Leon Black to Testify Before House Oversight Committee on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Black plans to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Friday and tell members he did not know the extent of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. He will state that he never abused a woman, was never with an underage woman, and never engaged in sex trafficking, according to a copy of his opening remarks shared by his legal team.

Black will also say he never paid Epstein for access to women, was never blackmailed by him, and had no knowledge of Epstein’s heinous conduct.

He plans to express regret for giving Epstein a second chance after the 2008 conviction and to say he feels terrible for Epstein’s victims. The voluntary appearance marks the 16th closed-door interview in the committee’s bipartisan investigation. Black is one of numerous influential individuals whose past relationships with Epstein have drawn scrutiny since the Justice Department released millions of Epstein files.

Black will tell the panel he knew of Epstein’s June 2008 guilty plea to state charges involving prostitution with a minor but believed Epstein’s claim that it was an isolated incident resulting from a fake ID. He will state he did not learn of the broader activity until Epstein was charged with trafficking in July 2019.

An internal Apollo Global Management investigation reviewed more than 60,000 documents and interviewed over 20 people.

It found Black’s payments to Epstein totaled $158 million from 2012 to 2017 and concluded there was no wrongdoing by Black. Black stepped away from running the firm in 2021. A New York Times report stated that Black and Epstein often socialized and dined together and that their business relationship involved payments for consulting and other services.