million, for two more years, while demanding that the deceased pedophile pay the majority of his fees up front.
Epstein wrote in 2015: “I never want to be in an uncomfortable financial situation with you. I find them extremely disturbing. So, to be clear, my terms are: I will only work for $40 million a year, as usual. $25 million will be paid upon signing the agreement.”
On other occasions, Epstein appeared to emphasize that he did not consider his financial dealings with Black to be the sum total of their relationship. “Of course, in any non-financial matter, I am always by your side and will remain your best friend,” he reportedly said.
The New York Times reported that Epstein introduced Black to several young women over the years, some of whom later accused him of sexual assault.
Citing court documents and notes taken by congressional investigators, the newspaper identified one of these women as Sheri Pearson, to whom Epstein had once provided massage services. Pearson allegedly claimed in a lawsuit that she met Black at Epstein’s Manhattan home in 2002, where she alleged Black raped her in a massage parlor. Black denied Pearson’s allegations, which were later retracted.
On another occasion, Epstein allegedly advised Black on $10 million in payments to another woman, Josie Ganieva, after she accused him of sexual assault. Black reportedly admitted to having an extramarital affair with Ganieva but denied assaulting her.
Congressional investigators also appear to have expressed concerns about the millions of dollars Black paid to at least eight women later named as Epstein’s associates and victims in court documents. Black apparently declined to comment on the purpose of these payments.
The Epstein case returned to the spotlight after the Justice Department and FBI concluded earlier this year that his 2019 death in police custody on sex trafficking charges was a suicide and that he did not maintain a list of ultra-wealthy clients.
These findings contrast with President Donald Trump’s persistent attempts to court far-right conspiracy theorists who believe Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, were members of an international child sex abuse ring.
Since then, Trump has been back in the spotlight for his once-close relationship with Epstein, including his refusal to rule out a possible pardon for Maxwell after her comments during a jailhouse interview with the Justice Department this summer seemingly exonerated the president of any wrongdoing. Trump has also sought to deflect attention by insisting that other “hedge fund founders” had a far closer relationship with Epstein than he did.
Earlier this summer, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal after the newspaper reported that he contributed to a greeting card commemorating Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003. The card featured a crude drawing of a nude woman and a bizarre, imagined exchange about “mysteries” and “big secrets.”
The New York Times now reports that Black contributed to the same book. His text, a handwritten poem reproduced in full in the article, includes the following lines: “Blond, red, or brown, geographically scattered / With his net of fish, Jeff is now ‘The Old Man and the Sea.’”
His attorney, Susan Estrich, said: “After a thorough investigation conducted more than four years ago, the Dechert firm concluded that Mr. Black paid Epstein solely for tax and estate planning advice, saving him and his family billions of dollars.” She added: “To suggest that Epstein exerted any influence over Mr. Black is patently false and absurd. In reality, Mr. Black fired Epstein because he was a troublemaker and considered his fees excessive.”
She added: “The Dechert report also revealed that Mr. Black had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.” Mr. Black never assaulted a woman in his life, and any such insinuation is false. Moreover, The New York Times’ hiring of Matt Goldstein to work on this story was irresponsible and unethical. Mr. Goldstein actively advised Ganieva, as we learned from the dozens of emails and text messages discovered during the disclosure process. His complaint was ultimately dismissed with prejudice, and an appeals court upheld the decision.
