Hulu doc explores Les Wexner, Jeffrey Epstein ties
It was a match made in heaven, or maybe in hell: the sexual deviant and the lingerie demigod.
For decades, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was one of
the closest friends of Victoria’s Secret billionaire Les Wexner, 84. In fact,
the late con, who, in August 2019 at 66, committed suicide in the jail cell of
a Manhattan federal detention center while awaiting trial in his sex
trafficking case, once joked that he and the retail baron “share a brain.” (It
should be noted that Wexner has claimed complete ignorance of Epstein’s sexual
misdeeds.)
But in the forthcoming Hulu docuseries, “Victoria’s Secret:
Angels and Demons,” out Thursday, associates of the unlikely duo — Wexner, a
self-made magnate from the Midwest, and Epstein, a college dropout who
smooth-talked his way into roles in New York’s financial district — say the two
were bound by more than ambition.
They each needed the other in order to survive.
“Wexner had the money that Epstein was seeking, and Wexner
got from Epstein the glamour and smoothness that he was seeking,” says Cindy
Fedus-Fields, the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret Direct, in the three-part
saga directed and produced by Matt Tyrnauer of “The Reagans” and “Studio 54”
fame.
Their relationship was a seemingly lopsided quid pro quo,
however.
While the clothing tycoon, credited in the doc as the
inventor of fast fashion, amassed a net worth of more than $5 billion via his
throng of trendy apparel shops, Epstein, who Wexner anointed as his money
manager, had a lot less to offer — on paper.
But, to Wexner, what the crook lacked in assets he made up
for Big Apple savoir faire.
“When Les Wexner met Jeffrey Epstein, he apparently remarked
that [Epstein] was so exciting,” explains Barry Levine, author of Epstein
expose “The Spider,” in the film. “He was everything that Les Wexner thought
was lacking in Ohio.”
In the early 1980s, Wexner’s empire expanded from just The
Limited, which he launched from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio in 1963, to
include Victoria’s Secret. Wexner purchased the lingerie brand from founders
Roy and Gaye Raymond for $1 million — and the shrewd suburbanite wanted to make
a splash in the big city.
So, in 1985 he purchased luxe Fifth Avenue emporium Henri
Bendel for just under $10 million in an attempt to impress Gotham’s swanky
upper crust.
“He wanted that New York cachet, and that was a way to buy
into it,” says Teri Agins, author of “The End of Fashion,” in the series. “He
invited Jackie Onassis to the christening of the store … because he wanted that
respect with New York society and high fashion New York.”
The wannabe city slicker even purchased the most sprawling
townhouse on the Upper East Side for a then-unprecedented $13.2 million in
hopes of being embraced by the elite.
However, despite his efforts, the crème de la crème regarded
Wexner as nothing more than a mere “pimple on New York’s backside,” says
Michael Gross, author of “Model” in the film.
In Epstein, Wexner found the suave, business- and streetwise
ally he’d been longing for. And for his urbanity, the mogul gave him carte
blanche to his businesses and billions.
“Epstein was extraordinarily mesmerizing and could convince
anything of anybody,” says the swindler’s former business partner Steven J.
Hoffenberg in the film. “[He was the] master manipulator.”
Almost immediately after meeting, Wexner granted Epstein
full power of attorney over his sizable fortune. Shortly thereafter, Epstein
became a notorious elbow-rubber to the aristocratic likes of Prince Andrew,
former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and tech whiz Bill Gates.
Wexner also allowed him to unseat his beloved mother, Bella
Wexner, on the board of his foundation. He sold Epstein his ritzy midtown
mansion and The Limited’s Boeing 727 private jet — eventually nicknamed the
“Lolita Express” by the media because Epstein used it to traffic woman — for
well under market value. The details of the transaction, however, were
“shrouded in so many shell companies” per the doc that it’s unclear how much,
or little, Epstein paid for the plane.
Wexner even brokered a $3.5 million deal for Epstein to
purchase the guest house located on his massive private property in New Albany,
Ohio. (There, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly sexually assaulted and
imprisoned aspiring artist Maria Farmer in 1996; however, no arrests were made
following the alleged attack).
And Epstein’s hold on Wexner wasn’t limited to just business
dealings. In 1993, the business tycoon tied the knot with then 31-year-old New
York attorney Abigail S. Koppel. Epstein oversaw their prenuptial
agreement.
“Epstein was deeply involved in the personal lives of
Abigail and Les,” says Fedus-Fields.
Ellison adds, “There wasn’t a part of Wexner’s empire that
Epstein didn’t have access to and didn’t have some ability to control.”
And Epstein took full advantage of his benefactor’s growing
clout.
In the summer of 1993 Epstein was caught posing as a
recruiter for Victoria’s Secret catalog models. He was using his affiliation
with Wexner as a lure for attracting unsuspecting beauties, according to
Fedus-Fields.
Then, in May 1997, former Playboy pinup Alicia Arden, now
55, filed a sexual battery report in Santa Monica, Calif. against Epstein,
claiming he sexually “manhandled” her in his hotel room during a supposed
meeting about posing in a Victoria’s Secret mailer.
While it’s unclear if word of the incident ever got back to
Wexner, the apparel magnate continued singing Epstein’s praises to the public.
“Wexner told Vanity Fair, in 2003, that Epstein was ‘very
smart with a combination of excellent judgment and unusually high standard.
Also, he’s always the most loyal friend,’” Washington Post journalist Sarah
Ellison quotes in the doc. “Epstein had to have had some kind of hold over
Wexner.”
And that hold, many in the doc believe, was far stronger
than mere business ties.
“Each one have must have fulfilled the need of the other,”
says Fedus-Fields. “I’m not at all inferring that it was a sexual need, but
there was something there.”
Prior to his death, Epstein, during a 2010 deposition in a
Florida civil case, denied identifying as bisexual. And when asked if he’d
shared a romantic relationship with Wexner, the convicted sex offender spat an
emphatic “No,” per footage of the legal inquisition featured in the series.
Wexner, who declined to be interviewed for the doc but provided
statements to production through an attorney, “categorically denied” a
homosexual dalliance with Epstein.
As the years went on, Wexner got richer — and Epstein
continued to reap the benefits.
By the late 2000s, Victoria’s Secret had amassed a whopping
$6 billion in revenue, with top supermodels including Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks
and Adriana Lima modeling the brand’s push-ups and panties. Epstein used his
friend’s money to his benefit, buying up sprawling estates around the world,
including a chic apartment in Paris and a seaside villa in the U.S. Virgin
Islands, which ultimately acted as trafficking ports.
Epstein also used Wexner’s acquisition of some 747 cargo
jets as well as a fleet of Southern Air Transport plane, which were once owed
by the CIA, to bolster his own reputation. Over the years, the hustler “boasted
that he had connections” to the intelligence agency, says Ellison.
And building strong ties with the federal government was
said to be of utmost importance to Wexner.
The mogul, according to the doc, empowered Epstein to
allocate funds towards devising a communication strategy for the Israeli
government in the wake of the Iraq War. Wexner’s motivation, per journalist
Noah Kulwin, co-host of the podcast about the Iraq War “Blowback,” was to make
sure “their preferred outcomes happen.” (The mogul’s specific political hopes
were not explored in the film, but Wexner is known to be very pro-Israel).
But Wexner and Epstein’s seemingly impenetrable bond began
to weaken in 2006, when the swindler was caught sexually abusing underage girls
in his Palm Beach, Florida estate. Epstein was arrested on solicitation of
prostitution charges.
Legal documents obtained from an investigation launched by
officials in Oregon, according to the series, indicate that Wexner’s L-Brands
directly aided Epstein’s legal defense after his 2006 arrest; however, the
mogul ultimately removed Epstein as his power of attorney in December 2007,
before Epstein went to jail in 2008 and served a measly 18-month sentence.
It would be another 13 years before the registered offender
was returned to police custody for his sex crimes.
By the time of Epstein’s 2019 arrest, Wexner finally began
publicly distancing himself from the master manipulator, claiming he, too, was
a victim of his schemes.
In February 2020, Wexner stepped down from his role as CEO
of L BrandsBut, concerning Epstein’s wrongdoings, Wexner spoke for himself.
“Everyone has to feel enormous regret for the advantage that
was taken of so many young women. That just unexplainable, abhorrent behavior
clearly is something we all would condemn,” the retailer said in an televised
address featured in the doc.
“Being taken advantage of by someone so sick, so cunning, so
depraved is something that I’m embarrassed that I was even close to,” added
Wexner, who gave Epstein an estimated $400 million during their 20 year
relationship.
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