Mega Edition: Leon Black And His Attempt To Change The Epstein Narrative (4/2/26)

Summary

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The Epstein Chronicles

Mega Edition: Leon Black And His Attempt To Change The Epstein Narrative

Hosted by: Bobby Capucci
Date: April 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode takes a deep dive into billionaire Leon Black’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, focusing on Black’s extensive financial transactions with Epstein long after Epstein’s 2008 conviction as a sex offender. Host Bobby Capucci critically examines Black's explanations, exposes failures of elite institutions and regulators, and discusses the broader implications for accountability among the ultra-wealthy. The episode incorporates revelations from recent lawsuits, Senate investigations, and media reports to piece together how Leon Black not only associated with but significantly enabled Epstein and his criminal network.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scale and Nature of Black's Payments to Epstein

• $170 Million Paid: Black paid over $170 million to Epstein from 2012 to 2017—sums described as “grotesquely inflated” and routed through opaque networks.
  • “For Leon Black, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management, the answer was over $170 million. And that's not speculation. That's fact.” (Host, 00:38)
• Questionable Services: Black claims these were for tax and estate planning advice, yet the amounts dwarf even Fortune 500 CEO salaries.
  • “To believe Black's explanation is to believe that one of the sharpest minds in global finance bypassed the world's top law firms and accountants to pay nine figures to a convicted sex offender for advice. The more plausible answer is darker.” (Host, 05:57)
• Senate Probes Reveal More: The Senate Finance Committee, led by Sen. Ron Wyden, uncovered that Black underreported his payments and funneled money through Epstein’s network, some of which tied directly to entities linked with Maxwell and Epstein's trust.

2. Black’s Continued Engagement Post-Epstein Conviction

• No Naivete: Black maintained contact and sent payments after Epstein's conviction—when his predatory behavior was public.
  • “Most of Black's payments came after Epstein's 2008 conviction. By then, the entire world knew that Epstein was a predator. The idea that Black was unaware is laughable.” (Host, 08:15)

3. Black’s Defensive Strategy and Settlements

• Settlement Tactics: Settled quietly with the U.S. Virgin Islands for $62.5M for civil immunity from sex trafficking charges. Paid accusers like Guzel Ganieva hush money via Epstein-linked trusts.
• Legal Evasions: Black stonewalled investigations, refused to cooperate transparently, routinely hid behind legal teams, NDAs, and settlements.
  • “Black's legal strategy has been ruthless. In the Jane Doe case, his lawyers sought to discredit her autism diagnosis, painting her as unreliable rather than confronting the claims directly.” (Host, 08:36)
• Cultural and Institutional Cover: Board of Apollo hired Deckard LLP for an “independent” investigation, which found no wrongdoing—described as a bought-and-paid-for exoneration.

4. Allegations and Lawsuits

• Multiple Allegations: Lawsuits from Jane Doe (rape at Epstein's townhouse at age 16), Sherry Pearson, and Guzel Ganieva (harassment, rape, hush money).
• Pattern of Silence: Use of NDAs and settlements to suppress accusations.
  • “Allegations of violence and abuse met not with accountability but with a crushing force of wealth.” (Host, 08:41)

5. The Banking System’s Role & New Lawsuits

• Banks Named as Defendants: New class action case (Jane Doe vs. Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon) accuses institutions of enabling Epstein by overlooking massive suspicious transfers from Black.
  • “Financial institutions like Bank of America are required to file a Suspicious Activity Report... None of these banks were doing it.” (Host, 18:03)
• Black’s Response: Through lawyers, Black decried leaks to the press as criminal, claimed the banks—not him—were at fault, and cast himself as a “victim.”
  • “Leaked—Leon Black... is the victim. I mean, can you imagine trying to pitch that bullshit with a straight face?” (Host, 15:41)

6. Media Investigations & Money Trail

• Donations as Laundering: Black gave $10M to Epstein’s rarely-used “Gratitude America” charity; contemporaneous hush payments to Ganieva came from mysterious trusts, suggesting use of Epstein's charity as a conduit.
• Circular Donations: Money later flows back from Epstein to Black’s melanoma charity, described as classic money laundering.
  • “Because Black was the sole donor to Epstein's charity, he effectively donated funds to his own organization. Yeah, that's called money laundering.” (Co-host, 35:30)
• Tax Evasion Angle: Host highlights the likelihood Black used the structure to evade taxes, given the implausibility of the supposed services purchased.

7. Broader Implications for Accountability

• Elite Protection: Regulators, prosecutors, and banks consistently failed to act despite clear red flags and mounting evidence.
  • “The tragedy is not just what this says about Leon Black, but what it says about the system that protects them. Regulators failed. Prosecutors failed. Cultural institutions failed.” (Host, 11:03)
• Cynicism Over Investigations: Host expresses deep skepticism toward elite-focused Senate investigations, calling them “perfunctory.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Paraphrase | |-----------|---------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:38 | Host | “For Leon Black...the answer was over $170 million. And that's not speculation. That's fact.” | | 05:57 | Host | “To believe Black's explanation is to believe that one of the sharpest minds in global finance...paid nine figures to a convicted sex offender for advice.” | | 08:15 | Host | “Most of Black's payments came after Epstein's 2008 conviction...The idea that Black was unaware is laughable.” | | 08:41 | Host | “Allegations of violence and abuse met not with accountability but with a crushing force of wealth.” | | 11:03 | Host | “The tragedy is not just what this says about Leon Black, but what it says about the system that protects them.” | | 15:41 | Host | “Leaked—Leon Black...is the victim. I mean, can you imagine trying to pitch that bullshit with a straight face?” | | 18:03 | Host | “Financial institutions like Bank of America are required to file a Suspicious Activity Report... None of these banks were doing it.” | | 35:30 | Co-host | “Because Black was the sole donor to Epstein's charity, he effectively donated funds to his own organization. Yeah, that's called money laundering.” | | 12:27 | Host | “His billions bought him freedom, but they also bought him infamy. Leon Black's name will never recover.” |

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Key Segment Timestamps

• Introduction and summary of Black-Epstein financial ties: 00:30–02:44
• Breakdown of payments, scrutiny, and complicity: 02:44–09:55
• Fallout for Black’s reputation, family, and systemic accountability failures: 10:26–12:27
• Discussion of new lawsuit, Black’s “victim” narrative, and legal maneuvers: 12:27–16:26
• Detailed review of bank failures, Black’s evasions, and Deckard report flaws: 16:28–21:38
• Deeper dive into charity donations, hush money, and connections to abuse allegations: 25:38–35:30
• Critique of regulatory failures and conclusion: 35:30–38:25

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Tone and Language

• The host, Bobby Capucci, maintains an outspoken, sarcastic, and incredulous tone, especially when confronting official statements, legal defenses, or institutional cover-ups.
• The episode is assertive and skeptical, with a strong moral stance against the impunity and evasiveness shown by Leon Black and those enabling Epstein.

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Episode Takeaways

• Leon Black’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein went far beyond poor judgment; it was a calculated, strategic, and self-protective alliance.
• Despite overwhelming evidence and public scrutiny, Black relied on legal systems, NDAs, financial complexity, and the silence (or complicity) of banks and regulators to evade accountability.
• Every new lawsuit, exposé, and investigative report chips away at the official narrative—yet systemic action remains elusive.
• The Leon Black saga is emblematic of a broader failure: how obscene wealth continues to buy silence, rewrite narratives, and undermine justice, even in the face of undeniable facts.

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Recommended for listeners seeking an unfiltered, context-rich critique of elite impunity surrounding the Epstein case, with a special focus on financial, legal, and institutional breakdowns.

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Transcript

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[Podcast Host]

And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. How much money would you pay a convicted sex offender? How much would you wire to a man the entire world knew preyed on girls, someone branded in open court as a predator? For most of us, the answer is simple. Nothing. But for Leon Black, the billionaire co founder of Apollo Global Management, the answer was over $170 million. And that's not speculation. That's fact, unearthed not only by journalists and lawsuits but by a Senate Finance Committee investigation led by Senator Ron Wyden. Wyden's probe revealed that Black's payments were even larger than previously disclosed, closer to $170 million in total and funneled over a span of just five years. The inquiry made it clear that these were not ordinary business transactions. They were grotesquely inflated sums routed through accounts tied to Epstein's financial network, raising new questions about whether the money was really for services at all, or whether it was for something darker. Black wasn't some naive outsider caught in Jeffrey Epstein's web. He was a financier, a titan, a man with every resource at his disposal and to know exactly who Epstein was. And yet, long after Epstein's conviction, Black kept paying, kept visiting, kept enriching the monster when everyone else was backing away. The question is why? Why would a man who built one of the largest private equity firms in the world turn to a disgraced sex offender for financial advice? Why pay him sums so vast they make Fortune 500 salaries look like pocket change? Why settle quietly with the Virgin Islands for 62.5 million? Why face lawsuits from women alleging rape at Epstein's townhouse? Why resign in disgrace rather than just explain the truth? And that's the thing Leon Black never explained. He stonewalled Wyden's request for documentation gave evasive answers and treated accountability as optional. A U.S. senate committee was demanding answers a about how hundreds of millions of

[Podcast Co-host]

dollars flowed from a Wall street billionaire

[Podcast Host]

to a sex offender. And Leon Black's response was the same as Always silence. Leon Black's story is not about friendship gone wrong or business ties gone sour. It's about complicity. It's about how obscene wealth doesn't just bend the rules, it erases them. It's about how one of the most powerful men in global finance ended up as Jeffrey Epstein's personal atmosphere, bankrolling his operations and shielding his influence long after the world knew what Epstein really was. And in the end, it's about the system that looked the other way. Regulators, banks, cultural institutions, they all played part in insulating Black, just as they did Epstein. The result is a scandal not just about one man's disgrace, but about the corruption of the entire elite class that enabled Epstein to thrive. So in this episode, we're not just asking who Leon Black is. We're asking what his story tells us about power, about money, about the way billionaires can buy silence, where the law should speak. This is not just a tale of one man's fall. It's a mirror of everything broken in American power. Leon Black's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is one of the most corrosive, indefensible scandals to emerge from the wreckage of Epstein's criminal empire. It's not just a matter of poor judgment or casual acquaintance. It's a story of nine figure payments, opaque settlements, unanswered questions, and a system so compromised by wealth and power that accountability never stood a chance. Black, the co founder of Apollo Global Management and one of the most powerful private equity barons of his time, did not stumble into Epstein's orbit by accident. He stayed there, paid him, and in doing so, became one of the men most responsible for prolonging Epstein's reign of exploitation. For years, Black downplayed his association as peripheral, almost incidental, a series of financial consultations with an eccentric advisor. That fiction collapsed under scrutiny. It was revealed that Black paid Epstein a few million. Not even a few dozen million, but more than 170 million over the course of five years. The payments were absurdly disproportionate, dwarfing even the salaries of Fortune 500 CEOs. While they made no sense as fees, they made every sense as tribute. Black claimed that Epstein's advice saved on billions in taxes. That explanation insults human intelligence. Epstein has no formal qualifications, no career on Wall street, no official credentials. What he had was a knack for accessing offshore structures, a Rolodex of shadowy networks, and most importantly, leverage over the men that he serviced. To believe Black's explanation is to believe that one of the sharpest minds in global finance bypassed the world's top law firms and accountants to pay nine figures to a convicted sex offender for advice. The more plausible answer is darker. Epstein's entire business model was compromised. He collected secrets, traded in leverage, and made himself indispensable by exploiting vulnerabilities. Black, with his vast fortune and obsessive need to shield it, was the perfect mark. The payments were not for services rendered. They were for silence kept. And the timing makes the association even more indefensible. Most of Black's payments came after Epstein's 2008 conviction. By then, the entire world knew that Epstein was a predator. The idea that Black was unaware is laughable. He continued to meet Epstein at his Manhattan townhouse, continued to enrich him, continued to give him the social legitimacy of association with a Wall street titan. Every check that Black wrote after 2008 was a conscious decision to sustain the lifestyle of a known sex offender. And the money trail itself ties Black directly to Epstein's machinery of abuse. Senate investigators discovered that some of his transfers connected into entities linked to Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein's financial trust company, both of which played roles in funding the trafficking network. In this light, Black's fortune did not just pass through Epstein. It quite possibly subsidized his crimes. And that's not conjecture. It's documented. Yet the institutions around Black failed to act. Apollo's board hired Deckard LLP to conduct a review, which conveniently concluded there was no evidence of wrongdoing, while sidestepping the sheer implausibility of the payments. Banks handling the transfers did not flag them for years. Suspicious activity reports were filed only after Epstein's 2019 arrest. Despite the transfers flowing since 2012, regulators shrugged. Prosecutors stayed silent. The message was clear. Leon Black was too big to hold accountable. The settlements tell their own story. In 2023, Black agreed to pay $62.5 million to the U.S. virgin Islands to resolve claims tied to Epstein's sex trafficking operation. He insisted there was no suggestion of wrongdoing, but innocent men do not cut nine figure checks to avoid questions. They fight. Black chose to buy his way out. What he calls exoneration. I call escape. And meanwhile, the lawsuits piled up. A woman identified as Jane Doe accused Black of raping her at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse when she was just 16, alleging he used sex toys until she bled while Epstein stood by and denied her medical care. Another woman, Sherry Pearson, filed a rape suit, only to dismiss it later under opaque circumstances that suggested settlement or pressure. Guzell Ganieva accused Black of harassment and abuse before being effectively silenced through confidentiality agreements and counterclaims. These cases reveal a pattern Allegations of violence and abuse met not with accountability but with a crushing force of wealth. Black's legal strategy has been ruthless. In the Jane Doe case, his lawyers sought to discredit her autism diagnosis, painting her as unreliable rather than confronting the claims directly. Her law firm, Wigdor llc, even sought to withdraw before a sanctions hearing, underscoring the toxic intensity of fighting a man with nearly limitless resources. Black's playbook has always been the Drown accusers in litigation, exploit NDAs, pay settlements and deny everything. The Senate Finance Committee's revelations sharpened the picture further. Its report showed that Black had underreported his payments to Epstein, initially claiming 158 million when the real figure was at least 170 million. It also exposed how Epstein designed tax maneuvers that may have saved Black hundreds of millions. But the refusal to provide documentation, the evasions under questioning, and the sheer implausibility of Epstein's unique value suggests these savings were little more than post hoc justifications for funneling cash.

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[Podcast Host]

Black's disgrace contaminated even his family. His son Benjamin's nomination to lead the US International Development Finance Corporation suddenly became radioactive. Senators were forced to to weigh not only the son's qualifications but the father's scandals. Leon Black's rot seeped outward, staining everything it touched. His resignation from Apollo was inevitable. Investors could not stomach the reputational damage, and his board forced him out. It was packaged as a retirement, but in truth it was exile. Leon Black's empire survived, but his name became poison. The man once hailed as a financial genius was was now remembered as the billionaire who bankrolled a predator. And still, through it all, Black never gave a straight answer. Not once. He hid behind evasions, buzzwords and legal shields. If he had nothing to hide, he would have explained himself years ago. His refusal to do so is the loudest confession of all, and I think that silence tells us everything we need to know. The tragedy is not just what this says about Leon Black, But. But what it says about the system that protects them. Regulators failed. Prosecutors failed. Cultural institutions failed. The very people entrusted to enforce accountability chose instead to look away as long as the checks cleared. Black saga is not a story of one man's fall. It's Amira held up to the corruption of elite America. Every unanswered question about Black deepens the stain. Why did he need Epstein instead of world class tax attorneys? Why did he keep paying after Epstein's conviction? Why settle with the Virgin Islands if he had nothing to fear? Why silence accusers instead of facing them in court? These questions remain unanswered because the answers would ruin them. And in my opinion, that is Leon Black's legacy. Disgrace, wrapped in wealth. He's not remembered for Apollo, not for philanthropy, not for culture. He's remembered as Jeffrey Epstein's billionaire stooge.

[Podcast Co-host]

The.

[Podcast Host]

The man who handed him a fortune and never explained why. His billions bought him freedom, but they also bought him infamy. Leon Black's name will never recover. Every museum plaque, every charitable donation, every sanitized biography will be overshadowed by the fact that he poured over 170 million into Epstein's pockets, faced allegations of rape, and escaped justice through wealth. His story is not one of brilliance, but of cowardice, corruption and complicity. The conclusion is as stark as it is damning. Leon Black wasn't Jeffrey Epstein's victim. He was an enabler. He prolonged Epstein's power, financed his lifestyle, and normalized his presence. He'll probably never face prison, but his exile should be permanent. His fortune insulated him from the law, but it cannot insulate em from history. And history will remember him not as a titan, but as a disgrace. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box. What's up, everyone? And welcome to another episode of the Epstein Chronicles. A few weeks ago, we learned that some Epstein survivors were banding together to file a lawsuit against bank of America and bank of New York Melon. Well, in that lawsuit, Leon Black has been named once again as a key component of Jeffrey Epstein's organization. And to somebody bankrolling the operation. And now this is certainly not news to us. We've been talking about Leon Black since basically the beginning. And if you were wondering what the Trump administration was trying to protect, the kind of people that they were worried about being exposed, this is exactly it. Let us not forget that Leon Black's son, Ben Black, is part of the Trump administration. So you really think they're gonna out little Benny Black's dad, Leon oh, and by the way, Jeffrey Epstein called Ben Black and Leon Black's kids. So that tells you how Jeffrey Epstein felt about Ben Black. And it also goes to show you how comfortable Jeffrey Epstein was that he'd say something like that about Leon Black's kids. I mean, imagine saying that about your friend's kids. Hey, so and so your kids are. I mean, what. What'd you just say to me, bro? But I guess Leon Black found nothing wrong with that statement, considering he gave Jeffrey Epstein a ton more money and had Jeffrey Epstein deeply ensconced in his finances. So, in this episode, we have an article from Radar Online talking about Leon Black and his name being dragged into this new lawsuit. Like I said, this article was published by Radar Online, and the headline, billionaire banker Leon Black fires back at Epstein victims Human trafficking and money laundering. Court bombshell and sensationally claims that he's the victim and leakers should be investigated and criminally prosecuted. Well, that's quite the headline to digest, huh? Leaked leon black worth $14 billion is the victim. I mean, can you imagine trying to pitch that bullshit with a straight face? Oh, yeah, Leon Black, total victim. Guy that runs Apollo Global. You know, the people that bought Caesar's palace and the Venetian Sands Corporation? Oh, yeah, guy's a total victim. It honestly makes me sick. It really does. For years, Leon Black has avoided any real conversation. And even down in the usvi, when his name was brought up, he ended up paying the USVI $62 million to keep his name out of the lawsuit. And now that he finds himself in a position where that's not going to work, he goes on the offensive instead. Oh, I'm the victim? Leakers should be criminally prosecuted. Guess what? Leon Black, you should be criminally prosecuted. All right, let's see them receipts on all that high end art. Let's see all those receipts from the money transactions you did with Epstein.

[Podcast Co-host]

You pay taxes on that?

[Podcast Host]

Was it reported? Never mind the allegations made against you by Jane Doe. This article was authored by Daniel Gura. Billionaire banker Leon Black has blasted back at allegations that he helped finance Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking empire. Radar Online can exclusively report the lawsuit from one of Epstein's victims. Claims the banker secretly funneled 170 million to the convicted sex offender for his nefarious activities under the guise of tax and estate planning advice. And for people out there that might, you know, dispute that, let's remember who Leon Black is. Let's remember how powerful Leon Black is, and let's remember the access he has to professionals so why is he hiring somebody like Jeffrey Epstein to be in charge of his finances? Not like Epstein was some whiz kid, didn't even graduate from college. But somehow that person becomes the be all, end all when it comes to money for one of the most powerful and richest men in the world. Please explain it. I'm all ears over here. I'm willing to listen to whatever kind of explanation you're gonna offer because I enjoy a good laugh. But we all know the truth. And we all know that Leon Black is playing loose with it. As part of her class action suit against bank of America, an unnamed woman identified only as Jane Doe alleges the financial institution knowingly ignored warning signs after Black sent huge sums to Epstein. Under the government mandated Bank Secrecy act, financial institutions like bank of America are required to file a Suspicious Activity Report, or sar, when they notice transactions that raise red flags so federal authorities can be alerted to the potential criminal moves and investigate as needed. And none of these banks were doing it. There was no oversight. And that's because Jeffrey Epstein was too valuable as a client, brought in way too much money and way too many powerful people. So as long as those checks are big enough, they're willing to do away with morality and with what's right. Remember, we're dealing with the financial sector here. Literally the worst people in the world. And I'm not talking about your local bank teller or the person working at the local branch. I'm talking about these people. The movers, the shakers, and the ones who truly are the masters of the universe. Though claims bank of America failed to do that in a timely manner and is complicit in Epstein's crimes by allegedly approving the massive transaction from Black with no questions asked. However, Black's attorney exclusively told Radar that those issues are with the bank, not the billionaire. And the report should never have been made public. Oh, give me a break. Wow. Leon Black's being embarrassed. Why? Well, guess what. Good. Why was he palling around with Jeffrey Epstein? Can we get the real story? Is he ever going to go under oath? Is he ever going to go and sit before the Congressional committee? Probably a good idea. If you're calling up Les Wexner. Why not Leon Black? Or is he being protected by the Trump administration because his son, Benny Boy, is part of the Trump administration? Oh, I know. The most transparent administration ever would never do that. Right? Right. Federal law makes it illegal to leak confidential SAR information. Susan Estrich of Estrich golden said it's a federal crime for private information to be Leaked by congressional committee staffers to the media and included as hearsay evidence in a civil complaint. Mr. Black is not a party in this case, and the leakers should be investigated and criminally prosecuted. Sure. After Leon Black is investigated and criminally prosecuted, how about we do all of it? Sound like a good idea? Let's start with Leon Black. The problem with people like Leon Black, folks, is they really, truly believe that there's nothing anyone can do to them. They'll just pay their way out of everything. And that's because that's proven to be true time and time again. This man was caught up in that SECO suit down in the USVI and bought his way out for 62 million. Can you imagine? $62 million and you're innocent, huh? Okay, sure. I don't care if you're the richest man in the world. You're not ponying up 62 million if you're innocent. Especially with the lawyers that this dude has on his squad. They're gonna fight tooth and nail this

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[Podcast Host]

Black, 74, has been down this road before, having been already investigated by his own employer, Apollo Global management, which in 2020, retained the Deckard law firm as an independent counsel to conduct a thorough investigation into the relationship between Black and Epstein. Another internal report. They paid for the Deckard report, and they expect us to believe that it was, you know, on the up and up. Nobody believes that. Hell, nobody at Apollo believed it. The final report concluded Deckard has seen no evidence that Black or. Or any employee of the family office or Apollo was involved in any way with Epstein's criminal activity at any time. There's no evidence that Epstein ever introduced Black or offered to introduce Black to any underage women. I don't believe that for a minute. But let's talk about the finances. That's where you're going to get people like Leon Black. I keep telling you. You might not get Al Capone on the murder, but you're going to get him on the tax evasion. And the same goes for Leon Black. This dude was evading taxes like you wouldn't believe. And as we all get ready to cut the government a check, keep that in mind. According to the Deckard Report, the millions of dollars Black paid Epstein for his advice ultimately saved him billions in return and was money well spent. Wow. Can you imagine trying to actually pitch that to people and expect them to believe it? Like, even at the time when we didn't have all the information we have now, it read like bullshit. And it really reads like bullshit now. But Doe disagrees and claims in her lawsuit that Black, who is worth an estimated 14 billion, allegedly provided the financial underpinnings for Epstein to have ready and reliable access to financial resources to recruit, lure, coerce and entice young women and girls to cause them to engage in commercial sex acts and other degradations. And Radar has learned Black may have allegedly revealed his financial connection to Epstein while trying to stay out of jail in the U.S. virgin Islands, which housed Epstein and his high profile clients. Court documents reveal Black entered into a settlement agreement with the US Virgin Islands in January 2023 that gave him immunity from sex trafficking charges there. And like usual, what Radar is just learning, we have known for years. And for those of you who have been listening for all these years, you know, I went batshit crazy at the time. There's no way this dude should be able to buy himself out of that SECO suit. Absolutely appalling. The key part of the 62 million dollar settlement is the sworn admission that Epstein used the money Black paid him to partially fund his operations in the Virgin Islands. This means that one of the most powerful billionaires on Wall street financed Epstein's trafficking operation in the USVI with impunity. Well, no shitty did and I'm happy that other people are waking up to this because it's a big deal. Everybody wants to talk about co conspirators, they want to talk about this one, that one. Where's the list? Where are the names? But folks, there are plenty of names on the plate already and nobody wants to do anything about that. So what makes anyone think that if the survivors come out and start naming names, it's going to change anything? The onus is on the DOJ to do their job. They have all this information, they know all the facts, all the details, all the players on the stage and they have all the evidence they need to open an investigation, indict people and get convictions. It has nothing to do with the fact that there's not enough evidence because we all know that there's A ton of evidence that proves all of this stuff to be true. What's really lacking is the courage to hold these people accountable. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the description box.

[Podcast Co-host]

What's up, everyone? And welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles. On today's episode, we're going to continue talking about Leon Black and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Now we're learning that on top of the 158 million that he gave to Jeffrey Epstein for quote, unquote, tax advice, he also gave him another 10 million on top of that. And then after he gave him that 10 million, well, that same year, he also paid hush money to one of his accusers, Guzel Ganieva, that same month. So let's dive into this article from the Daily Mail and let's see what's going on. Leon Black gave Jeffrey Epstein's charity $10 million on top of the 158 million he paid for tax advice. In the same year, rape accuser Guzel Ganieva received hush money payments from an E trust. This article was authored by Jen Smith. Yet more financial ties between Leon Black and Jeffrey Epstein have been uncovered, on top of the $158 million he paid him for tax advice and 62 million he gave the US Virgin island prosecutors to avoid being involved in litigation of against the late pedophile's estate. So look, the whole entire narrative that Leon Black was just another client of Jeffrey Epstein, we know that's a bunch of bs and every time we get more information such as this, it's just more icing on top of the cake. A lengthy airmail investigation published this weekend also reveals that in 2015, Black donated $10 million to Gratitude America, a charity run by Jeffrey Epstein with the vague mission of supporting the expression of gratitude for the ideals of America, whatever that means. It's just like those idiots who wrap themselves in a flag and then go around and talk about all kinds of unconstitutional bullshit. Stop it already. Okay, Gratitude America. The only thing Jeffrey Epstein was ever grateful for was that his buddies in powerful positions let him do what he was doing. Besides, that dude isn't grateful for shit. And get this, it was the only donation that the charity had received at the time, despite having existed for three years. So this quote unquote charity is in existence for over three years, but they never receive even one donation. And then out of the blue, there's a $10 million donation from Leon Black, Only for us to find out that same month that Guzel Ganieva received a hush Money payment? Yeah. Nothing to see here, folks. Just another big gigantic coincidence, I guess. In the same month, Guzel Ganieva, a Russian model who was Black's mistress, received the first of what was supposed to be many $100,000 monthly payments to stay quiet about their relationship. So basically what he was doing was funneling this money to Jeffrey Epstein so that Epstein could take care of paying off all of his hush money payments. That's what it looks like now. He'll say it was about tax advice and this, that and the other thing. But does anyone really believe that? Any of you out there who, who have been following this case, do you truly believe that Leon Black was piecing off Epstein to the tune of, oh, I don't know, 170 million roughly, just for advice? Sounds a bit strange from one of the guys who is allegedly one of the biggest movers and shakers in the financial world. And we're talking about Leon Black here, but he's going outside of the company to get this advice from somebody like Epstein. How does that make sense to anybody? The money came from a mysterious E trust, whereas all of the other money she'd received from Black was from his bank account. In total, she was due to receive $20 million from Black as part of their deal. In exchange, she signed an NDA, agreeing to never speak of their romance, which involved meetups at an Upper east side apartment across the street from where Black lives with his wife Deborah and their children. So Leon Black was engaging in a relationship with Guzel Ganieva. That much is not even disputable. The problem here is Guzel Ganieva made some charges, some accusations against Leon Black, and those charges didn't stick. They got thrown out in court. Now, does that mean that Leon Black wasn't up to no good? No, it doesn't. And I think that anybody who's having somebody sign an NDA is probably up to no good. Why do you have somebody sign a non disclosure agreement over a relationship? Unless of course, you're trying to hide something? And that's exactly what Leon Black was trying to do. This dude had a wife, had a family, and not only did he have a wife and a family, but his wife was sick while he's out here creeping around with Guzel Ganieva. Ganieva was given extravagant cash gifts, a Steinway piano, and treated to expensive evenings out with Black. He had also agreed to help her obtain British legal status and was paying for her to go to College too. In 2021, after Epstein's death and the MeToo movement that took down Harvey Weinstein, who frequently transacted in NDAs with accusers. Donievo went public with her rape and harassment allegations. And these NDAs were the lifeblood for people like Harvey Weinstein. They would have these girls sign these NDAs, and that would pretty much give them free reign to abuse them as much as they wanted to. And then if you went and told anybody, well, look, you were in a relationship with him, you guys had a financial agreement. So I don't even know what you're talking about. That's basically what they would try to say. And that's why people like Leon Black would enter into one of these NDAs. Do you think that you have the money to enter into an NDA with somebody? Furthermore, do you think the girl you met on Tinder is going to sign it? Of course not. But when you're Leon Black and you're a mover and a shaker, well, you got enough dough that you can have somebody sign an NDA, and then you can abuse them and assault them and do whatever you want and. And then just refer back to that NDA if they ever out you. Must be nice to have a bunch of dough. She first tweeted her claims, then, after he accused her of lying, sued for defamation. In that lawsuit, she shared more details of the affair. They had countless meals out in Manhattan where she said he showed no regard or concern for his wife becoming aware of. Of his infidelity. Well, why would he care? When you have as much power as Leon Black, as much money as Leon Black, you could do whatever you want. Obviously, everything's for sale. Remember in WWE back in the day, there was a guy named the Million Dollar Man. Everything has its price. That's how Leon Black and his buddies in the financial sector feel about the whole world, including a price on your life. She also described the alleged sexual abuse, though many of her specific claims were redacted. She called Black a sadist whose sexual proclivities were abnormal. Black publicly admitting his affair with Ganieva, which he called foolish, but denied the rape allegations. The case was eventually dismissed. Ganieva's lawsuit is one of three have been directed towards Black by a woman who says that he raped her. The other two, filed by Sherry Pearson in 2022 and a Jane Doe with Mosaic down syndrome who says he raped her when she was 16, are still being litigated. They both say the attacks happened at Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in 2016, a year after he gave Epstein's charity $10 million and Ganieva received the first of her $100,000 payments from the E Trust. Money was transferred back from Epstein to Black, according to airmal. And these sort of little innocuous transactions back and forth from Jeffrey Epstein to Leon Black, they might not look like anything, but in the grand scheme of things, if this was a RICO case, this would all be playing a part. And every last dollar that these idiots were trading would be part of the overall investigation. And you see why they didn't use rico. I know we talk about it a lot here, but it's worth repeating over and over and over again. If they're using RICO on local drug dealers, why aren't they using RICO on Jeffrey Epstein's criminal enterprise? It was in the form of a donation from Epstein's Gratitude America charity to Black's melanoma research charity and in the amount of $225,000.

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[Podcast Co-host]

Because Black was the sole donor to Epstein's charity, he effectively donated funds to his own organization. Yeah, that's called money laundering. Okay. Did he pay taxes on it? I highly doubt any taxes were paid whatsoever. There is also reference to additional $5 million black is said to have donated to to Gratitude America. But the only proof of it is in a letter of thanks from the charity, prompting questions of whether he did indeed pay the donation and crucially, if he claimed it as a tax deduction. Yes, that's where you should be looking. You want to take down people like this, there's one way to do it. Follow the money. Because inevitably, all of these rich people are up to no good. All of them are cutting corners. They're all insider trading, all of that shit. You think you get this rich by being an honest and upstanding citizen? Caribbean prosecutors say Epstein's criminal enterprise hinged on money stored in Southern Trust Co. From 2013 to 2017, the total was 158 million, the same Blagg had given Epstein between 2012 and 2017. Black's ties with Epstein are being more closely scrutinized now in light of not just the lawsuit filed by Jane Doe, but also the $158 million he paid Epstein for tax advice. The Senate Finance Committee is investigating whether Black met his tax obligations through the payments. Why Black, a titan of Wall street with his own firm, would seek such advice from Epstein, whose own financial credentials were far less impressive, remains a mystery to many. Well, finally, people are catching up. How long have I said this? We're talking about Bill Belichick here going to ask advice about football from a high school coach. That's the equivalency. So why is it happening? And why is Leon Black asking somebody like Epstein to get involved in his financials? That's the real question people should be asking. Black's representatives have always maintained that the payments were legitimate, that he trusted Epstein foolishly, and that he was never involved in Epstein sex trafficking of young girls. He has been given until September 1st to cooperate with the Senate Finance Committee investigation. Well, I'll reserve my judgment on this Senate investigation until we see more from them. But every other quote unquote Senate look at Jeffrey Epstein and his friends has been nothing more than perfunctory. And unfortunately, I don't have that high of hopes for this one either. All right, folks, that's going to do it for this one. All of the information that goes with this episode can be found in the Description box.

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