Leon Black
Also known as: Black
Facts (84)
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Newly Released Epstein Records Detail Financial Ties Linking ... occrp.org 22 facts
claimLeon Black has acknowledged relying on Jeffrey Epstein for financial advice but claimed he was unaware of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal conduct.
claimLeon Black stepped down from leadership roles at Apollo Global Management Inc. in 2021 following renewed scrutiny of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
measurementBetween 2011 and 2015, American billionaire Leon Black transferred at least $2.5 million to the personal accounts of Anastasiya Siroochenko, a former Ukrainian model and art adviser.
claimAccountants classified the payments from Leon Black to Anastasiya Siroochenko as gifts, with Jeffrey Epstein coordinating how these transfers were documented for tax and audit purposes.
claimCorrespondence from 2017 describes a proposed commission agreement between Sublime Art LLC and Narrows Holding LLC, a company associated with Leon Black.
claimA federal lawsuit brought by a woman identified as Jane Doe against Leon Black remains pending, following previous allegations of sexual assault by three other women which Leon Black has denied.
claimNarrows held art owned by Leon Black as collateral and accounted for the majority of loans tied to Leon Black's art portfolio as of 2016, according to Forbes.
claimIn 2013, Anastasiya Siroochenko founded Sublime Art LLC, an art dealer and consulting company, and Leon Black became a client of the firm.
claimPrevious investigations found that Leon Black transferred millions of dollars to multiple women connected to Jeffrey Epstein, some of whom were later identified in court filings as victims or associates of Jeffrey Epstein.
claimSome email correspondence suggests that funds moving through Siroochenko’s companies were discussed in connection with potential investments involving Leon Black’s interests, though records do not show these transactions were completed or that Leon Black directed the discussions.
claimLeon Black has acknowledged relying on Jeffrey Epstein for financial advice but claimed he was unaware of Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal conduct.
claimAccountants and auditors expressed concern regarding the overlap between Siroochenko’s personal income from Leon Black and her business dealings with him, with one accountant warning that the arrangement could present a conflict of interest.
claimLeon Black has denied allegations of sexual assault brought by three women in the past, and a federal lawsuit brought by a woman identified as Jane Doe remains pending.
claimLeon Black became a client of Sublime Art LLC, with invoices reflecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in art purchases.
claimLeon Black stepped down from leadership roles at Apollo Global Management Inc. in 2021 following renewed scrutiny of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
measurementLeon Black, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management Inc., paid Jeffrey Epstein roughly $158 million for tax and investment advice.
measurementAnastasiya Siroochenko, a former Ukrainian model and art adviser, received at least $2.5 million in personal transfers from American billionaire Leon Black between 2011 and 2015.
claimCorrespondence from 2017 describes a proposed commission agreement between Sublime Art LLC and Narrows Holding LLC, a company associated with Leon Black.
claimAccountants and auditors expressed concern regarding the overlap between Siroochenko’s personal income from Leon Black and her business dealings with him, with one accountant warning that the arrangement could present a conflict of interest.
claimPrevious investigations found that Leon Black transferred millions of dollars to multiple women connected to Jeffrey Epstein, some of whom were later identified in court filings as victims or associates of Jeffrey Epstein.
claimNarrows held art owned by Leon Black as collateral and accounted for the vast majority of the loans tied to Leon Black's art portfolio as of 2016, according to Forbes.
measurementLeon Black, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management Inc., paid Jeffrey Epstein approximately $158 million for tax and investment advice.
Leon Black's Epstein Nightmare Worsens - Vicky Ward Investigates vickywardinvestigates.com Aug 1, 2023 12 facts
claimLeon Black's lawyers stated that any insinuation linking Leon Black to Jeffrey Epstein is without basis and refused to provide further information to the Senate Finance Committee.
claimSenator Ron Wyden's letter to Leon Black's lawyers questions why Leon Black did not list the money paid to Jeffrey Epstein as a gift and whether Leon Black has improperly kept money out of his taxable estate.
measurementOn July 21st, it was reported in the New York Times that Leon Black paid the U.S. Virgin Islands $62.5 million in January to avoid being civilly sued in relation to Jeffrey Epstein-related charges.
claimOn July 24th, Senator Ron Wyden, the Finance Committee chair, sent a sixteen-page letter to Leon Black's lawyers revealing that the Committee has been investigating Leon Black's tax and estate planning for over a year.
quoteWhit Clay, a spokesman for Leon Black, stated: “Mr. Black engaged and made payments to Jeffrey Epstein for legitimate financial advisory services, which, based on everything now known, he very much regrets. Consistent with settlements of other major U.S. banks, Mr. Black resolved the U.S.V.I.’s potential claims arising out of the unintended consequences of those payments. There is no suggestion in the U.S.V.I. settlement that Mr. Black was aware of or participated in any misconduct.”
claimLeon Black has stepped down from his position at his private equity firm and from the board of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
claimLeon Black admitted to paying Jeffrey Epstein $158 million for tax advice.
claimLeon Black's lawyers told the Wall Street Journal that the letter from Senator Ron Wyden repeatedly insinuates something illicit or untoward in the professional relationship between Leon Black and Jeffrey Epstein.
claimSenator Ron Wyden is conducting an investigation into the tax affairs and financial associations of private equity billionaire Leon Black, specifically regarding his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
claimLeon Black is a multi-billionaire who previously ran the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and chaired the board of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).
claimSenator Ron Wyden's investigation into Leon Black is based on alleged inconsistencies in an independent report filed by the law firm Dechert LLP, which characterized the $158 million payment to Jeffrey Epstein as payment for tax advice.
measurementLeon Black paid $62.5 million in relation to his financial affairs.
Wyden releases findings on financier's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, asks ... yahoo.com Mar 12, 2025 10 facts
claimThe 2023 settlement agreement between Leon Black and the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands acknowledges that Jeffrey Epstein used money paid to him by Leon Black to partially fund his operations in the Virgin Islands.
accountKOIN 6 News reached out to Apollo Global Management and representatives for Leon Black for comment.
measurementThe Senate Finance Committee investigation found that the total amount Leon Black paid to Jeffrey Epstein was $170 million, which is $12 million more than the amount identified by the Apollo Global Management board's internal investigation.
claimSenator Ron Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, has been investigating billionaire financier Leon Black since 2022 regarding his financial ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
claimThe Senate Finance Committee discovered that a major U.S. bank waited seven years to report Leon Black's payments to Jeffrey Epstein to the Treasury Department, a delay that constitutes a potential violation of federal money laundering laws.
claimSenator Ron Wyden asserts that federal government records show funds transferred from Leon Black to Jeffrey Epstein were used to finance Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operations.
claimA major U.S. bank waited seven years to report Leon Black’s payments to Jeffrey Epstein to the Treasury Department, which is a potential violation of federal money laundering laws.
claimLeon Black is the co-founder and former CEO of the asset management firm Apollo Global Management.
measurementThe Senate Finance Committee investigation identified payments of at least $158 million from Leon Black to Jeffrey Epstein for what were described as 'purported tax and estate planning advice.'
claimIn 2023, Leon Black entered into a $62 million settlement agreement with the Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands, which granted Black immunity from criminal prosecution in the U.S. Virgin Islands for financially supporting Jeffrey Epstein.
Jeffrey Epstein was linked to the upper echelons of wealth and politics theguardian.com Sep 13, 2025 9 facts
referenceA report from the global law firm Dechert found no evidence that Leon Black was involved in any way with Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities.
quoteLeon Black stated in a 2020 earnings call that he deeply regretted his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
measurementJeffrey Epstein was worth nearly $600 million at the time of his death, with wealth derived primarily from clients Les Wexner, Leon Black, and Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson.
measurementAccording to Forbes, Les Wexner and Leon Black supplied close to 75% of Jeffrey Epstein's fee income between 1999 and 2018.
claimLeon Black has not been accused of wrongdoing regarding his financial relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
claimJeffrey Epstein's primary sources of wealth were billionaire clients Les Wexner (founder of Victoria's Secret) and Leon Black (co-founder of Apollo Global Management), as well as Johnson & Johnson heiress Elizabeth 'Libet' Johnson.
measurementBetween 1999 and 2018, Jeffrey Epstein collected at least $490 million in fees from revenue generated by Les Wexner and Leon Black, which totaled more than $800 million.
referenceA 2023 report by then-Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden found that Leon Black paid Jeffrey Epstein $170 million for purported tax and estate planning advice.
claimJeffrey Epstein's primary billionaire clients included Victoria’s Secret founder Les Wexner, Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black, and Johnson & Johnson heiress Elizabeth “Libet” Johnson.
Billionaire Leon Black made a $158 million payment to Jeffrey ... edition.cnn.com Jul 25, 2023 9 facts
claimAn internal Apollo investigation into Leon Black's $158 million payment to Jeffrey Epstein found no wrongdoing.
quoteSenator Ron Wyden stated: "The payments were inexplicably large; well in excess of what Black paid any other financial advisors and far higher than the median compensation of Fortune 500 CEOs at the time."
claimSenator Ron Wyden stated that the investigation into Leon Black's payment to Jeffrey Epstein is part of an ongoing set of investigations by the Senate Finance Committee into the means by which ultra-high net worth persons avoid or evade paying federal taxes, including gift and estate taxes.
perspectiveLeon Black's legal team declined to share additional information with the Senate Finance Committee, stating that the requested information is "inappropriately invasive" and that the Committee "explicitly declined" to provide assurances of confidentiality.
measurementLeon Black made a $158 million payment to Jeffrey Epstein.
claimThe Apollo Global Management board of directors hired the law firm Dechert LLP to examine Leon Black's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
claimJoanna Rose, a spokesperson for Apollo, stated that Leon Black has not been with the firm since 2021.
claimLeon Black's legal team claims that Leon Black voluntarily answered more than a dozen of the Senate Finance Committee's questions and produced more than 150 pages of personal taxpayer and estate planning documentation.
quoteSenator Ron Wyden stated: "At every stage of the committee’s investigation, Black has refused to answer questions or provide any documents that could demonstrate how Epstein’s compensation for tax and estate planning services was determined or justified."
Where Did Jeffrey Epstein Get His Money? - Britannica britannica.com Mar 3, 2026 4 facts
accountLeslie Wexner and Leon Black both contributed to a 50th birthday book created for Jeffrey Epstein.
quoteLeon Black described his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein as a "horrible mistake."
accountThe professional relationship between Leon Black and Jeffrey Epstein began in the 1990s and continued into the 2010s.
claimLeon Black was forced out of Apollo Global Management in 2021 due to his professional and personal affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein.
How did Jeffrey Epstein make all of his money? - CBS News cbsnews.com Feb 11, 2026 3 facts
measurementLeon Black paid Jeffrey Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning services, according to the Senate Finance Committee.
claimA law firm retained by the board of Apollo Global Management cleared Leon Black of any wrongdoing regarding his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein.
claimThe settlement between Leon Black and the U.S. Virgin Islands did not constitute an admission of liability by Leon Black, according to the New York Times.
Senate committee investigates billionaire Leon Black, $158 million ... yahoo.com Jul 25, 2023 3 facts
claimA spokesperson for Leon Black stated that the billionaire has cooperated extensively with the Senate Finance Committee, having answered more than a dozen questions and provided more than 150 pages of personal tax and estate documents.
claimSen. Ron Wyden is seeking documents to determine how Jeffrey Epstein's payments were calculated and his role in helping Leon Black avoid federal gift and estate taxes on up to $2 billion in wealth transferred to Leon Black's children.
quoteA spokesperson for Leon Black stated: "The transactions referenced in the committee's letter were lawful in all respects, were conceived of, vetted and implemented by reputable law firms and tax and other advisors, and Mr. Black has fully paid all taxes owed to the government."
A List of People Facing Epstein Files Consequences businessinsider.com Mar 18, 2026 3 facts
claimLeon Black counted Jeffrey Epstein among his advisors.
accountBrad Karp visited Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan mansion and requested that Epstein help his son obtain a job with director Woody Allen.
claimEmails show Brad Karp worked with Jeffrey Epstein to surveil a woman involved in a dispute with one of Karp's clients, billionaire private equity titan Leon Black.
Epstein files: Truth, accountability and a million new conspiracy ... cnn.com Feb 21, 2026 2 facts
Newly unsealed Epstein records shed light on years of his financial ... cnn.com Oct 31, 2025 2 facts
claimLeon Black, a long-time associate of Jeffrey Epstein, is listed on a 2019 Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) as one of the transactions associated with Epstein.
quote“After an exhaustive investigation more than four years ago, the Dechert law firm concluded that Mr. Black paid Epstein only for tax and estate planning advice that saved him and his family billions of dollars. To imply that Epstein somehow had influence over Mr. Black is false and patently absurd. Indeed, it was Mr. Black who fired Epstein because he was disruptive and believed the fees for his services were excessive. The Dechert Report also found that Mr. Black had no knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.”
How Epstein got so rich dw.com Feb 16, 2026 1 fact
claimJeffrey Epstein leveraged his association with Leslie Wexner to establish credibility and gain access to prominent individuals, including private equity billionaire Leon Black.
Why did Jeffrey Epstein cultivate famous scientists? scientificamerican.com Jan 20, 2026 1 fact
claimJeffrey Epstein claimed to have arranged $7 million in donations from Bill Gates and Leon Black to MIT, though Bill Gates denied this and an MIT university report found no evidence of an effort to launder money in the donations.
PBD Podcast - "Trained As A Spy At 10” - Sex Trafficking Survivor ... podscripts.co Nov 25, 2024 1 fact
measurementLeon Black paid Jeffrey Epstein $151 million in consulting fees.
Jeffrey Epstein - Spectre Journal spectrejournal.com Oct 28, 2025 1 fact
claimFollowing Jeffrey Epstein's first arrest in 2007 and the deterioration of his relationship with Leslie Wexner, Leon Black, the founder of Apollo Global Management, became Epstein's principal client.
The Infrastructure of Jeffrey Epstein's Power - The New York Times nytimes.com Feb 13, 2026 1 fact
claimIn a 2014 email to Kathy Ruemmler, Jeffrey Epstein claimed to be hosting or associating with Peter Thiel, Larry Summers, Bill Burns, Gordon Brown, Thorbjørn Jagland, the President of Mongolia, Hardeep Singh Puri, Bill Gates, Jabor of Qatar, the Sultan of Dubai, Stephen Kosslyn, Leon Black, Woody Allen, and Bill Clinton.