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It was a match made in heaven, or maybe in hell: the sexual deviant and the lingerie demigod.
For decades, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was one of the closest friends of Victoria’s Secret billionaire Les Wexner, 84. In fact, the late con, who, in August 2019 at 66, committed suicide in the jail cell of a Manhattan federal detention center while awaiting trial in his sex trafficking case, once joked that he and the retail baron “share a brain.” (It should be noted that Wexner has claimed complete ignorance of Epstein’s sexual misdeeds.)
But in the forthcoming Hulu docuseries, “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons,” out Thursday, associates of the unlikely duo — Wexner, a self-made magnate from the Midwest, and Epstein, a college dropout who smooth-talked his way into roles in New York’s financial district — say the two were bound by more than ambition.
They each needed the other in order to survive.
“Wexner had the money that Epstein was seeking, and Wexner got from Epstein the glamour and smoothness that he was seeking,” says Cindy Fedus-Fields, the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret Direct, in the three-part saga directed and produced by Matt Tyrnauer of “The Reagans” and “Studio 54” fame.
Their relationship was a seemingly lopsided quid pro quo, however.
While the clothing tycoon, credited in the doc as the inventor of fast fashion, amassed a net worth of more than $5 billion via his throng of trendy apparel shops, Epstein, who Wexner anointed as his money manger, had a lot less to offer — on paper.
But, to Wexner, what the crook lacked in assets he made up for Big Apple savoir faire.
“When Les Wexner met Jeffrey Epstein, he apparently remarked that [Epstein] was so exciting,” explains Barry Levine, author of Epstein expose “The Spider,” in the film. “He was everything that Les Wexner thought was lacking in Ohio.”
In the early 1980s, Wexner’s empire expanded from just The Limited, which he launched from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio in 1963, to include Victoria’s Secret. Wexner purchased the lingerie brand from founders Roy and Gaye Raymond for $1 million — and the shrewd suburbanite wanted to make a splash in the big city.
So, in 1985 he purchased luxe Fifth Avenue emporium Henri Bendel for just under $10 million in an attempt to impress Gotham’s swanky upper crust.
“He wanted that New York cachet, and that was a way to buy into it,” says Teri Agins, author of “The End of Fashion,” in the series. “He invited Jackie Onassis to the christening of the store … because he wanted that respect with New York society and high fashion New York.”
The wannabe city slicker even purchased the most sprawling townhouse on the Upper East Side for a then-unprecedented $13.2 million in hopes of being embraced by the elite.
However, despite his efforts, the crème de la crème regarded Wexner as nothing more than a mere “pimple on New York’s backside,” says Michael Gross, author of “Model” in the film.
In Epstein, Wexner found the suave, business- and streetwise ally he’d been longing for. And for his urbanity, the mogul gave him carte blanche to his businesses and billions.
“Epstein was extraordinarily mesmerizing and could convince anything of anybody,” says the swindler’s former business partner Steven J. Hoffenberg in the film. “[He was the} master manipulator.”
Almost immediately after meeting, Wexner granted Epstein full power of attorney over his sizable fortune. Shortly thereafter, Epstein became a notorious elbow-rubber to the aristocratic likes of Prince Andrew, former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump and tech whiz Bill Gates.
Wexner also allowed him to unseat his beloved mother, Bella Wexner, on the board of his foundation. He sold Epstein his ritzy midtown mansion and The Limited’s Boeing 727 private jet — eventually nicknamed the “Lolita Express” by the media because Epstein used it to traffic woman — for well under market value. The details of the transaction, however, were “shrouded in so many shell companies” per the doc that it’s unclear how much, or little, Epstein paid for the plane.
Wexner even brokered a $3.5 million deal for Epstein to purchase the guest house located on his massive private property in New Albany, Ohio. (There, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly sexually assaulted and imprisoned aspiring artist Maria Farmer in 1996; however, no arrests were made following the alleged attack).
And Epstein’s hold on Wexner wasn’t limited to just business dealings. In 1993, the business tycoon tied the knot with then 31-year-old New York attorney Abigail S. Koppel. Epstein oversaw their prenuptial agreement.
“Epstein was deeply involved in the personal lives of Abigail and Les,” says Fedus-Fields.
Ellison adds, “There wasn’t a part of Wexner’s empire that Epstein didn’t have access to and didn’t have some ability to control.”
And Epstein took full advantage of his benefactor’s growing clout.
In the summer of 1993 Epstein was caught posing as a recruiter for Victoria’s Secret catalog models. He was using his affiliation with Wexner as a lure for attracting unsuspecting beauties, according to Fedus-Fields.
Then, in May 1997, former Playboy pinup Alicia Arden, now 55, filed a sexual battery report in Santa Monica, Calif. against Epstein, claiming he sexually “manhandled” her in his hotel room during a supposed meeting about posing in a Victoria’s Secret mailer.
While it’s unclear if word of the incident ever got back to Wexner, the apparel magnate continued singing Epstein’s praises to the public.
“Wexner told Vanity Fair, in 2003, that Epstein was ‘very smart with a combination of excellent judgment and unusually high standard. Also, he’s always the most loyal friend,’” Washington Post journalist Sarah Ellison quotes in the doc. “Epstein had to have had some kind of hold over Wexner.”
And that hold, many in the doc believe, was far stronger than mere business ties.
“Each one have must have fulfilled the need of the other,” says Fedus-Fields. “I’m not at all inferring that it was a sexual need, but there was something there.”
Prior to his death, Epstein, during a 2010 deposition in a Florida civil case, denied identifying as bisexual. And when asked if he’d shared a romantic relationship with Wexner, the convicted sex offender spat an emphatic “No,” per footage of the legal inquisition featured in the series.
Wexner, who declined to be interviewed for the doc but provided statements to production through an attorney, “categorically denied” a homosexual dalliance with Epstein.
Representatives for Wexner did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for a comment.
As the years went on, Wexner got richer — and Epstein continued to reap the benefits.
By the late 2000s, Victoria’s Secret had amassed a whopping $6 billion in revenue, with top supermodels including Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks and Adriana Lima modeling the brand’s push-ups and panties. Epstein used his friend’s money to his benefit, buying up sprawling estates around the world, including a chic apartment in Paris and a seaside villa in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which ultimately acted as trafficking ports.
Epstein also used Wexner’s acquisition of some 747 cargo jets as well as a fleet of Southern Air Transport plane, which were once owed by the CIA, to bolster his own reputation. Over the years, the hustler “boasted that he had connections” to the intelligence agency, says Ellison.
And building strong ties with the federal government was said to be of utmost importance to Wexner.
The mogul, according to the doc, empowered Epstein to allocate funds towards devising a communication strategy for the Israeli government in the wake of the Iraq War. Wexner’s motivation, per journalist Noah Kulwin, co-host of the podcast about the Iraq War “Blowback,” was to make sure “their preferred outcomes happen.” (The mogul’s specific political hopes were not explored in the film, but Wexner is known to be very pro-Israel).
But Wexner and Epstein’s seemingly impenetrable bond began to weaken in 2006, when the swindler was caught sexually abusing underage girls in his Palm Beach, Florida estate. Epstein was arrested on solicitation of prostitution charges.
Legal documents obtained from an investigation launched by officials in Oregon, according to the series, indicate that Wexner’s L-Brands directly aided Epstein’s legal defense after his 2006 arrest; however, the mogul ultimately removed Epstein as his power of attorney in December 2007, before Epstein went to jail in 2008 and served a measly 18-month sentence.
It would be another 13 years before the registered offender was returned to police custody for his sex crimes.
By the time of Epstein’s 2019 arrest, Wexner finally began publicly distancing himself from the master manipulator, claiming he, too, was a victim of his schemes.
In February 2020, Wexner stepped down from his role as CEO of L Brands. (A spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret told The Post, “Victoria’s Secret is an independent company now and can’t comment on behalf of L Brands or former CEO Les Wexner.”)
But, concerning Epstein’s wrongdoings, Wexner spoke for himself.
“Everyone has to feel enormous regret for the advantage that was taken of so many young women. That just unexplainable, abhorrent behavior clearly is something we all would condemn,” the retailer said in an televised address featured in the doc.
“Being taken advantage of by someone so sick, so cunning, so depraved is something that I’m embarrassed that I was even close to,” added Wexner, who gave Epstein an estimated $400 million during their 20 year relationship.
In the doc, Ellison says we needn’t cry for the mogul.
“Epstein’s story has done more damage to him than anything does in his life,” says Ellison. “But, even as his legacy has been tarnished, he’s still amassing wealth and still one of the most powerful billionaires in the country.”
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