Epstein files fallout: The growing list of business leaders who have faced consequences after being mentioned

The consequences from being associated with Jeffrey Epstein are mostly playing out behind closed doors rather than in courtrooms.

Despite the release of millions of documents and photos that seemingly include damning evidence of impropriety and even potential criminal activity, the Epstein files haven’t yet resulted in further criminal charges.

That’s not altogether surprising as an unsigned memo from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last year indicated that no further investigation into “uncharged parties” was warranted based on an “exhaustive review” of evidence that confirmed Epstein had harmed more than 1,000 victims. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has often frustrated lawmakers and advocates who continue to seek justice for Epstein’s victims.

During her testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last week, Bondi said that the Justice Department is actively investigating individuals who might have conspired with the convicted sex offender, without specifying who those individuals are.

On Saturday, Bondi sent a letter to Congress indicating that the DOJ has released “all” records, documents, communications, and investigative materials required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

That letter also contained a list of 300-plus prominent individuals whose names appear in the files, though she cautioned that their names appear “in a wide variety of contexts.”

Even if the highest law enforcement agency in the country ultimately decides not to dive back into this case to bring charges, consequences have been rippling through Hollywood, Wall Street, academia, and beyond.

Some prominent figures named in the files have faced a reputational reckoning that has forced them to step down from high-profile roles, while others will likely escape unscathed from the scrutiny. 

Resignations from Epstein fallout

The list that Bondi shared over the weekend includes the names of dozens of prominent U.S. politicians, including many who have served in either the first or second term of President Donald Trump’s administrations. But politicians in Europe have thus far faced more pressure to resign. 

In the United States, elected officials haven’t faced the most severe consequences as of yet. Rather, people beyond the Capital Beltway are reckoning with having their personal correspondences with Epstein aired out in public, though the severity of the fallout has ranged widely.

Here are some business leaders who have resigned from prominent roles in recent weeks. No one on this list has been accused of a crime, but many are facing business consequences due to the reputational damage of communicating with Epstein.

Casey Wasserman

In a company-wide email he reportedly sent on Friday (per CNN and other media outlets), Hollywood agent Casey Wasserman announced that he is selling his talent agency after his flirtatious emails with Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in the Epstein files and high-profile clients like Chappell Roan started to jump ship from his agency.

Wasserman has thus far resisted stepping down as chair of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on Monday joined a growing chorus of people calling for his resignation.

Kathryn Ruemmler

The now-former general counsel for Goldman Sachs reportedly resigned last week after emails and other materials revealed her personal relationship with Epstein that included providing legal counsel and calling the disgraced financier by pet names. Ruemmler will remain with the bank until June 30 to provide a smooth transition. In a statement confirming her resignation to The New York Times, Ruemmler said: “My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’s interests first.”

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

On Friday, Dubai-based DP World announced in a regulatory statement that Bin Sulayem had resigned as chairman and CEO of one of the world’s largest logistics companies, where he’d been at the helm since 2019—and that his replacements had already been named.

The Epstein files revealed a close relationship between the two men that remained long after Epstein was first convicted in 2008.

Kimbal Musk

The fallout from the Epstein files may be the way that many people are learning for the first time that there’s a board of directors behind Burning Man, the annual desert party.

Members of the Burning Man community called for the resignation of Elon Musk’s younger brother Kimbal Musk after his correspondence with Epstein appeared in the last trove of files.

But he had apparently submitted his resignation before the latest files were released, according to The San Francisco Standard. Kimbal Musk still sits on the boards of Tesla and SpaceX. 

Larry Summers

In November, Harvard University announced that its former president Larry Summers would immediately leave his role as an instructor as the university investigated his ties to Epstein. Summers, who also served as U.S. Treasury Secretary, was seen in photos on Epstein’s private plane. 

Leon Black

When his ties to Epstein first surfaced several years ago, Leon Black resigned from his role as CEO of investment firm Apollo Global Management and chairman of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Even though he’s largely out of the public eye now, the billionaire private equity investor surfaced again after the latest drop of Epstein files. There have been reports that some school districts have dropped plans for class pictures because of a link between Apollo, which Black led for more than three decades, and Lifetouch, which photographs students each year.

Ken Murphy, CEO of Lifetouch, said in a statement that neither Black nor any of Apollo’s directors or investors ever had access to Lifetouch photos.

Resisting calls to resign

Even as some powerful figures have faced career-altering consequences stemming from their relationships with Epstein, other associates have resisted the pressure to resign—for now.

That wait-and-see approach may ultimately mean that many of Epstein’s associates don’t face any consequences, though they may be in a period of professional limbo as the public and their respective organizations weigh the evidence.

The latest release of files has been particularly reputationally damaging, though the fallout remains uneven.

Without the threat of legal action by the Justice Department, some prominent people are banking on a strategy of apologizing for their links to Epstein and then vowing that they partook in no criminal activity.

Whether that strategy ultimately saves them from facing consequences, only time will tell.

Les Wexner

The billionaire business mogul led Victoria’s Secret for more than a decade and most recently served as chair emeritus of Bath & Body Works, the company he cofounded.

But he severed ties with these retailers several years ago, and will face questions from lawmakers this week about his relationship with Epstein.

Though Wexner claims to have cut ties with Epstein by 2008 and has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s offenses (as reported last week by WOSU Public Media), the FBI named him as a “co-conspirator” of Epstein’s in 2019.

Howard Lutnick

The latest Epstein files revealed that Howard Lutnick maintained communications with Epstein more than a decade after he claimed to have cut off all contact.

Lutnick testified before Congress earlier this month that he did have lunch with Epstein in 2012, years after he claimed to have cut off contact and after the financier was convicted for soliciting prostitution from a child.

But he’s thus far resisted calls from a bipartisan group of lawmakers who want to see Lutnick resign or be fired.

Bill Gates

Things must surely be a bit awkward at the Gates Foundation lately, as the organization issued a statement following the latest release of Epstein files, while the Financial Times reported that its chief executive told staff he feels “sullied” by the foundation’s association with the disgraced financier.

But Gates hasn’t stepped aside as chair and finally addressed what he called “false” allegations in an interview with an Australian TV network. “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that,” Gates said.

Steve Tisch

Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants and the Hollywood producer behind Forrest Gump, claims to have had only a “brief association” with Epstein. Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has promised that the league will review “all the facts” about their relationship.

In a statement (as reported in January by the Athletic and other outlets), Tisch said that he now “deeply” regrets his association with the convicted sex offender, but he has thus far ignored the calls for his resignation as co-owner of the Giants.

Riding it out . . .

Many more prominent people are simply riding out the storm caused by their inclusion in the Epstein files, with no apparent consequences for them in sight. 

While many supporters of President Trump called for the release of the Epstein files during the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Trump’s name was mentioned in the files some 38,000 times, along with several of his cabinet members and close associates, like billionaire Elon Musk.

But it’s a topic that continues to divide voters. 

Trump has repeatedly rejected that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity, but a majority of Americans don’t buy his story. In fact, 52% say the president is trying to cover up Epstein’s crimes, while 30% say he isn’t, according to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month.

While Trump recently said it’s time to “turn the page” on the Epstein scandal and Bondi has said that there are no more files to come, the reputational toll may continue to play out—though largely outside of Washington, D.C.