The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office reportedly opened a criminal investigation into Leon Black, a billionaire with connections to the late Jeffrey Epstein, over accusations that he raped and sexually assaulted two former models.
Prosecutors are examining the allegations in a civil lawsuit brought by former Russian model Guzel Ganieva against Black, and they met with her and another former model, sources briefed on the inquiry told Vanity Fair.
Ganieva filed suit in June, claiming Black raped her in 2014. She then amended her lawsuit to include the other woman, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe,” who claimed Black raped her in Epstein’s town house in 2002.
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“We believe in our clients and seek to hold Black accountable,” one of the women’s lawyers told the outlet.
A spokesperson for Black said his team does not have any knowledge of an investigation on Black. In addition, the spokesperson said the accusations against Black are “completely false” and that the district attorney has been provided with evidence to prove his innocence.
Black, now 70, insisted in January 2021 that his relationship with Epstein was strictly professional, and he added that he was “completely unaware” of Epstein’s “abhorrent misconduct.”
The former CEO and chairman of Apollo Global Management said he “did not engage in any wrongdoing or inappropriate conduct.”
Black abruptly left Apollo a couple of months later following the emergence of his ties with Epstein.
An investigation commissioned by Apollo’s board disclosed that Black paid Epstein $158 million in fees between 2012 and 2017, which was after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a teenage girl.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy for allegedly abusing girls as young as 14. He pleaded not guilty to the charges before he was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell in August of that year. His death was ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner’s office.
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The Washington Examiner contacted the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which declined to comment.
