US billionaire Les Wexner, widely known for his role with Victoria’s Secret, is calling himself “naive, foolish and gullible” for trusting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This statement came at the start of a closed-door deposition before US lawmakers, where Wexner is facing scrutiny over his alleged role in helping Epstein amass significant wealth, as reported by the BBC.
During his testimony to a House committee probing the Epstein case, Wexner, 88, explicitly denied any wrongdoing. He accused Epstein, who once served as his financial adviser, of stealing “vast sums” of money from his family. Lawmakers, however, aren’t so convinced. They’ve accused the retail magnate of knowing about Epstein’s heinous crimes but failing to intervene, especially given that Wexner had granted Epstein broad powers over his finances.
The House of Representatives Oversight Committee called Wexner to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein, particularly after thousands of documents related to the financier’s illicit activities were made public. Committee members even traveled to Wexner’s home state of Ohio just for this testimony.
Interestingly, only Democratic lawmakers attended the deposition, though some Republican staff members were present
Congressman Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, told reporters, “We should be very clear that there would be no Epstein island, there’d be no Epstein plane, there’d be no money to traffic women and girls, Mr Epstein would not be the wealthy man he was, without the support of Les Wexner.”
Wexner’s opening statement, which was made public despite the closed-door nature of the deposition, sought to set the record straight. He reiterated that his relationship with Epstein was limited and that he had no knowledge of the convicted sex offender’s abuse. “I was naive, foolish and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein,” Wexner stated. “He was a conman. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide.” He also confirmed that he had visited Epstein’s private island for “a few hours” with his family.
The connection between Wexner and Epstein goes back to the 1980s. Wexner claims he severed ties with Epstein after the initial accusations of child sexual abuse surfaced in Florida. He later discovered that Epstein “had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family,” a point he emphasized again in his recent remarks.
It’s worth noting that a 2019 FBI document identified Wexner as a potential co-conspirator. However, no charges were ever brought against him. Another email from that time mentioned there was “limited evidence regarding his involvement.” Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche previously noted that Wexner’s name “appears in the files thousands of times,” which certainly raises eyebrows.
Despite these mentions, Wexner’s legal team stated that an Assistant US Attorney told Wexner’s counsel in 2019 that he was viewed as a source of information about Epstein, not a target. They assert that Wexner fully cooperated by providing background details on Epstein and was never contacted again by authorities.
A spokesperson for Wexner confirmed his cooperation, saying, “Mr Wexner honestly answered every question put to him today by the Committee. Mr Wexner reiterated that he has no knowledge of, and did not participate in, Epstein’s illegal conduct. He stands by that fervently.” .
Published: Feb 19, 2026 01:30 pm