Billionaire Investor Leon Black Paid Jeffrey Epstein Millions After He Was Convicted Of Sex Crimes: Report
Another Epstein connection exposed.
YouTube Another day, another report about one of Jeffrey Epstein’s disgraced comrades. A report that came out on Oct. 12 details the payments that billionaire Leon Black paid Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein’s arrest in 2008 for soliciting an underage teen for sex in Florida.
Who is Leon Black?
Leon Black is an investor who was born in 1951. He co-founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management in 1990 with Josh Harris and Marc Rowan, and is an avid art collector. He reportedly paid nearly $120 million in 2012 for one of four versions of Edvard Munch’s The Scream, which is the most money anyone has ever paid for a piece of artwork at the time.
Black is also the chairman of the Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA for short. The museum is one of the most famous modern art museums in the world.
In 2019, Black sent an email to his employees at Apollo Management downplaying his relationship with Epstein, writing, “I want to emphasize that Apollo has never done any business with Mr. Epstein at any point in time. I was completely unaware of, and am deeply troubled by, the conduct that is now the subject of the federal criminal charges brought against Mr. Epstein.”
“Neither Mr. Epstein nor any company controlled by him has ever invested in any funds managed by Apollo,” he added.
And although Black claimed he had a “limited relationship” with Epstein, documents revealed that the two ran in similar circles, and were a lot closer than Black had ever let on.
A report published on Oct. 12 alleges that Black paid Epstein “at least” $50 million after he was convicted of soliciting sex from a teen in Florida in 2008.
One of the transfers allegedly included a $10 million transfer to a foundation started by Epstein. According to the report, the total amount of money Black paid to Epstein could be as much as $75 million.
Who is Leon Black's wife, Debra Black?
Leon Black is married to Debra Black, who is a Broadway producer who’s won Tony awards for her work on plays like The History of Boys and August: Osage County.
She is a melanoma survivor and is also the co-founder and chair of the board of directors of the Melanoma Research Alliance, which is a non-profit foundation.
Who are Leon Black’s children?
Leon Black has four children in total: three sons named Benjamin, Alexander, and Joshua, and a daughter named Victoria.
What is Leon Black’s net worth?
Leon Black’s net worth is reportedly around $8 billion.
What is Leon Black’s political affiliation?
As far as Leon Black’s political affiliation goes, the water’s a little murky, but it seems like he definitely is in support of the Republican party. In 2016, he donated money to both Republican and Democratic politicians; however, most of his donations were relatively small amounts — less than $3,000 to candidates at a time.
One of his biggest political donations in 2016 was to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is a “super-PAC dedicated to electing Republicans to the House of Representatives. Black donated $100,000 to the group.
Leon Black also donated $250,000 to the Senate Majority PAC in 2016, and over $110,000 to the Right to Rise PAC, which supported Republican Jeb Bush in his 2016 presidential bid.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.