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A Donor’s Ties to Epstein Are Criticized at MoMA and Dartmouth

Ai Weiwei and other artists say the investor Leon Black should step down as MoMA’s chairman amid revelations that he paid $158 million to Jeffrey Epstein.

An outside review for Apollo’s board, conducted by the law firm Dechert, found that Black had paid Epstein, a financier, the $158 million for tax and estate advisory services over a five-year period. Black also lent $30 million to Epstein, only $10 million of which was paid back. But Dechert said it found no wrongdoing on Black’s part.

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In all, Black accounted for 85 percent of the fees raked in by Epstein at his Southern Trust Company following his 2008 conviction through his arrest in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving other underage girls. Epstein killed himself a month later while in federal custody.

Now Black’s philanthropy is coming under scrutiny, including from major figures in the art world.

The report also said that Epstein was instrumental in “obtaining a potential advisory opinion from the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance regarding a contemplated transaction involving Black’s art.”

Leon Black Sued by Woman Who Alleges Defamation, Sexual Violence

Leon Black defamed a woman by calling their relationship that included “appalling forced sexual misconduct” a “consensual affair” and by claiming she’d extorted money from him, according to a lawsuit.

Black made his statement in April about his association with Guzel Ganieva to Bloomberg News and it was printed by the New York Post, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in New York state court. A spokesperson for Black said that statement was provided to other media as well.

File: Apollo CEO Black Steps Down Following Jeffrey Epstein Report
Leon BlackPhotographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
Black used his Wall Street connections to arrange “sham interviews” for Ganieva, according to the lawsuit, which included 2014 correspondence regarding an interview with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Pete Lyon and Alison Mass, who were at the time co-heads of the bank’s financial-sponsors group. Goldman Sachs declined to comment.


Black, the co-founder and former chief executive officer of Apollo Global Management Inc., called the claims in Ganieva’s lawsuit “categorically untrue.”

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and alleges defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and gender-motivated violence.

In August 2019, unsealed documents revealed connections between Dubin and Jeffrey Epstein, including allegations of involvement in his sexual abuse ring.[6] Former house manager for the Dubins, Rinaldo Rizzo, described a 2005 encounter at the Dubin's home with a 15-year-old girl employed as a nanny. Rizzo said the girl, who was shaking and crying, told him that she was pressured by Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with Epstein, with Maxwell taking her passport when she refused.[30] A month into her employ, according to The Daily Beast, the Dubins took the girl with them to Sweden, where she was dropped off at an airport.[4] The unsealed court documents were from a lawsuit filed in 2015 against Maxwell by Virginia Roberts Giuffre who named several individuals as participants in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme that included Glenn Dubin as one of the men with which Epstein and Maxwell forced her to have sex.[30][31]

In September 2020 the Attorney General of the British Virgin Islands subpoenaed the Dubins as part of their probe into the dealings of Jeffrey Epstein.[32][33][34]

Another person who is connected to MoMA is Marina Abramovic who is cooperating with them for many years, so it's not like she only likes to hang out there, it's more of a business connection. MoMA's new gallery has been named for wealthy trustee couple with links to Epstein - Glenn Dubin and his wife Eva Dubin. Back in 2016, Virginia Giuffre accused Glenn Dubin of being the first in a long list of powerful men that Epstein's companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, had instructed her to have sex with. Thus this associate of MoMA has been linked to child abuse ring. Another one is Leon D. Black, chairman of MoMA who paid 158 million dollars to Epstein who has been instrumental in obtaining state department of taxation and finance opinion regarding a contemplated transaction involving Black's art.

A Russian model claims Wall Street billionaire Leon Black flew her to Palm Beach to 'satisfy the sex needs' of Jeffrey Epstein

* Leon Black is accused of flying a Russian model to Jeffrey Epstein's home in 2008 to engage in sex acts.

* In a court filing, Guzel Ganieva said Wall Street billionaire Black called Epstein his best friend.

* Black's lawyer said Ganieva's claims were "demonstrably and transparently false."

A Russian model has accused Wall Street billionaire Leon Black of flying her to Florida to engage in sex acts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein without her consent.

Black, the former Apollo Global Management CEO, repeatedly referred to Epstein as his "best friend," Guzel Ganieva claimed in an amended complaint filed in New York's supreme court on Monday.

The filing is the latest in a defamation lawsuit first brought by Ganieva in June.

Black's lawyer Danya Perry told Insider in an emailed statement that "just like her June complaint, Ms. Ganieva's story today is demonstrably and transparently false and betrays her willingness to say anything and fabricate a story in the hope that something will stick."

Black previously described a "limited relationship" with Epstein confined to personal finance matters, according to The New York Times, which cited a July 2019 letter from Black to investors.

Ganieva said in the filing that Black invited her to lunch in Manhattan in October 2008 before telling her that they would fly to Florida to meet an unnamed friend. Black and Ganieva then boarded a private plane and flew to Palm Beach, the filing said.

"Black was bringing her down to Florida without her consent, to satisfy the sex needs of Epstein, his 'best friend,'" the court filing said.

At Epstein's Palm Beach home, "Black and Epstein were situated close to one another, each facing Ms. Ganieva while in almost supine positions, as if they were waiting for her to get on top of them," the filing said. Black indicated he wanted her to "lay in between him and Epstein," the filing said.

Ganieva said she did not engage in sex acts with either of the men, per the filing.

Epstein was serving a prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution, but given "work release" for up to 12 hours a day, meaning he could visit his Palm Beach home, the filing claimed.

Black threatened to plant heroin on her and frame her if she told anyone about the trip to Florida, Ganieva claimed.

Ganieva claimed on Twitter in March that Black had "sexually harassed and abused" her. Black denied the claims, telling Bloomberg in April that he had "foolishly had a consensual affair with Ms. Ganieva that ended more than seven years ago," and that "any allegation of harassment or any other inappropriate behavior towards her is completely fabricated."

He also accused the model of extorting him by threatening to go public with their relationship.

Ganieva sued Black for defamation in June, and further claimed that Black had raped her in 2014, according to the original court filing. A month later, Black filed a counterclaim, repeating his extortion claims, and calling Ganieva's accusations a "work of fiction."

Jeanne M. Christensen, Ganieva's lawyer, said in a statement to Insider on Tuesday that Black's counterclaims were "yet another attempt to inflict extreme pain," and that "Black's billions will not protect him from the truth coming out about what he has done to Ms. Ganieva."

In March, Black stepped down from Apollo, the $25 billion asset management firm he helped found, and told Bloomberg this was unrelated to Ganieva's claims.

In October 2020, Apollo commissioned law firm Dechert to investigate Black's relationship with Epstein. The report, published in January, found that Black paid Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017, including for "estate planning" and "tax issues."

There was "no evidence suggesting that either their professional or personal relationships ever touched upon Epstein's criminal activities or any other illegal activity," the report said.

Black said in an Apollo earnings call in October 2020 that his relationship with Epstein was a "terrible mistake."