WATCH: Democrats say Les Wexner’s deposition in Epstein files raises more questions than answers

NEW ALBANY, Ohio (AP) — The billionaire behind a retail empire that covered malls with names like Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch has told members of Congress that he “was conned by a world-class con man” — close financial adviser Jeffrey Epstein. Les Wexner also denies knowing about the crimes of convicted sex offenders or participating in Epstein’s abuse of girls and young women.

Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee held a press conference on Wednesday. Watch in our video player above.

“I was naive, foolish and gullible to place any trust in Jeffrey Epstein,” the 88-year-old retired founder of L Brands said in a statement to the House Oversight Committee before his interview on Wednesday. “He was a con man. And while I was a con man, I did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide.” Democrats had subpoenaed him after the recent release of Justice Department documents about Epstein raised new questions about Wexner’s relationship with the well-connected financier.

Read more: Billionaire Les Wexner is isolated in the investigation into the Epstein files. Here’s what the documents show about their relationship

In an unusual move, lawmakers traveled to Wexner’s home in New Albany, Ohio, for the interview.

In his statement, Wexner described himself as a philanthropist and community builder who always strives “to live my life in an ethical way that aligns with my moral compass.” He said he was keen to “set the record straight” about his relations with Epstein and dispel the “outrageous, untrue statements, hurtful rumours, innuendo and speculation” that had clouded him.

As one of Epstein’s most prominent former friends, Wexner has spent years answering their decades-long association. In court documents, Epstein’s high-profile victim, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Wexner was one of the men Epstein trafficked her with.

Wexner has denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s crimes and said he never met Giuffre. He told L Brands investors in 2019 that he was embarrassed to have approached someone who was “so sick, so cunning, so corrupt.”

Wexner was never charged with any crimes related to Epstein.

Wexner’s name appears more than 1,000 times in Epstein’s files, which his spokesman said is not surprising given their long-standing relationships. The documents shed new light on his relationship with Epstein, which ended bitterly after Wexner and his wife, Abigail, learned he was stealing from them.

“Most loyal friend”

Epstein first met Wexner through a business associate in approximately 1986.

It was a good time for Wexner’s money. The Ohio business owner developed one Limited store in Columbus into a collection of mall staples in the 1980s: The Limited, Limited Express, Lane Bryant and Victoria’s Secret. It will be followed by Abercrombie & Fitch, Lerner, White Barn Candle Company, and others.

Within two years, Wexner turned over management of his vast fortune to Epstein. Documents show he gave his trusted associate power of attorney in 1991, allowing Epstein to make investments, make business deals, buy real estate and help develop what became Wexner’s vast estate in then-rural New Albany.

Wexner told Vanity Fair in a 2003 interview that Epstein had “excellent judgment and extraordinarily high standards,” and was “always the most loyal friend.”

Epstein recalls ‘gangster stuff’

In one newly released document, Epstein sent rough notes to himself about Wexner, saying, “I never did anything without informing Les” and “I would never give him up.” Another document, apparently a draft of a letter to Wexner, said the two “had a ‘gang business’ for over 15 years” and were indebted to each other — with Wexner helping to make Epstein rich and Epstein helping to make Wexner richer.

A spokesman for Wexner said he never received the letter.

“Epstein appears to have been angry that Mr. Wexner refused to meet with him years after Mr. Wexner terminated Epstein and severed all ties with him after Mr. Wexner discovered Epstein’s theft and criminal behavior,” spokesman Tom Davis said. “The draft appears to fit a pattern of untrue, bizarre and misleading statements made by Epstein in desperate attempts to perpetuate his lies and justify his misconduct.”

The relationship unravels

It was only after Epstein’s arrest on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 that Wexner publicly revealed that he had broken off their relationship. In a letter sent by the Wexner Foundation in August of that year, he said it happened in 2007. But newly released records from the Justice Department show the two were in contact after that.

Wexner emailed Epstein on June 26, 2008, after announcing a plea deal that would require him to serve 18 months in a Florida prison on the state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor to avoid federal prosecution. He ended up serving 13 months.

“Abigail told me the outcome… All I can say is I’m sorry. I violated your #1 rule… Always be careful,” Wexner wrote. “No excuse,” Epstein replied.

Davis said the 2007 date Wexner cited in 2019 applies to Epstein’s removal from his position as financial advisor, the revocation of his power of attorney and the removal of his name from Wexner’s bank accounts.

Wexner also said in a 2019 letter that Epstein embezzled “vast sums” of his and his family’s wealth while overseeing his financial affairs. An investigative memo from the most recent version of the document says Wexner’s lawyers told investigators in 2008 that Epstein repaid him $100 million, believed to be just a portion of what he stole.

The fallout continues for Wexner

The documents emboldened sexual assault survivors in ways that increased pressure on Wexner.

Epstein survivor Maria Farmer said she has been vindicated by a redacted FBI report contained in the documents, which confirms she filed one of the earliest complaints against Epstein.

Although the complaint said he possessed nude photos of underage girls, the records brought new attention to the harrowing account of an alleged sexual encounter he forced on her and Ghislaine Maxwell in the summer of 1996 at Epstein’s New Albany home. The house was about a half mile from the Wexners’ home. The Wexners said they never heard anything about Farmer’s account of the crime until it appeared in news reports years later.

Meanwhile, survivors of another sexual predator — the late Dr. Richard Strauss, the team physician at Ohio State University who was found to have sexually assaulted at least 177 students over the years — are citing Wexner’s relationship with Epstein to try to remove his name from the campus football complex that was built with his contributions. Their request is pending before a university committee. Davis declined to comment.

The alumni group scored a legal victory last week, when a judge said she could force Wexner to testify in the lawsuit against the university. Wexner sat on the Ohio State Board of Trustees during the period in which Strauss, who died before his actions came to light, committed his crimes.