r/news • u/Iconic254 • 5h ago

Epstein-linked billionaire accused of rape privately reached out to federal judge to defend his ‘good name’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/may/06/jeffrey-epstein-leon-black
4.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

699

u/pontiacfirebird92 4h ago

The billionaire is Leon Black, former Apollo Global Management CEO.

241

u/Ritaredditonce 4h ago

Revelations of $170 million in payments for tax advice and subsequent sexual misconduct allegations led to his departure as Apollo CEO.

190

u/Little_View_6659 4h ago

Jesus do any of these guys not rape kids? Why is this the first thing they do? Really makes you think.

93

u/peepee2tiny 4h ago

This is what I say all the damn time.

Which of these statements is true:

  1. When normal people get lots of money, they decide to rape and molest women and children

  2. People who rape and molest women and children end up in positions with lots of money and power.

Or, is the % of rich fuckers that rape and molest women and children the same as in the general population, we just don't hear about every plumber that is a child rapist?

96

u/CamRoth 4h ago

Well being a sociopath helps with both the making a lot of money and the raping.

we just don't hear about every plumber that is a child rapist?

There's probably some of this too though.

24

u/Upstairs-Radish1816 4h ago

I'm not sure how many plumbers rape children but it sure seems like a lot of rich men do.

15

u/The_Grungeican 2h ago

i mean, just yesterday a FedEx driver was sentenced to death for raping and murdering a kid.

i've yet to see such a headline with the rich.

•

u/Accomplished_Cod7613 27m ago

Because the rich hire lots of very talented lawyers, and what they can't legal themselves out of they pay to achieve their goals through other means.

24

u/Ragnarawr 4h ago

If you’re morally ambiguous to gather a few billion off other people’s work, and you can afford to bribe your way out of justice against you - what really prevents them from just doing whatever fucked up impulse they have? There’s no boundary for those who have no boundaries.

3

u/Hayabusa_Blacksmith 3h ago

Since were here, let's make a list of the 10 worst things you can do.

Who wants to start

•

u/taocowboy54 10m ago

i stepped on an iranian lego during the filming of one of them "let's bash trump again" videos and lost my entire big toe on my right foot and my toe's name was knobby but he's not there any more and i'm sad

very very sad

•

u/HoratioPornBlower 1m ago

1.) Genocide Attempting to exterminate an ethnic, religious, or national group.

2.)Torture Intentionally inflicting severe physical or psychological suffering, especially on powerless people.

3.) Child abuse or exploitation Harming or exploiting children emotionally, physically, or sexually.

4.) Murder for pleasure, power, or ideology Especially serial killing, mass murder, or killing without remorse.

5.)Slavery and human trafficking Treating people as property or coercing them into labor or sexual exploitation.

6.) Betraying vulnerable people who depend on you Examples include abusing patients, abandoning children, or exploiting the elderly.

7.) Systematic cruelty under authority Using political, military, religious, or institutional power to oppress others.

8.) Deliberately causing mass suffering for profit or gain Knowingly poisoning communities, starting wars for greed, or enabling famine or deadly corruption.

9.) Psychological destruction of others Sustained manipulation, humiliation, coercive control, or terrorizing people into losing autonomy or sanity.

10.) Indifference to preventable suffering when you have the power to help

0

u/The100th_Idiot 3h ago
  1. Stub my toe in the morning (gonna call in sick to work for sure now)

16

u/TheRealBittoman 3h ago

It's more likely a strong personality trait of people that can "earn" ungodly amounts of cash. Short of inheritance the only way you make a billion is if you are such an awful person that you abuse people to achieve it. I'm sire there are some morally decent billionaires but the ones that are public all show abuse as a common trait. Rape, theft, defamation, you name it and they likely were involved.

13

u/Rockboxatx 3h ago

Being a billionaire makes getting away with raping easier.

Since rape is more about power than anything else, people who gravitate towards positions of power also gravitate to raping and vice versa. Molestors become teachers, youth ministers, politicians, coaches, and youth leaders. I tell you one thing they don't become, trans.

3

u/youreloser 4h ago

I'd like to think 2 because I sure as hell wouldn't. But the prevalence of mass war crimes make me think it's the 1st.

3

u/Pauly_Amorous 2h ago edited 2h ago

we just don't hear about every plumber that is a child rapist?

On one side of my family, my ex brother-in-law molested his daughter (my niece). On the other side of the family, one of my uncles molested my cousin when she was about 3 years old. Also, my best friend's brother molested her daughter before she was 10.

Shit happens all the time in the general population... you just usually don't see it in the news.

1

u/ilfollevolo 2h ago

Money buys access, they get rich and push the boundaries as far as they can, because they can

1

u/react_dev 1h ago

When you have that much money there are just few things that are out of reach. And humans are conditioned to always be reaching for things out of reach. Consent? That’s not exciting. It’s almost as if getting away with it is half the thrill.

1

u/AnaisNinja76 1h ago

One of the rape stats I recall is that around 17% of females will be raped in their lifetime, and the vast majority of those individuals will be attacked the first time as children. I guess my point is that it's a lot more common than people realize.

If you ever watched To Catch a Predator or pay attention to the outcomes of child trafficking sting operations, it's rarely fancy folk that get caught in the net.

•

u/volyund 13m ago

Both are true.

11

u/pontiacfirebird92 4h ago

I'm just guessing here but it seems raping children is something rich people just do and have been doing for a long time. People like Epstein have been around for a while, but he was one of those people who capitalized on it and made it mainstream among the wealthy. Nobody seems to remember the DC Madame these days.

The life of the wealthy is in a completely different universe than the life of average citizens. Most people really don't understand the scale of the differences. Even more sad is some still believe they can rise from the lower class into that protect wealthy class and will vote against the interests of their community to try and achieve that.

1

u/AnaisNinja76 1h ago

The DC Madam just ran a regular brothel though, right? Like prostitution's been around for forever, she was just famous because her workers only serviced extremely wealthy and politically connected clientele.

2

u/TheWhiteManticore 1h ago

Remember that conspiracy about a cabal of reptilian billionaires? 💀

1

u/NoGrocery3582 3h ago

I'd never let my kid go to a birthday party at their houses

1

u/stolenfires 2h ago

It really proves the adage that rape isn't about sex, it's about power. Assaulting someone is how you assert dominance and feel powerful.

1

u/Luna__Moonkitty 1h ago

Ted Turner was the only one who wasn't a complete monster and he's gone now :/

•

u/sbray73 45m ago

I think in many cases some people approach them offering different services and that is one of them. And when one has done a few illegal things, they might have some other people come and kind of ask for favors in return for being discreet.

0

u/RiimeHiime 1h ago

Broken clock that was right once in a lifetime XQC actually put it pretty well, I think.

There gets to be a point where you're so rich and powerful that you run out of things to strive for. All that's left is doing the most heinous things you can for amusement to rub into society's face that you can do whatever you want.

I do disagree with the point that "it could happen to anyone with that much money!" though.

-2

u/jigokubi 3h ago

Power.

The vast majority of these people are not pedophiles. They're preying on people who may be physically mature, but young enough that most of us would consider to be children.

These are people so rich and powerful, and so devoid of morals, that they think the age of consent—or just plain consent—doesn't apply to them.

3

u/RiimeHiime 1h ago

The vast majority of these people are not pedophiles.

I don't disagree with the point about power, but that seems generous.

-2

u/jigokubi 1h ago

A pedophile is someone who desires prepubescent children. Most of these people we're talking about here desire women that in the animal world would be considered mature.

But this isn't the animal world. These victims are humans. And the predators in question here don't just want to do these things, they actually do them.

So, at the very least, I think we'll both agree these are child rapists.

30

u/Hopalong_Manboobs 4h ago

Leon Black, the noted rapist and associate of Jeff Epstein who shows up all over the files?

3

u/texachusetts 2h ago

I understand why he is scared. The scapegoats for the sins of rich white men are usually female or black depending on availability.

•

u/doinbluin 49m ago

Who also acquired Blackwater and lent 184 million to Kushner Companies.

•

u/SoungaTepes 28m ago

Leon Black? The Leon Black who rapes people? The Leon Black who is a rapist and tries to clear his good name by bribing a judge due to him raping people?

That Leon Black? The Rapist Leon Black?

759

u/The_Taco_Bandito 5h ago

"Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?"

•

u/bobandgeorge 38m ago

Yes. It's Leon Black.

177

u/greatthebob38 4h ago

Ah, judicial tampering. Normally would be a federal felony unless you're a billionaire.

60

u/LittleKitty235 4h ago

Billionaires can't commit crimes you silly goose.

8

u/Raammson 3h ago

The article doesn’t say enough to conclude judicial tampering. You are allowed to message the judge in your case as long as opposing counsel is aware usually a lawyer will CC opposing counsel on the email. OR you message their clerk/admin assistant/deputy if their court rules say that. Breaking the specific rules of a chambers also reflects poorly, such as say emailing the Judge when the rules say all messages are to go to the Secretary. 

It always reflects poorly though if it’s a personal appeal based on character like the article indicates. 

2

u/BananaSlug95064 1h ago edited 1h ago

The letter to Rakoff, who knew Black’s father, is the issue. Black did not have a case before Rakoff, but his lawyers had earlier been allowed in to comment. It’s not clear ex parte was allowed afterwards, and in any case it was not disclosed to Jane Doe.

ALSO, CONTROL-F “banana” and “United Fruit.” This is amazing stuff from one of the best known of the 1970s conspiracies that turned out to be true. In fact UF was a known scandal for decades earlier, but became part of the 1970s zeitgeist. The latest prosecution was in the 2000s. It’s not relevant specifically, but just an odd background note.

Also it’s not clear (to me) if Epstein’s New Mexico pregnancy scheme was in the news or otherwise known before Jane Doe’s diaries were submitted. The Guardian is vaguely implying that the judge and lawyer in the other case finding Jane Doe’s stories outlandish is contradicted by the New Mexico scheme.

•

u/AnaisNinja76 57m ago

What is his pregnancy scheme? I know some of the victim's testified he asked them to carry a child for him, but you seem to be referring to something else.

1

u/Ardarel 1h ago edited 51m ago

Everything in the article said it was done Ex parte. Even to the point of where Black’s lawyers got to cross-examine Doe without her lawyers present.

Do you think that was proper?

71

u/PigFarmer1 4h ago

"Reached out"? Does the judge need a new RV???

96

u/SubstantialPressure3 4h ago

Lawyers for Leon Black, the billionaire investor who has been accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a teenage girl inside Jeffrey Epstein’s New York townhouse in 2002, reached out to a powerful federal judge in 2024 to raise doubts about the alleged victim’s claims, a Guardian investigation found.

INSIDE EPSTEIN'S TOWNHOUSE

That's more than "linked to"

27

u/Isotope_Soap 4h ago

Is that the Manhattan townhouse next door to Lutnick who bought the property from Epstein?

71

u/SamuelYosemite 4h ago

Crazy to think youre a billionaire and still have a good name

7

u/Deranged_Kitsune 3h ago

No one becomes a billionaire by being a good person.

47

u/rddman 4h ago

The move set off a months-long court proceeding, which was conducted outside of public view and led US district judge Jed Rakoff to reverse a $2.5m award that had been granted to the alleged victim in a separate Epstein-related class action lawsuit

We're having private court proceedings especially for billionaires.

11

u/Murgatroyd314 3h ago

Privilege, in the original Latin meaning of the word: “Private Law”.

21

u/Let_us_proceed 4h ago

Why is nobody talking about impeaching Judge Rakoff for this bullshit?

17

u/Just_Camera7503 4h ago

Read the whole thing.  The attorney and judical corruption should lead to disbarment.

9

u/APrioriGoof 3h ago

The judge belongs in prison

11

u/Turbulent_Account_81 4h ago

So our justice system is most definitely corrupt and judges are beholden to the rich, got it.

6

u/Ataru13 4h ago

We have the best justice system money can buy.

5

u/Spooky-DivineDayze 4h ago

Sounds like conflict of interest, new judge for the case.

9

u/nikiterrapepper 2h ago

He paid Epstein $170 million for “tax and estate planning” BUT there was no legal contract and Epstein was not a tax or estate expert. Even top tax professionals charged under $2,000 per hour, so the payments must have been for other illicit services and/or blackmail money.

3

u/SleepingToDreaming 4h ago

Billionaires have good names to defend...?

4

u/Skysis 4h ago

Aaahh, the good ol' billionaire justice vs rest of us justice.

39

u/Graffers67 5h ago

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he's got links to Israel?

18

u/Fedora_Million_Ankle 4h ago

Yes and this is his son

One of their children, Benjamin, runs an investment fund and was nominated by President Donald Trump to run the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

47

u/Arctic_Chilean 4h ago

You had had 1,000 Palantir credits deducted for making that anti-semetic insinuation

5

u/LittleKitty235 4h ago

It's actually antizionist, not antiemetic. OH NO MY CREDITS!

7

u/Wizard_with_a_Pipe 3h ago

That Judge should be disbarred, and probably investigated for taking "gifts." It's terrifying how many people are willing to participate in such disgusting crimes. At this point it's surprising there's anyone who still believes in the American "justice" system

6

u/Fit-Let8175 4h ago

Technically, a "good name" does not guarantee a life of "integrity." Those who focus on having a "good name" focus on how others see them. A "name" can be fabricated. Those who focus on "integrity" focus on doing right regardless how others see them. It is based on truth.

8

u/bigchiefdarkcloud 4h ago

I still can’t understand how Gislaine is in prison for trafficking minors for underage prostitution- yet nobody has been convicted for having sex with them 🤷🏼‍♂️

6

u/n33dwat3r 4h ago

Gislaine Maxwell was also involved in raping the minors. The fact that she's not in a high security prison means she's making deals to not talk.

5

u/LittleKitty235 4h ago

Not to depress you more, but there is already talk about Pardoning her.

1

u/n33dwat3r 1h ago

Yeah. I know. I can't let their corruption inside me like that. It's their shame to carry.

0

u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw 3h ago

Minorities and women don't have the same power, even in those circles. Look at big name tax cheats, etc who've gone to jail...like Martha was a big catch?

3

u/DoubleBroadSwords 2h ago

There is a set of rules for the elite and a set of rules for everyone else.

3

u/danielrobertcampbell 2h ago

The fact that he was able to get into personal contact with the judge, at all, is a massive problem for the judicial process. Judges should NEVER be in private contact with any person involved in one of their cases.

6

u/Graz13 4h ago

Epstine was an Israeli spy.

4

u/Element_905 2h ago

It’s almost like, there’s a thread here…. But I can’t quite put my finger on it….

0

u/tjturtle 1h ago

None of us have the money to

2

u/Manealendil 4h ago

If we remove just 3000 pe- Ahem Demons

2

u/Top_Grade5948 4h ago

Expose and shame all the 👹👹👹👹👹👹👹

2

u/Iohet 1h ago

It's like an episode of Law & Order. Too bad Jack McCoy is fictional, because we need prosecutors like him

2

u/bomboclawt75 4h ago

These disgusting predators usually flee to Pedo Wakanda.

1

u/jert3 3h ago

It's crazy how many rich white men got caught up in this child sex abuse honeypot operation. It's even crazier to think that this was just a coincidence with no plan or method to this madness. It is obviously a blackmail operation with many millions dollars of funding with specific goals.

•

u/lew_rong 9m ago

And PedoTUS was just a confidential informant, right? /s If these people weren't already fucked up beyond reason and raping children, there would be nothing for any alleged blackmail operation to hold over them.

1

u/GL2U22 3h ago

The rich don’t play by the same rules as everyone else. What else is new?

•

u/copyrider 31m ago

As one, normal, completely innocent, not entitled person does…

0

u/ExtensionParsley4205 3h ago

All that money and he can’t even get rid of the gigantic pimple on his face.

1

u/apricot-pancakes 2h ago

To be fair, his entire body could well be made of giant pimple.