Individual Profile β Leon Black
Source: Epstein World Pulse β Master Index. All claims are from internet research as of February 2026. DOJ file evidence cross-referenced 2026-02-26.
Who They Are
Leon Black is the co-founder of Apollo Global Management, one of the world's largest private equity firms. He stepped down as Apollo CEO in 2021 following scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein.
Connection to Epstein β Overview
Epstein sometimes referred to Black as "Mr. Big" in emails. JPMorgan Chase filed suspicious activity reports (SARs) for transactions conducted by Black, Les Wexner, Alan Dershowitz, and Glenn Dubin β totaling approximately $1 billion β following Epstein's 2019 death.
Documented Contact (Internet Research, Feb 2026)
- Epstein referred to Black in some emails as "Mr. Big" β a nickname suggesting a close or significant relationship.
- JPMorgan Chase filed SARs for transactions connected to Black, Wexner, Dershowitz, and Glenn Dubin totaling approximately $1 billion β filed after Epstein's death.
Allegations and Claims
- The SAR filings connected Black to approximately $1 billion in transactions flagged as suspicious by JPMorgan's compliance function.
- No direct victim allegations against Black have been reported in the source material.
This Individual's Response
- Black stepped down as Apollo CEO in 2021 following earlier scrutiny of his Epstein relationship β before the 2025β2026 file releases.
- No specific statements about the new file revelations have been reported in the source material.
Legal and Professional Consequences
- Stepped down as Apollo CEO in 2021.
- No criminal charges publicly announced.
Key Claims for DOJ Evidence Cross-Reference
- Claim A: Epstein referred to Black as "Mr. Big" in emails.
- Claim B: JPMorgan filed SARs for transactions connected to Black, Wexner, Dershowitz, and Dubin totaling approximately $1 billion after Epstein's 2019 death.
- Claim C: Black stepped down as Apollo CEO in 2021.
DOJ File Evidence
Claim A β Epstein referred to Black as "Mr. Big" in emails
Verdict: INCONCLUSIVE
The DOJ corpus does not contain any document with the specific phrase "Mr. Big" used by Epstein to refer to Leon Black. The phrase may appear in documents whose text was unextractable (scanned attachments, MMS-format content) or in documents outside the extracted corpus.
However, the corpus richly documents an active personal and professional relationship between Epstein and Black:
- EFTA01751691 β Lesley Groff (Epstein's personal assistant) emails Epstein at
jeevacation@gmail.com, Subject: "Leon Black", January 13, 2014: "Please call Leon Black." Confirms Black and Epstein were in regular direct telephone contact. - EFTA01747322 β Lesley Groff emails Epstein, Subject: "Leon Black", April 30, 2015: "Please call Leon Black." A second instance of the same message pattern, indicating an ongoing relationship spanning at least 2014β2015.
- EFTA02013721 β Subject: "Leon Black is HERE", sent to Jeffrey Epstein (
leevacation@gmail.com), January 28, 2014. Someone notifying Epstein of Black's arrival β consistent with a visit to one of Epstein's properties. - EFTA01457153 / EFTA01457158 / EFTA01457159 β Deutsche Bank internal emails (April 9, 2015) confirming Black's family office instructed that "Jeffrey Epstein will have authority to transact on Leon's behalf" β i.e., Epstein was being granted power of attorney to transact on Black's Deutsche Bank investment account. This confirms a financial management relationship in addition to a personal one.
The "Mr. Big" nickname is NOT FOUND in the corpus text, but the overall evidence strongly supports that a close, multi-year personal and financial relationship existed.
Claim B β JPMorgan filed SARs for transactions connected to Black, Wexner, Dershowitz, and Dubin totaling ~$1 billion
Verdict: SUPPORTS
The actual JPMorgan SAR filing is present in the DOJ corpus and directly confirms this claim:
- EFTA01648787 β JPMorgan Chase SAR filing (SAR-31000154806804). The document reads: "JP Morgan Chase Bank NA ('JPMC') and JP Morgan Securities LLC are filing this Suspicious Activity Report ('SAR') to report 4,725 wire transactions, totaling $1,081,819,653, that occurred from 10/01/2003 to 07/22/2019, involving current, former and non-JPMC customers: JEFFREY E EPSTEIN..." The filing explicitly names LEON D BLACK, DEBRA RESSLER BLACK, and BLACK FAMILY PARTNERS LP as subjects, along with ALAN MORTON DERSHOWITZ and GLENN RUSSELL DUBIN β exactly as claimed in internet research. The SAR states the transactions are reported "to report wire activity consistent with negative media involving alleged sex trafficking of minors and allegations that EPSTEIN misappropriated funds while employed as a money manager." The total of $1,081,819,653 matches and slightly exceeds the "approximately $1 billion" figure cited in public reporting.
- EFTA01457153 / EFTA01457158 / EFTA01457159 β Deutsche Bank internal emails (April 2015, marked Confidential pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e), produced as SDNY_GM_00262753β759) confirm Epstein was granted power of attorney to transact on Black's account at Deutsche Bank: "Jeffrey Epstein will have authority to transact on Leon's behalf." This corroborates the money-manager dimension of their relationship that JPMorgan's SAR referenced.
The claim is fully confirmed by primary documents in the DOJ corpus.
Claim C β Black stepped down as Apollo CEO in 2021
Verdict: NOT FOUND
The DOJ corpus covers documents through approximately 2019β2020. Black's departure from Apollo occurred in March 2021, after the corpus's effective coverage period. No documents confirming this specific fact were found. This is an expected result given the corpus timeline β the absence of evidence does not contradict the claim.
The corpus does contain multiple references to Black as Apollo CEO and to Apollo Global Management in a business context (e.g., EFTA00798088 β Seeking Alpha article about Apollo earnings calls), confirming his pre-2021 leadership role at Apollo.