Leslie Herbert Wexner has been called the richest man in Ohio. He is also pretty much a self-made made man. His parents owned a clothing store where he worked. After a college he and his father had a falling out over the store's business practices so he moved on opening his own store. thanks to a $5,000 loan from a relative added to another $5,000 loan from a bank.
The business boomed and soon Les, as he is called, began expanding the scope of his enterprise while amassing mountains of money. He became a major player in Bath & Body Works, Lane Bryant, Victoria's Secret, Abacrombie & Finch, and La Sanza. Most of them, of course, cater to women which is fine, although given what we know about the guy Les Wexner was associated with for years, it now feels a tad creepy.
According to Wikipedia, Wexner hired Jeffrey Epstein to be his financial manager in 1987. From then until 2007 the women's underwear king remained Epstein's primary client. In July of 1991 the billionaire granted Epstein the power of attorney. The same year Wexner named Epstein as a trustee on the board of the Wexner Foundation. Later in the decade he sold Epstein his huge Manhattan town home located on the upper east side. That would be the same home where Epstein put a massage table in the middle of the living room.
Then things turned darker. In the mid 1990s, Wexner and Epstein, with help from a federal subsidy, were involved with moving the headquarters of Southern Air Transport from Miami to Columbus, OH. It turns out, Southern Air Transport was a CIA cover operation which was involved in the Iran-Contra mess. Wexner began using it to transport his goods. At least until 1996 when customs agents found a load of cocaine on one of the planes. Less than two years later the outfit was shutdown.
All of which gives us a hint about why the feds, under numerous President's, weren't really interested in digging through Epstein's business dealings or making them public.
Because they didn't actually own or operate Southern Air Transport both Wexner and Epstein were able to walk away from the bust. Later, thanks to Epstein's horrifying libido there wouldn't be any walking away.
Earlier this week Les Wexner was deposed for five plus hours by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. What he seemed to be saying is that Ohio's richest man is also one of its dumbest. According to Wexner, "As I look back on it, I was conned by the World Olympic, all-time con artist. As far as I as I was concerned, once we knew how bad he was, he was dead."
Oh really? Epstein's previous arrests for child sex trafficking, then his conviction and incarceration didn't tip you off first? It is a claim of ignorance so outlandish it ranks with Enron's Ken Lay, who initially told people he didn't know a thing about all the financial fraud because he was just the CEO.
Across the pond some famous names are taking the fall for their involvement with Jefferey Epstein. This week, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former Prince of the Realm, was arrested for his dealings with the guy. The charges had nothing to do with sexual misconduct, but concerned Andrew's handling of confidential British trade documents--as in he sent them straight to Epstein after he got copies while he was still Prince. (An act that smells suspiciously like a sextortion payoff.) No matter the motive behind it, Andrew became the most senior member of a royal family to be arrested since King Charles I in 1646. (It was during the English Civil War and Oliver Cromwell didn't have much of a sense of humor. While, Charles, who was a wildly self-indulgent, arrogant asshole didn't do himself any favors.)
There is a growing feeling, among a lot of Americans, no matter how casually Donald Trump denies it, that the U.S. government should begin holding some of our fabulously well-to do and powerful accountable also. Thanks to his history and now this nonsensical plea of ignorance, Les Wexner has now become the leading candidate to become the first domino. Even though there is no current evidence linking him to trafficking, or personally sexually abusing young girls, his money certainly helped pay for Epstein's monstrous behavior. Not to mention his lavish properties and lifestyle.
Hey someone's head has to roll first--and we know it won't be Trump's, that guy gets away with everything--so it might as well be Les Wexner's.
It's a great theory. Too bad it will never happen. At least not with this administration and DOJ. It's a snowball they really--I mean really--don't want to push down the hill.
2-20-26
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