Billionaire Leon Black defends $158M paid to Epstein: 'I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde'

Billionaire investor Leon Black defended his decades-long relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, stating he paid the disgraced financier $158 million for legitimate services and was unaware of his "nefarious activity" until 2019. Appearing before the House Oversight Committee, Black insisted he committed no criminal wrongdoing.

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I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde.

Black, co-founder of Apollo Global Management, stepped down in 2021 due to fallout from his ties to Epstein. He maintained that he paid Epstein for his "unrivaled network of relationships" with influential figures. "I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde," Black told the committee, referencing the duality of Epstein's public persona versus his criminal actions.

Black's relationship with Epstein is detailed in Justice Department files and birthday messages released by the House committee. A 2021 review found Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017, after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The review deemed the payments for "bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services."

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This could be a pretty significant deposition as we try to get answers.

"I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others. I wish I had not," Black stated. Epstein was indicted in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial. The House committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., suggested this deposition could be "groundbreaking" in their investigation into Epstein's network.

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I gave Epstein a second chance, as did many others. I wish I had not.