DOJ-OGR-00032073.jpg

SPOILS OF SUCCESS Fram top: Epstein's 70- acre island. Little St James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands—he now calls it Little St. Jeff: Epstein with President Clinton in Brunei. 2002: Leslie Wexner with his future wife, Abigail. at the 1990 C.F.D.A. Fashion Awards, in New York. 1991. Harvard’s current presi- dent. Harvard law professor Alan Dersho- Larry Summers. witz says, “I’m on my 20th book. ... The only person outside of my immediate family that I send drafts to is Jeffrey.” Real-estate developer and philanthropist Marshall Rose. who has worked with Epstein on projects in New Albany. Ohio, for Wexner. savs, “He digests and decodes the information very rapidly, which is to me terrific because we have shorter meetings.” Also on the list of admirers are former senator George Mitchell and a gaggle of distinguished scientists, most of whom Epstein has helped fund in recent years. They include Nobel Prize winners Gerald SUT TR TY Fats “Jelirey knows when het Is weapon, says Wexner. Edelman and Murray Gell- Mann. and mathematical biologist Martin Nowak. When these men describe Epstein, they talk about “energy” and “curiosity.” as well as a love for theoreti- cal physics that they don't ordinarily find in laymen. Gell-Mann rather sweetly mentions that “there are al- pretty ladies around” he goes to dinner chez ways wher Epstein, and he’s under the impression that Epstein’s clients include the Queen of En- gland. Both Nowak and Dershowitz were thrilled to find themselves shaking the hand of a man named “Andrew” in Epstein’s house. “Andrew” turned out to be Prince Andrew, who subsequently arranged to sit in the back of Dershowitz’s law class. Epstein gets annoyed when anyone sug- gests that Wexner “made him.” “I had real- ly rich clients before.” he has said. Yet he does not deny that he and Wexner have a special relationship. Epstein sees it as a partnership of equals. “People have said it’s like we have one brain between two of us: each has a side.” Page 34 of 151 Public Records Request No.: 17-295° * ~ “I think we both possess the skill of seeing patterns,” says Wexner. “But Jef- frey sees patterns in politics and finan- cial markets, and I see patterns in lifestyle and fashion trends. My skills are not in in- vestment strategy, and, as everyone who knows Jeffrey knows, his are not in fash- ion and design. We frequently discuss world trends as each of us sees them.” y the time Epstein met Wexner, the latter was a retail legend who had built a $3 billion em- pire—one that now in- cludes Victoria's Secret Express. and Bath & Body Works—from $5,000 lent him by his “Wexner saw in Jeffrey the type of person who had the potenual to real- ize his [Jeffrey’s] dreams.” says some- one who has worked closely with both men. “He gave Jeffrey the ball. and Jeffrey hit it out of the park.” Wexner. through a trust. bought the town house in which Epstein now lives for a reported $13.2 million in 1989. In Wex- ner married Abigail Koppel. a 3l-vear-old lawyer. and the newlyweds relocated to Ohio: in 1996, Epstein moved in- to the town house. Public documents suggest that the house is still owned by the trust that bought it. but Epstein has said that he now owns the aunt. OTe ey house. Wexner that he has assigned him the power of fidu- ciarv over all of his private trusts and foun- dations. savs a source close to Wexner. In 1992, Epstein even persuaded Wexner to put him on the board of the Wexner Foun- dation in place of Wexner’s ailing mother. Bella Wexner recovered and demanded to be reinstated. Epstein has said they settled trusts Epstein so completely by splitting the foundation in two. Epstein does not care that he comes be- tween family members. In fact. he sees it as his job. He tells people. “I am there to represent my client. and if my client needs protecting—sometimes even from his own = family—then it’s often better that people hate me, not the client.” “You've probably heard I’m vicious in my representation of my clients.” he tells people proudly; Leah Kleman describes his haggling over art prices as something like a scene out of the movie Mad Max: Be- yond Thunderdome. Even a former mentor says he’s seen “the dark side” of Epstein. and a Bear Stearns source recalls a meet- ing in which Epstein chewed out a team making a presentation for Wexner as 2003 ass he do DOJ-OGR-00032073