Epstein-Black Emails Expose Billionaire’s $40 M-a-Year Pay-Offs and Harsh Tone

Newly revealed emails show that Jeffrey Epstein pressured billionaire Leon Black for tens of millions each year. Epstein demanded $25 million upfront and $5 million every two months while calling Black’s advisors and children derogatory names.

Despite Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex-crimes, Black continued to pay him, eventually totalling around $170 million over five years for so-called “tax and estate” advice. A Senate investigation notes these amounts far exceeded standard fees for such services.

Black maintains he did nothing wrong and hired law-firm Dechert LLP which found no evidence he knew of Epstein’s wrongdoing. Even so, Black resigned as CEO of Apollo Global Management in 2021 after the revelations sparked investor and public backlash.

With pressure mounting from regulators and victims, the affair underlines how Epstein’s financial network extended into elite circles. The implications for Black’s legacy and for wider institutional accountability are still unfolding.