Epstein Was Paid Hundreds of Millions for Tax Planning Services But Was Neither an Accountant Nor a Tax Attorney; Wyden Investigation Found Evidence His Work Was Never Audited or Investigated

Washington, D.C. – Continuing his years-long investigation into the financing of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking network, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote to IRS Commissioner Billy Long today demanding to know whether the agency has performed any audits or investigations of Epstein’s tax and estate planning services and transactions. Epstein billed himself as an expert financial planner and was paid hundreds of millions of dollars for tax and estate planning advice, including by Wall Street titan Leon Black and other ultra-wealthy individuals. Senator Wyden’s investigation into the financial relationship between Black and Epstein obtained evidence showing that none of the transactions or structures Epstein devised for Black were audited by the IRS, whose criminal investigators could have revealed that Epstein’s claim of financial expertise was a fraud.

“Epstein lacked any professional training or certifications in accounting or tax law, yet was chosen by very wealthy people to execute very complex tax-related financial transactions. Despite this glaring lack of qualifications that might lead anyone to double check Epstein’s work, it appears that the IRS failed over the course of many years to audit major tax transactions involving Epstein,” Senator Wyden wrote. “It is unthinkable that transactions amounting to tens of millions of dollars paid to a known criminal for the purpose of helping a mega-wealthy individual dodge billions in taxes were never audited or investigated.” ...