Sex Trafficking

About 200 protesters gathered Friday at Ohio State University's Oval to call for the removal of Les Wexner's name from campus buildings due to his ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein.

Republican staff and multiple U.S. House Democratic congressmembers questioned Les Wexner on Feb. 18, 2026 regarding his relationship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. A video was released on YouTube the following day.

House Oversight Ranking Member Robert Garcia of California and four other representatives say Les Wexner often answered their questions by saying he doesn't remember. Garcia said Wexner wasn't pleading the 5th Amendment to avoid incriminating himself.

Newly released documents written days after Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in 2019 name Ohio billionaire Les Wexner as one of Epstein's co-conspirators, but the documents state there was "limited evidence" against the billionaire.

Jeffrey Epstein wrote that Les Wexner had no interest in meeting with him. Epstein wrote this was unsatisfactory, but understands the decision because of what Epstein called his bad judgement with women. Wexner accused Epstein of stealing money from him and claims he broke ties.

E. Gordon Gee went to bat for Les Wexner, who he calls a friend and a wonderful philanthropist. Gee's time as president overlapped with Wexner's time as chair of the Ohio State University's Board of Trustees.

A subpoena issued to Les Wexner sets his deposition date for Feb. 18. Wexner's legal representative said in a statement the Ohio billionaire will cooperate fully with any governmental inquiry into Epstein.

Heavily redacted emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice appear to show Les Wexner, Ohio's richest man, was investigated by the FBI as a co-conspirator in Jeffrey Epstein's 2019 sex trafficking case. Wexner's lawyer denies this.

The New York Times Magazine story reports Lex Wexner was warned Jeffrey Epstein was "a rat" and couldn't be trusted, yet Wexner hired Epstein anyway. Epstein went on to siphon tens of millions of dollars from Ohio's richest man while building a sex trafficking ring.

The city filed a nuisance lawsuit against Sanctuary Night, a Franklinton non-profit that aids women escaping sex trafficking and drug abuse, after reports of criminal activity.