EXCLUSIVE: Epstein Victim Slams Sicko's 'Secret Plan' to Pay For His Sex Trafficking Empire — After Bank of America Is Accused of 'Helping Him Pull It Off' In Explosive Lawsuit
A victim of Jeffrey Epstein is suing Bank of America for allegedly ignoring 'red flags.'
Jan. 9 2026, Published 7:35 p.m. ET
Although billionaire investor Leon Black has been accused of sending millions of dollars to Jeffrey Epstein to help fund his perverted empire, his attorney has exclusively told RadarOnline.com that any money paid to the s-- fiend was purely for "legitimate tax and estate planning services" – and nothing else.
However, a new lawsuit by one of Epstein's victims calls the explanation "preposterous."
Leon Black's Reasoning Is 'Preposterous'
The unnamed woman claims the bank didn't investigate when Leon Black sent Epstein millions of dollars.
As part of her class action suit against Bank of America, the unnamed woman, identified only as "Jane Doe," alleges Black sent Epstein $170million to help finance his s-- palaces in the US Virgin Islands.
The payments were labeled as "tax and estate planning advice," which, according to Doe's lawyer, are services the successful businessman would never need for himself.
"Black is purportedly one of the brightest financial minds in the world," the lawyer argues in court documents obtained by Radar. "Epstein held himself out to be a financial advisor on a subject which Black had far greater knowledge than Epstein.
"Black's explanation that he provided Epstein with $170million for financial advice is preposterous on its face."
Leon Black's Lawyer Claps Back
Black's lawyer said the money was paid to Epstein in exchange for his tax and planning advice.
However, Black's lawyer, Susan Estrich of Estrich Goldin, told Radar that's allegedly what the money was for.
"The flood of recently released Epstein documents makes one thing clear: the independent Dechert Report – issued more than four years ago, based on a review of more than 60,000 documents and more than 25 interviews – was correct in its conclusions that Mr. Black only paid Epstein for legitimate tax and estate planning services, vetted by reputable law and accounting firms, and that Mr. Black had no awareness of Epstein’s criminal activities," Estrich claimed.
In October 2020, Black's employer, Apollo Global Management, retained the Dechert law firm as an "independent counsel" to conduct a thorough investigation into the relationship between Black and Epstein, "including any financial, business or personal dealings between Black and any Black affiliate, on the one hand, and Epstein and any Epstein affiliate on the other."
Money Spent, Money Earned
Epstein housed and moved his money through Bank of America.
The final report concluded: "Dechert has seen no evidence that Black or any employee of the Family Office or Apollo was involved in any way with Epstein's criminal activities at any time. There is no evidence that Epstein ever introduced Black, or offered to introduce Black, to any underage woman."
According to the Dechert report, the millions Black allegedly paid Epstein for his advice ended up saving him billions in return and was money well spent.
Black's alleged backing of Epstein came out as part of a larger lawsuit against Bank of America, Epstein's financial institution.
The "Jane Doe" claims Bank of America failed to investigate mandatory red flags after Leon sent the millions of dollars to Epstein and is allegedly just as responsible for her pain.
Senate Finance Investigation
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Epstein eventually killed himself in jail.
In 2023, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden opened an ongoing investigation into financial dealings between Black and Epstein.
According to Wyden, "The Dechert report found Black paid Epstein, who was neither a licensed tax attorney nor a certified public accountant, a total of $158 million in several installments between 2012 and 2017.
"The payments were inexplicably large; well in excess of what Black paid any other financial advisors and far higher than the median compensation of Fortune 500 CEOs at the time."
In a recent letter to Brian Moynihan, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at Bank of America, current chairman Jamie Raskin asked for answers, sharing: "Financial institutions are often the first line of defense in detecting serious federal crimes, especially the ones that involve significant flows of money like s-- trafficking.
"Flagging and detecting Mr. Epstein’s suspicious withdrawals may well have stopped his crimes years earlier and saved countless girls and women from a fateful interaction with the criminals Mr. Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their co-conspirators."
