In 2021, billionaire Leon Black stepped down from Apollo Global Management after admitting to have paid Jeffrey Epstein $158 million between 2012 and 2017. Four years later in 2025, President Trump appointed his son Ben to the US IDFC.

It’s probably nothing though

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Black

“In 2019, Black stated that he maintained a "limited relationship" with Jeffrey Epstein.[31]
In 1997, he made Epstein one of the original trustees of what is today the Debra and Leon Black Foundation.[32] In his 2020 letter to Apollo investors, Black said that Epstein provided him with "estate planning, tax and philanthropic advice" to his "family partnership and other related family entities".[33]

The New York Times reported that Black had paid Epstein at least $50 million for such services from 2012 to 2017.[32] Black did not at the time confirm the $50 million sum reported by The New York Times, but did say that he paid Epstein "millions of dollars annually for his work".[34]

In October 2020, Black requested that the Apollo board conduct an independent review of his relationship with Epstein, and it retained the law firm Dechert LLP to do so.[35][36] Black has said that he "deeply regrets" his relationship with Epstein.[37]

The review conducted by Dechert LLP was released on January 25, 2021. It showed that Black had paid Epstein around $158 million from 2012 through 2017 for financial services.[38] Using Epstein's tax avoidance strategies, Black saved at least $1.3 billion in taxes.[39]

Black pledged his intention to donate $200 million to women's initiatives.[40][41] In 2023, Black paid $62.5 million to the U.S. Virgin Islands to be released from claims related to Epstein.[42] In July 2023, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee made public that it is investigating Black's tax strategies and dealings with Epstein.[43]

Sexual misconduct accusations

In March 2021, Guzel Ganieva claimed in a series of tweets that "I was sexually harassed and abused by [Black] for years [and ultimately] forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement under duress". Black stated that he had engaged in a consensual affair with her.[44][45] The matter has resulted in lawsuits and countersuits.[46][47]

Ganieva further alleged that Black introduced her to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and tried to force her to have sex with him.[48] Ganieva's lawsuit against Black was dismissed in May 2023.[49]

The law firm that represented Ganieva also represented another accuser, Cheri Pierson, who accused Black of raping her in 2002 in Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in New York City.[50] Black denied these claims.[51]

On July 25, 2023, a lawsuit was filed against Black, alleging that he raped a 16-year-old girl with autism and Down syndrome in Epstein's Manhattan townhouse in 2002.[52][53] Black's attorney called the accusations "frivolous and sanctionable".[54] Pierson discontinued her lawsuit against Black in February 2024.[55]