Unsealed Ghislaine Maxwell deposition appears to show attorneys questioning Jeffrey Epstein's mysterious relationship with Victoria's Secret founder Les Wexner
- Nearly all names are redacted in Ghislaine Maxwell's recently unsealed deposition, but signs point to attorneys attempting to probe into Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with former Victoria's Secret boss Les Wexner.
- A person, whose redacted name begins with a "W," is discussed as Epstein's business partner who either sold or gifted him a house in New York.
- "Did you ever provide Virginia Roberts with an outfit, an outfit of a sexual nature to wear for [redacted]?" an attorney asked in the deposition, referring to the same person.
- Wexner denied ever meeting Virginia Roberts Giuffre and condemned Epstein after the sex offender's arrest last year.
- Wexner may soon be forced to share more about his ties to Epstein because of a legal battle between the lawyer Alan Dershowitz and the Epstein accuser Giuffre.
Attorneys appeared to probe Jeffrey Epstein's relationship with Victoria's Secret founder Les Wexner in a deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell, which was unsealed on Thursday.
The deposition of Maxwell, Epstein's confidant, is linked to a since settled civil case that was brought against her by Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Giuffre accused Maxwell of aiding Epstein in trafficking her for sex with rich and powerful men, including Epstein himself.
Wexner's relationship with Epstein has been under the microscope since Epstein's arrest in July 2019. The deposition appears to indicate that lawyers were probing the relationship between Wexner and Epstein in 2016.
All names in the deposition have been redacted, except Maxwell's and Epstein's. However, a number of clues indicate that a certain person — referenced 10 times in the 418-page document — is likely Wexner.
"Do you know why [redacted] sold the New York house or gave the New York house to Jeffrey, if you know?" an attorney asked Maxwell at one point in the deposition.
Wexner purchased a mansion in New York City for $13.2 million in 1989. He later sold or gifted the house to Epstein. It was rumored that Wexner gave Epstein the house for a single dollar, but The New York Times reported in 2019 that Epstein paid $20 million for the home, citing a person with knowledge of Wexner's finances.
While the name of the person who sold or gave the "New York home" to Epstein is redacted, the deposition's glossary provides further evidence that the lawyer was likely referring to Wexner. The alphabetically ordered glossary places the redacted term between "weve" and "whats."
Other references to this person, as listed in the glossary, reinforce that attorneys and Maxwell were likely referring to Wexner. For example, an attorney asked Maxwell about the business relationship between Epstein and the person.
"I believe in the '90s when I was there they had a business relationship," Maxwell said, adding that the only relationship between the two that she was aware of was the business relationship.
A representative for Wexner declined to comment beyond what the former executive and his attorneys said in publicly available documents.
Wexner — who founded Victoria's Secret's parent company, L Brands, in 1963 — had a close personal and professional relationship with Epstein beginning in the 1980s. For years, Wexner was Epstein's only known client.
Wexner may soon be forced to share more about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Attorneys also tied the person to allegations that Maxwell groomed Giuffre and other teenagers for sex work.
"Did you ever provide Virginia Roberts with an outfit, an outfit of a sexual nature to wear for [redacted]?" an attorney for Giuffre asked, referring to the same person.
Maxwell responded, "categorically no," denying various other questions about providing sexually charged outfits for girls who visited Epstein. Wexner has denied ever meeting Giuffre (née Roberts).
Allegations that Wexner and Giuffre have met have become an issue in another recent lawsuit, between the lawyer Alan Dershowitz and Giuffre. As part of the suit, Dershowitz is attempting to force Wexner and his lawyer to testify to bolster his case against Giuffre, whom he is suing for defamation.
Dershowitz alleges Giuffre attempted to shake down Wexner by claiming the retail executive had sex with her when she was underage and that she had knowledge of his "sexual hang ups" — another allegation Wexner denies.
Dershowitz said in a mid-August filing that Giuffre's attorneys "described in detail the alleged sexual encounters between Giuffre and Wexner, including an alleged demand by Wexner that Giuffre wear Victoria's Secret-type lingerie during their encounters."
"Such an accusation, if made publicly, could have massively damaged Wexner and his company," Dershowitz said, alleging that Giuffre attempted to extort Wexner based on his recollection of a 2015 conversation between himself and Wexner's attorney John Zeiger.
Giuffre's attorney David Boies has said no such shakedown or settlement of any kind was ever made or discussed with Wexner. Wexner has denied ever meeting Giuffre and said no such extortion attempt ever occurred. In July, Zeiger said in a filing: "No extortion demand was ever made, no settlement was entered into, and not a penny (or other consideration) was ever paid."
Despite denials of the alleged shakedown on all sides, Dershowitz has requested Wexner turn over documents that he said would bolster his case against Giuffre. In August, US District Judge Loretta Preska said "the Court sees no reason for that correspondence to remain under seal." Zeiger has agreed to testify in the case, but attorneys for Wexner have said that the former CEO "does not possess discoverable information."
Wexner said he cut ties with Epstein more than a decade ago
Wexner led L Brands for nearly six decades before stepping down in February. Giuffre described Wexner as Epstein's "best friend and mentor" in her unpublished memoir, which was unsealed this summer.
The New York Times reported last year that Epstein attempted to involve himself in recruiting lingerie models for Victoria's Secret. One model, Alicia Arden, filed a police report in 1997 saying that she was attacked by Epstein, whom she met with after he identified himself as a talent scout for the brand. Epstein had significant control over Wexner's "finances, philanthropy and private life," The Times reported, citing people who knew Epstein and Wexner and court documents and financial records.
A representative for Wexner said last year the executive had cut ties with Epstein more than a decade earlier. Wexner condemned Epstein in a letter to his foundation in August 2019, saying that his former financial advisor "misappropriated vast sums of money" from him and his family.
"I am embarrassed that, like so many others, I was deceived by Mr. Epstein," Wexner wrote in the letter. "I know now that my trust in him was grossly misplaced and I deeply regret having ever crossed his path."
A representative for L Brands did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the newly unsealed documents.
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