Eleven Epstein survivors, carrying decades of pain and unbreakable resolve, filed a landmark lawsuit that strikes at the heart of one of the darkest alliances in recent history.
They accuse billionaire Les Wexner — the man who built the Victoria’s Secret empire — and his Wexner Foundation of providing the critical funding and resources that helped Jeffrey Epstein build and sustain a large-scale international criminal sex trafficking operation.
The suit claims Wexner funneled more than $200 million over two decades to Epstein, enabling years of heinous acts of gender-motivated violence, much of it allegedly occurring inside the infamous New York mansion on East 71st Street that Wexner once controlled and later transferred to Epstein.
What shocks most is the transformation: from close business partner and financial lifeline to defendant accused of powering one of the worst abuse networks behind a veil of philanthropy and privilege.
Filed in New York under the Gender-Motivated Violence Act, this case targets not just Epstein’s ghost, but the powerful enablers who allegedly kept his machine running.
Will this landmark action finally expose the full depth of the financial backbone behind Epstein’s crimes, or will immense wealth once again protect the untouchable?
Eleven Epstein survivors, carrying decades of pain and unbreakable resolve, filed a landmark lawsuit that strikes at the heart of one of the darkest alliances in recent history.
They accuse billionaire Les Wexner — the man who built the Victoria’s Secret empire — and his Wexner Foundation of providing the critical funding and resources that helped Jeffrey Epstein build and sustain a large-scale international criminal sex trafficking operation. The suit also names the Nine East 71st Street Corporation, the entity Wexner created to acquire the infamous Upper East Side mansion.
The suit claims Wexner funneled more than $200 million over two decades to Epstein, enabling years of heinous acts of gender-motivated violence, much of it allegedly occurring inside the notorious New York mansion on East 71st Street that Wexner once controlled and later transferred to Epstein. Filed on March 6, 2026, in New York Supreme Court (later removed to federal court) under the city’s Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA), the complaint alleges that Wexner “knew or should have known” about the abuse. It argues his substantial payments, the granting of full power of attorney to Epstein, and ongoing business ties—including modeling connections tied to his brands—supplied the financial fuel and physical infrastructure for the operation from the late 1980s into the 2010s.
The 11 plaintiffs — Malgorzata Lesniewski, Audra Christiansen, Carine Silva de Deus, Renata Navega, Jonika Oakes, Kiyana Oakes, Nakeisha Williams, Andrea Sterling, Viktoriia Makhova, Stacey Ault, and Jane Doe — are seeking monetary damages for their physical and emotional trauma, medical expenses, and legal costs. Their attorneys assert a stark claim: “There would be no Epstein without Les Wexner.”
What shocks most is the transformation: from close business partner and financial lifeline to defendant accused of powering one of the worst abuse networks behind a veil of philanthropy and privilege. Wexner built a vast retail fortune through L Brands and became a major philanthropist, with his name on institutions like the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University.
Wexner’s representatives have strongly denied the allegations. They maintain that the payments were legitimate compensation for Epstein’s services as a wealth manager between approximately 1987 and 2007, not gifts or funding for crimes. Wexner has repeatedly described Epstein as a “world-class con man” who “misappropriated vast sums,” insists he had no knowledge of any illegal activity, and says he severed all ties upon learning of the misconduct. The mansion, they note, was sold to Epstein in 1998 for $20 million.
This landmark action targets not just Epstein’s ghost, but the powerful enablers who allegedly kept his machine running. It arrives amid continued public scrutiny of Epstein’s network, including document releases and congressional inquiries. Under the GMVA, the case focuses on patterns of enabled gender-motivated violence rather than requiring proof of direct criminal participation.
Will this landmark action finally expose the full depth of the financial backbone behind Epstein’s crimes, or will immense wealth once again protect the untouchable? For the survivors, it is a courageous stand for accountability. The elite walls have held firm in past cases, but every new filing adds weight to the demand for transparency and justice.
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