Leon Black Shows Up in Two Leaked Databases

# Leon Black Shows Up in Two Leaked Databases

Leon Black paid Jeffrey Epstein $158 million. That's not in dispute - he admitted it.

But when we cross-referenced the Epstein files with the Paradise Papers, we found something else.

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Who Is Leon Black?

Leon Black is a billionaire. He founded Apollo Global Management, one of the biggest investment firms in the world.

In 2021, Black admitted he paid Epstein $158 million for "tax advice." He stepped down as Apollo's CEO but stayed on as Chairman. Later, he left completely.

The Paradise Papers

In 2017, journalists leaked millions of documents from offshore law firms. They called this leak the *Paradise Papers*.

These documents showed how rich people hide their money in places like the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and other tax havens.

What We Found

When we searched the Paradise Papers database, we found Leon Black.

His ID number is **officer_80036334**. The records come from a law firm called Appleby.

The entry shows:

- Name: "Black - Leon"

- Country: United States

- Valid Through: 2014

This means Leon Black was connected to offshore companies set up through Appleby - the same law firm that handled money for Russian oligarchs and other billionaires.

The Connection

The Epstein files show Black and Epstein were very close. Documents show:

- Epstein visited Black's yacht

- Black visited Epstein's island

- They talked about investments together

- They shared confidential financial documents

One document shows Brad Karp, a top Wall Street lawyer, sharing "strictly confidential" stock sale documents between them.

Why This Matters

Leon Black has said his relationship with Epstein was just about taxes. He says he didn't know about Epstein's crimes.

But the Paradise Papers show Black was using the same kinds of offshore structures that Epstein used.

And the Epstein files show their relationship went deeper than just advice.

The Offshore Structure

Another document in the Epstein files - EFTA02313794 - shows how these offshore structures worked.

Epstein's girlfriend used something called "The Haze Trust" to buy property in Morocco. The trust was set up in the British Virgin Islands and Liechtenstein.

A Christie's broker helped them set it up to "avoid both capital gains and transfer tax."

This is the same kind of structure that shows up in the Paradise Papers.

The Documents

You can search these yourself.

- Paradise Papers ID: officer_80036334 (Leon Black)

- EFTA02313794 - The Haze Trust documents

Search at: **epstein.dugganusa.com**

For Paradise Papers: **offshoreleaks.icij.org**

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*We indexed 329,442 documents from the DOJ Epstein files. We cross-referenced them with the ICIJ Offshore Leaks database.*

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*Her name was Renee Nicole Good.*

*His name was Alex Jeffery Pretti.*