Officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands are planning to subpoena billionaire investor Leon Black for information on his business ties to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Denise George, the territory’s attorney general, told a court on Thursday that she plans to issue civil subpoenas on Black, a founder of private equity firm Apollo Global Management, seeking tax returns and financial documents, according to the New York Times.
Upon request for comment, Black told the outlet that Epstein gave him guidance on tax strategy, philanthropy, and real estate management, but did not provide further details. In a statement, Apollo also said that Epstein conducted no business with the firm.
The subpoenas extend to a variety of financial entities that manage part of Black’s $9 billion wealth, including Black Family Partners and Elysium Management. Black paid several million dollars in fees to Southern Trust, which was set up by Epstein in 2013. It’s unclear how much money Black paid to the trust, but the entity accumulated approximately $184 million in a five-year period.
Epstein was an original trustee of the Debra and Leon Black Family Foundation, according to the New York Times, which was established in 1997, indicating Black’s connection with Epstein expanded more than 20 years.
In 2015, a company connected to that foundation donated $10 million to one of Epstein’s charitable organizations. At Epstein’s request, Black also reportedly gave $5 million to the MIT Media Lab and several other millions to professors at Harvard University.
Despite their alleged financial connections, Black said he was “completely unaware” of Epstein’s actions that led to sex trafficking charges.
Earlier this year, George filed a lawsuit against Epstein’s estate in the territory as part of efforts to ascertain how Epstein accumulated his wealth. Epstein, 66, a registered sex offender and wealthy financier, was arrested last July on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges for allegedly abusing girls as young as 14. He was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell in August, which the New York City medical examiner determined to be a suicide.
“Epstein clearly used the Virgin Islands and his residence in the U.S. Virgin Islands at Little Saint James as a way to be able to conceal and to be able to expand his activity here,” George said at the time.
