A new book from an accuser of Jeffrey Epstein sheds new light on the convicted sex offender’s abuse and resurfaces some of his ties to Columbus billionaire and retail mogul Les Wexner.
In “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” Virginia Roberts Giuffre detailed Epstein’s abuse and how she ended up in the same room as high profile leaders in business and politics, including Wexner.
Wexner is mentioned by name four times in the 400-page book that published Oct. 21. Giuffre died by suicide near her Australian home in April.
Giuffre alleged that those who were in Epstein’s circle would have been aware of his abuses, writing that readers should not “be fooled by those . . . who say they didn’t know.”
“Anyone who spent any significant amount of time with Epstein saw him touching girls in ways you wouldn’t want a creepy old man touching your daughter,” she wrote. “Even the men who didn’t partake of the favors Epstein offered could see the naked photos on his walls and the naked girls on his islands or by his swimming pools.”
A spokesperson for Wexner declined to comment on the book.
In the past, representatives for Wexner have pointed to a 2019 news conference in which Brad Edwards, an attorney who has represented a number of Epstein victims including Giuffre, said that he had doubts about Giuffre’s claim in the deposition about Wexner and some of the others. Edwards called Wexner’s denial at the time that he knew about Epstein’s alleged activities “very highly likely to be true.”
In the book, Giuffre claimed she and Epstein hosted Wexner at the sex offender’s island known as Little Saint James.
Wexner was the founder of L Brands, which previously included Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch and Bath & Body Works. Epstein, Giuffre wrote, would frequently falsely tell girls that he was a “scout” for Victoria’s Secret models.
L Brands founder, chairman and CEO Les Wexner speaks at the company’s Investor Day at the headquarters in New Albany on Nov. 2, 2017. Wexner is mentioned in a new book written by an accuser of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein is widely known to have helped to manage some of Wexner’s funds, which the book mentions. Wexner told investors in 2019 that he severed ties with Epstein about 12 years earlier, after Epstein was charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in Florida. He accused Epstein of stealing tens of millions of dollars from the family.
Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019, awaiting trial on new federal sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Giuffre also wrote that by some accounts Wexner sold Epstein his “lavish Manhattan home” for $1. But, documents show Wexner sold the townhouse to Epstein for $20 million.
Additionally, the book mentions a shareholder lawsuit filed against Wexner in January 2021 for creating an “entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment” at L Brands. By the time the lawsuit was filed, Wexner had already stepped down as chief executive officer of the company in 2020.
L Brands settled the lawsuit in August 2021 by agreeing to implement reforms to the company, and Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works each agreed to spend $45 million on fixes, The Dispatch previously reported.
The book also mentions that Epstein flew to Ohio in 2001 to attend the funeral of Wexner’s mother.
Giuffre’s book is the latest in a wave of developments that have surfaced this year showing Epstein’s connections to many of the nation’s most powerful leaders.
A book given to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003 included notes from dozens of high-profile people including Wexner and President Donald Trump.
First reported by The Wall Street Journal, Wexner “wrote a short message that said: ‘I wanted to get you what you want… so here it is….’ After the text was a line drawing of what appeared to be a woman’s breasts.”
The leather-bound birthday book also included a note from Trump, who wrote “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump denied writing the note.
USA TODAY reporters James Powel, Melina Khan and Karissa Waddick contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is former L brands CEO Les Wexner in Epstein accuser’s new book?
