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Read Full BioJeffrey Epstein received special treatment from Las Vegas casino bosses, according to documents in the Epstein files. Leon Black, former CEO of Apollo Management, the previous owner of Caesars casinos, allegedly financed a 2013 trip for Epstein’s 60th birthday.
Epstein’s assistant, Lesley Groff, arranged the special trip to Las Vegas in an email to a Caesars Entertainment guest services director. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Black’s executive assistant said the expenses would go, “All on Leon’s card.”
Black retired from his position at his investment firm in 2021 after his relationship with Epstein was scrutinized, but he denied knowledge of paying for the trip.
“Mr. Black has no recollection of ever covering the costs for entertainment and other expenses for Mr. Epstein and his group on this trip,” wrote spokesperson Whit Clay in a statement.
Another redacted email sent to an Epstein staffer said that Black was “purchasing JE’s Vegas trip for his birthday.” The trip was in 2013, five years after Epstein pleaded guilty to charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
Black Faced Accusations of Sexual Assault
The Manhattan district attorney’s office previously investigated allegations of sexual misconduct by Black. A woman accused him of initiating sexual contact during a massage in 2011 or 2012, causing her to leave the room.
Prosecutors did not file any charges, and Black denied wrongdoing. He also denied knowledge of Epstein’s alleged crimes and said that he only paid the disgraced financier for estate planning and tax advice.
The files also show that he contributed to Esptein’s 50th birthday celebration. He wrote a poem in a birthday book describing him as a dear friend and a “Vanity Fair Poster Child.”
Other documents show that Epstein used his connection with Black to secure tickets to Vegas shows for other associates. A Caesars manager urged staff to give him special treatment, writing, “Please note, this is special billing. Leon Black, founder of Apollo, is paying for these tickets. We need to give the best seats, please.”
Following the birthday trip, the Caesars staff member emailed Esptein’s assistant to request feedback. Groff replied, “I spoke to a few people who were with Jeffrey and they all said the Vegas trip was tremendous! But let me follow up with Jeffrey and see if he has any comments to add … I’m sure he thought it was fabulous also!”
One of those with Epstein on the trip was Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent who died by suicide in a Paris jail in 2022, where he was being held in an investigation into the rape and sex trafficking of minors.
Apollo sold its stake in Caesars in March 2019, before Epstein died later that year. The company continues to hold a stake in Vegas casinos, having acquired The Venetian in 2022.
Trump Also Enjoyed Casino Trips With Epstein
President Donald Trump was also a frequent companion of Epstein on casino trips. Jack O’Donnell, who was president of the Atlantic City Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino for four years, told CNN that Trump “frequently” visited the New Jersey resort with his “best friend.”
O’Donnell stated, “In my mind, it was his best friend, you know, from really the time I was there for four years.”
He described one occasion where Trump and Epstein appeared on the casino floor with underage girls.
“Donald and Jeffrey had come into the casino in the wee hours of Sunday morning, 1:00, 1:30 in the morning,” O’Donnell recalled. “You know, two buddies, they had three women with them, and the commission was waiting for me because they had determined that the women that they brought down were underage to be in the casino.”
O’Donnell said he warned Trump about the incident, adding, “They made me call him and I had to, believe it or not, read him the Riot Act about this action because they gave him a break. I had to call them and say, ‘They’re giving you a break this time, but if this happens again, the fine is going to be substantial, and it’s going to be on your head.’”
He went on to claim that he advised the President not to associate with Epstein.
“I did tell him in that conversation, ‘I don’t think you should be hanging out with this guy, just so you know, and you certainly shouldn’t be doing that in Atlantic City,’” said O’Donnell.
