Leslie Wexner tells House oversight panel he was 'conned' by Jeffrey Epstein; denies knowledge of sexual abuse

Leslie H. Wexner told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in a transcribed deposition on Feb. 18, 2026, that he trusted Jeffrey Epstein to manage complex personal finances, denied any sexual or romantic relationship with Epstein or with Ghislaine Maxwell, and said he was defrauded when he later learned Epstein had misappropriated funds.

Wexner described meeting Epstein in the early 1980s through mutual acquaintances and hiring him in the late 1980s to help manage personal affairs. “He was kind of like the family office manager,” Wexner testified, saying Epstein oversaw bills, inventories and other personal matters. Wexner told the committee Epstein had wide latitude, power of attorney in some cases, and access to elements of his personal finances.

The committee read excerpts of reporting and law‑enforcement documents indicating Epstein served as trustee of multiple trusts and that Department of Justice materials described “several $100,000,000” misappropriations. Wexner said he was shocked by those characterizations and did not know the precise amounts; he later learned the total was at least in the low hundreds of millions, he said. “I was conned,” he told the panel.

Members questioned Wexner about property transfers, including the sale of a New York townhome and a corporate aircraft. Wexner said the company sold a Boeing to Epstein for an asking price of about $6,000,000 and that he sold the townhome for about $20,000,000; he said he believed the transactions were fair at the time but did not recall the precise mechanics of the payments.

Committee members also raised reporting that Epstein represented himself as affiliated with Victoria’s Secret and that he recruited models. Wexner said Victoria’s Secret executives alerted him to concerns; he said he called Epstein, who denied the claims, and that Wexner accepted the denial at the time. “If I thought he was [a scout], I would have fired him,” Wexner said.

The deposition included questions about allegations from survivors, including Maria Farmer’s claim that she was assaulted in a guesthouse near Wexner’s New Albany property. Wexner said he had no personal knowledge of Farmer’s account and that the house Farmer identified was adjacent to — not on — his property; he said he had never met Farmer and had no prior reason to disbelieve her account.

Throughout the session Wexner repeatedly denied any sexual contact with Epstein or Maxwell and denied knowledge that Epstein was involved in intelligence activities. He told the committee he and his family severed ties with Epstein when they learned of criminal conduct and that he had not had substantive contact with Epstein after learning of the allegations.

Wexner agreed to provide the committee with corporate and entity records the panel requested and told members he wanted to help identify who benefited from Epstein’s actions. The deposition continued with additional exhibits and follow‑up questioning; the committee has not announced a vote or other formal action tied to this deposition at the time of the transcript.

Context: The deposition is part of a broader congressional inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell that has examined Epstein’s finances, alleged trafficking of women and girls, and the role of advisers, trustees and institutions that interacted with Epstein. Wexner’s testimony focuses on the scope of Epstein’s role in Wexner’s finances and Wexner’s stated lack of awareness of Epstein’s criminal conduct prior to public reporting.

Ending: The deposition record shows Wexner denied knowledge of sexual abuse and said Epstein stole from him; committee members requested documents and indicated follow‑up will continue as needed.