Quick Read
- Billionaire Les Wexner’s name was unredacted in newly released Jeffrey Epstein files by the Department of Justice on February 10, 2026.
- The DOJ stated Wexner’s name appears “thousands of times” in the documents, with one document appearing to label him a “co-conspirator.”
- Wexner’s representatives maintain he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes and was told in 2019 he was not a co-conspirator or target.
- Wexner is scheduled to be deposed by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 16, 2026.
- Prior FBI documents from 2019, released in late 2025 and early 2026, also listed Wexner as a “co-conspirator” or “secondary co-conspirator,” noting “limited evidence.”
COLUMBUS (Azat TV) – The name of Ohio billionaire Les Wexner, co-founder of Bath & Body Works, was recently unredacted in some of the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files by the Department of Justice (DOJ), intensifying public and congressional scrutiny ahead of Wexner’s scheduled deposition before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on February 16, 2026. The move follows public demands from members of Congress, who questioned why Wexner’s name, which has appeared in other Epstein-related documents, was initially obscured.
The unredaction on February 10, 2026, came swiftly after U.S. Rep. Tom Massie, R-Kentucky, posted a document on X (formerly Twitter) on February 9, referring to a “well-known retired CEO” living in Ohio and calling for the redaction to be removed. Hours later, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanch confirmed on X that the redaction of Les Wexner’s name had been lifted. Blanch stated that Wexner’s name already appears “thousands of times” in the files and asserted that the DOJ was “hiding nothing.” He also noted that the document in question appeared to label Wexner as a “co-conspirator.”
DOJ’s Unredaction and Congressional Pressure
The decision to unredact Wexner’s name highlights the ongoing pressure from Capitol Hill for full transparency regarding the Epstein files. U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, had also publicly noted Wexner’s name as one of several “mysterious redactions” made by the DOJ, according to reporting by The Guardian. Congress members, who have access to largely unredacted versions of the files, have been vocal in their demands for the public release of comprehensive information.
The unredaction reignited questions about Wexner’s long-standing association with Epstein, who served as his financial adviser for years before his 2019 death by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Wexner has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities, stating he severed ties with Epstein in 2007 upon discovering his former adviser’s illicit conduct. Representatives for Wexner reiterated this stance on February 10, telling The Dispatch that Wexner was informed by an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 2019 that he was “neither a co-conspirator nor target in any respect” and that he cooperated fully with investigators.
Wexner’s Name in Previous Epstein Documents
This is not the first instance of Wexner’s name surfacing in documents related to Epstein’s crimes. Newly released documents, written days after Epstein’s death in 2019, named Leslie Wexner as one of Epstein’s co-conspirators. For example, an FBI email from July 7, 2019, released on December 23, 2025, listed Wexner and requested an “update on the status of the 10 co-conspirators.” Another FBI email from August 15, 2019, released on January 30, 2026, also labeled Wexner and others as “secondary co-conspirators,” though it explicitly noted “limited evidence regarding his involvement.” A December 19, 2019, memo by assistant U.S. attorneys titled “Investigation into potential co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein” further detailed Wexner’s fallout with Epstein in 2007.
Despite these mentions, Wexner’s legal team has maintained his innocence, citing a 2019 news conference where attorney Brad Edwards, who represented several Epstein accusers, expressed doubts about claims that Wexner was aware of Epstein’s crimes, calling Wexner’s denial “very highly likely to be true.”
The Wexner-Epstein Relationship and Financial Disputes
The relationship between Wexner and Epstein was extensive and close, dating back to the late 1980s. Wexner, who built a retail empire including The Limited, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bath & Body Works, and Victoria’s Secret, has stated that he ended his professional relationship with Epstein after discovering Epstein had stolen millions from his family. According to an investigative memo released by the DOJ, Wexner’s attorneys informed the U.S. Attorney’s office that Epstein eventually repaid $100 million to the Wexners. The memo suggests that this misconduct, along with Epstein’s fees, accounted for “virtually all of Epstein’s wealth.”
However, records indicate that Epstein continued to manage Wexner’s money as late as mid-2007, even after Wexner claimed to have cut ties. In 2007, Epstein’s foundation reportedly funneled $2.5 million from Wexner’s charitable foundations to The Ohio State University for the Les Wexner Football Complex. An undated draft letter from Epstein to Wexner, written after their falling out, further complicates the narrative. In the letter, Epstein alluded to a shared “gang stuff” for 15 years and mentioned a conversation with “Abigail” involving “unfair, aggressive and false accusations” that he couldn’t fully answer “without violating a confidence with you.” A Wexner representative dismissed this letter as fitting a “pattern of untrue, outlandish, and delusional statements made by Epstein in desperate attempts to perpetuate his lies and justify his misconduct.”
As Wexner prepares for his deposition, the continued emergence of his name in the Epstein files ensures that his past association with the convicted sex offender remains a focal point of public and political inquiry. Congresswomen Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, have also used social media to question Wexner’s lack of legal repercussions and criticize the DOJ’s initial redactions.
The persistent resurfacing of Leslie Wexner’s name in documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, despite official statements and Wexner’s denials, continues to fuel public and political scrutiny, underscoring the enduring questions surrounding the full extent of Epstein’s network and its associates.