Global Investigations Heat Up of Male Business Leaders' Ties to Jeffrey Epstein
GoLocalProv News Team
Global Investigations Heat Up of Male Business Leaders' Ties to Jeffrey Epstein
This is just one of the probes taking place across the globe exploring the relationship between powerful leaders and the sex ring run by now-dead financier Epstein. Staley is not the only CEO under investigation.
New lawsuits against the Epstein estate tie girls as young as 13-years of age to his sex ring.
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And, Leslie Wexner, the billionaire behind Victoria’s Secret, is in discussions to step aside as chief executive officer of the L Brand conglomerate and the company is in the midst of selling the lingerie brand to a private equity firm.
A July 2019 investigation by GoLocal tied Epstein directly to one of the world's most valuable superyachts, billionaire Les Wexner’s Limitless -- whose official registry port is Newport, Rhode Island.
Epstein and Wexner had a longstanding intertwined personal and business relationship which included Epstein buying Wexman’s New York City $70 million townhouse, serving as Wexner's money manager, traveling extensively together and helping Wexner build his $100 million yacht.
A scathing New York Times story titled, ‘Angels’ in Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria’s Secret, unveiled more about Wexler and Epstein's relationship and the management and sexual abuse at Victoria's Secret.
The Times reported, "Mr. Wexner and Mr. Epstein had been tight. The retail tycoon gave the financier carte blanche to manage his billions, elevating Mr. Epstein’s stature and affording him an opulent lifestyle. Mr. Wexner has said he and Mr. Epstein parted ways around 2007, the year after Florida prosecutors charged him with a sex crime.
On multiple occasions from 1995 through 2006, Mr. Epstein lied to aspiring models that he worked for Victoria’s Secret and could help them land gigs. He invited them for auditions, which at least twice ended with Mr. Epstein assaulting them, according to the women and court filing."
A GoLocal investigation first published in August of 2019 unveiled that Rhode Island General Treasurer Seth Magaziner’s father —Ira Magaziner — had repeatedly traveled globally with convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
The senior Magaziner’s personal information -- private phone number and email -- appeared in Epstein’s “Blackbook.”
Since publishing the expose of the global traveling by the senior Magaziner and Epstein, Treasurer Magaziner’s office has refused to answer press calls or respond to questions about the state's investments or the other issues tied to the Treasurer's public duties.
On December 22, GoLocal emailed the Treasurer's office about a recent change to state retirees' investments, including the decision by the State Investment Commission to invest more heavily in State Street funds. Multiple emails, calls, and texts were not returned.
GoLocal was removed from the General Treasurer's office press list after reporting on the ties between the senior Magaziner and Epstein. The senior Magaziner has repeatedly refused to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein.
Investigation at Barclays
In England, Barclays said that the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority had “commenced an investigation, which is ongoing, into Mr. Staley’s characterization . . . of his relationship with Epstein," according to the FT.
According to the FT, “The probe was launched after the FCA made an inquiry to the bank over Mr. Staley’s links to Epstein, the bank said in a statement on Thursday morning. On a call with reporters to discuss the bank’s full-year results — which were overshadowed by the announcement of the investigation — Mr. Staley said he regretted his relationship with Epstein but that he had always been honest about his links with the deceased financier.
“'Obviously, I thought I knew him well and I didn’t and, for sure, with hindsight, I deeply regret having had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,' Mr. Staley said. He added: 'I feel very comfortable that, going all the way back to 2015, I have been very transparent and open with the bank with respect to that relationship,'" according to the FT.