Trump appointee leading $205bn US agency had personal ties to Epstein, emails show

Ben Black’s lawyers deny relationship with disgraced financier, but DoJ records reveal years of interactions

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Ben Black, the head of a little-known government investment agency funded by billions of dollars from US taxpayers, had personal and business ties to Jeffrey Epstein, according to emails and business filings released by the Department of Justice.

His father, Leon Black, had once been the disgraced financier’s highest-paying client – calling on the convicted sex offender for tax advice and to orchestrate payments to women, according to the New York Times and Bloomberg.