The Apollo Orbit: Josh Harris, Leon Black, and Epstein's Financial Confessional

# The Apollo Orbit: Josh Harris, Leon Black, and Epstein's Financial Confessional

Josh Harris co-founded Apollo Global Management. Apollo manages over $700 billion in assets. Harris now owns the Washington Commanders, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Devils. He is one of the most powerful people in American finance and sports.

He also had a years-long financial advisory relationship with Jeffrey Epstein — one that continued well after Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting an underage girl for prostitution.

We know this because 329,473 DOJ documents say so.

The Direct Evidence

Every document referenced below is from the DOJ's own production, indexed and searchable at epstein.dugganusa.com. EFTA reference numbers are provided for verification.

"A Full Org Chart. Ownership Interests. Summary of Will Trusts."

On January 10, 2014, Jeffrey Epstein emailed Josh Harris requesting:

> *"What would be helpful, a full org chart. ownership interests. summary of will trusts. beneficiaries. trustees. etc. names of accounts. pre nups. pledges etc"*

> — EFTA_R1_00402597

Read that again. A convicted sex offender is requesting the complete financial architecture of the co-founder of a $700 billion asset management firm. Org chart. Trust structures. Beneficiary names. Pre-nuptial agreements. Account names.

This isn't a social call. This is deep financial advisory access.

The Chase for Organizational Documents

Epstein didn't just ask once. His assistant Lesley Groff spent weeks chasing Harris's assistant Lisa Joyce at Apollo Management for these documents:

- **January 7, 2014**: Groff emails Joyce requesting a meeting. Joyce: *"I did see your email yesterday and asked Josh as his schedule this week is rather tough."* (EFTA_R1_00401235)

- **January 21, 2014**: Groff follows up on the org docs. Joyce: *"apologies, I have not gotten any direction on this. Will try again."* (EFTA_R1_00397250)

- **January 24, 2014**: Joyce proposes *"Tentative Breakfast w/Josh Harris on Tues. Jan. 28th at 8:30am"* at Apollo's offices, 9 West 57th Street. (EFTA_R1_00396537)

- **February 6, 2014**: Epstein tells Groff to follow up again. Groff to Joyce: *"Did you want me to follow up with Josh Harris and the organizational docs you requested?"* Epstein: *"yes"* (EFTA_R1_00393527)

- **February 12, 2014**: Still no docs. Joyce: *"apologies for the delay. I don't know, unfortunately."* (EFTA_R1_00394124)

- **February 14, 2014**: Joyce informs Groff that *"the 21st of February doesn't work. Josh is aware Jeffrey would like to meet."* (EFTA_R1_00390571)

Six weeks of persistent follow-up. Epstein's office treating the co-founder of Apollo like a client who owes deliverables. Every email carries the footer: *"Apollo Global Management, LLC."*

The Bill Gates Introduction

On November 27, 2014, Harris emailed Epstein directly:

> *"Hey Jeff. Sorry i missed you. Crazy week? U around any time from now to sunday? Whats this Bill Gates thing about? Tks for thinking about me. Best."*

> — EFTA_R1_01323792

Epstein replied, and Harris responded:

> *"Cool. Will do. Thx"*

Epstein was brokering introductions between the co-founder of Apollo and Bill Gates. The email carries Apollo Global Management's confidentiality disclaimer.

"My Financial Confessional Booth for Jews"

On September 12, 2016 — eight years after Epstein's conviction — Harris and Epstein were still in regular contact. Epstein wrote to Harris:

> *"you should feel free to call me directly. so that i may explain my thinking. Any conversation that you prefer to stay between just us. will. its my financial confessional booth for jews."*

> — EFTA_R1_01380487

Harris replied: *"Will do Jeff. I'm not sure there is much controversy at this point."*

A convicted sex offender describing himself as providing a "financial confessional booth" to the co-founder of a $700 billion firm. In 2016.

Bob Bodian: The Apollo Go-Between

When Harris traveled, he cc'd Apollo executive Bob Bodian to maintain the Epstein relationship:

> *"Hey Jeff, Sorry we didn't get a chance to connect, I'm now out of the country. I have cc'd Bob Bodian to call you back to make sure we connect."*

> — September 14, 2016

Bodian then communicated directly with Epstein over several days:

- **September 16, 2016**: Groff reminds Epstein that *"Bob Bodian (Josh Harris contact) is available to speak after 1:30"*

- **September 17, 2016**: Bodian to Epstein: *"Josh wants me to call him, so now does not work. Will circle back to you."*

- **September 18, 2016**: *"Remember call Bob Bodian 6pm"* — Bodian and Epstein had a scheduled evening call.

Apollo maintained a dedicated channel to Epstein. When one executive was unavailable, another stepped in.

The Wider Apollo Orbit

Leon Black: $158 Million in "Advisory Fees"

Harris's co-founder Leon Black appeared on Epstein's calendar with clockwork regularity:

- *"8:30am BREAKFAST w/Leon Black"* — appears across calendars from May through August 2017

- *"Leon Black will come see you for breakfast on wed at 8:30am"* — confirmed by Lesley Groff

- *"5:30pm Appt w/Leon Black"* — evening meetings too

In January 2021, Apollo's own Conflicts Committee retained Dechert LLP to investigate:

> *"Investigation Of Epstein/Black Relationship And Any Relationship Between Epstein and Apollo Global Management, Inc."*

The investigation found Black paid Epstein approximately $158 million in advisory and other fees. Black stepped down as Apollo's CEO in March 2021.

But the Dechert investigation focused on Black. The Harris relationship — the org charts, the trust documents, the Bill Gates introductions, the "financial confessional booth," the Bob Bodian go-between — was not the focus.

Brad Karp: Apollo's Lawyer at Epstein's Residence

Brad Karp is the chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison — one of the most powerful law firms in the world and Apollo's primary outside counsel.

Karp met with Epstein at his residence. Regularly.

- **May 19, 2017**: *"Brad Karp will join the Kathy Ruemmler meeting tomorrow at 5:30pm"* — Karp met with Epstein alongside former White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler. That same day's calendar: breakfast with Leon Black at 8:30am. (EFTA_R1_00936301)

- **July 11, 2017**: *"Would you like snacks at the 2:30 meeting with Brad Karp?"* (EFTA_R1_00945578)

And then there's this exchange. On February 28, 2018, Epstein forwarded Brad Karp a New York Times article with the subject line **"whoopsie"**:

The article: *"Jared Kushner's Family Business Got Loans from Apollo and Citigroup After White House Meetings"*

Karp's response: **"Whoa."**

Epstein: *"this could get interesting. It will spook everyone. to say the least."*

Later that day, Epstein added: *"sargent shultz said he knew nothing of it"* — a Hogan's Heroes reference to claiming ignorance.

Karp: **"Same response."**

The chairman of Paul, Weiss discussing a story about his client Apollo's loans to Jared Kushner's family business — with Jeffrey Epstein. Using joke references. In 2018.

Kathy Ruemmler: White House Counsel to Epstein Confidante

Kathy Ruemmler served as White House Counsel under President Obama from 2011 to 2014. She then joined Latham & Watkins.

Her correspondence with Epstein spans years and is deeply personal:

- **December 25, 2015**: Ruemmler to Epstein about vacation plans in Majorca: *"You could come over? This is where Ariane thinks you should buy a house, no?"*

- **January 8, 2015**: Epstein warns Ruemmler about someone: *"reminder, ariane is all biz. careful as she prefers to drink and chat as her interrogation technique. shares confidences easily"*

- **April 4, 2016**: Epstein advising Ruemmler on her compensation negotiations: *"i suggest you tell them that paul weiss plus one other firm offered you 6 million a year for 3 years"*

- **October 2015**: Ruemmler connected people for Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, and discussed a *"50k retainer"* with Epstein in the context of legal representation.

- **July 2018**: Ruemmler forwarded to Epstein what appears to be her follow-up email to Facebook after interviewing there — discussing conversations with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg about *"your vision for the role"* and *"the overall communications strategy."* She later became Facebook/Meta's General Counsel.

Epstein was coaching a former White House Counsel on career moves, salary negotiations, and introducing her to the chairman of Paul Weiss — while simultaneously maintaining the "financial confessional booth" with Josh Harris.

Ron Baron: On the Call List

Ron Baron — founder of Baron Capital Group (over $45 billion AUM) — appears alongside Harris on Epstein's contact lists:

- **November 2014**: *"LM for Ron Baron & Josh Harris"* — Lesley Groff leaving messages for both on the same day (EFTA_R1_01353897)

- **Call List**: *"Ron Baron, Josh Harris, Larry Summers"* — grouped together

- **January 2015**: Epstein to journalist Michael Wolff, managing a guest list: *"zuckerman ok? gates ok. ron baron ok.. sheik no. ehud ok. mongolia ok. kazak ok"*

Baron, Harris, Gates, Zuckerman, Larry Summers, "ehud" (likely Ehud Barak) — all being managed by a convicted sex offender as a social network.

The Dinner Parties

The same calendars that show Leon Black breakfast meetings and Brad Karp snack requests also show:

> *"7:00pm DINNER w/Woody and Soon Yi"*

Confirmed by Soon-Yi Previn herself: *"Yes, we will be there at 7 PM tonight. Thank you"* (EFTA_R1_00951648)

Ronald Lauder was invited to join Woody Allen and Soon-Yi at Epstein's home for dinner on June 1, 2017. (EFTA_R1 from Lesley Groff to Lauder's office.)

The same residence. The same calendar. The same week as Leon Black breakfasts and Brad Karp meetings.

What This Means

Josh Harris has never been accused of any crime. Leon Black has never been charged with any crime. Brad Karp has never been accused of wrongdoing. Kathy Ruemmler has never been charged.

But the documents show something that matters: the co-founders of one of the world's largest asset management firms maintained an active financial advisory relationship with a convicted sex offender for years after his conviction. Their law firm's chairman met with that same sex offender at his residence and joked about news articles involving their client's loans to White House officials. A former White House Counsel had her career coached by the same man.

When Apollo's Conflicts Committee ordered the Dechert investigation in 2020, they focused on Leon Black's $158 million in payments. The investigation resulted in Black stepping down.

The Josh Harris thread — the org charts, the trust documents, the "financial confessional booth," the Bill Gates introductions, the Bob Bodian go-between channel — has received less scrutiny.

These are not allegations. These are DOJ-produced documents. Every EFTA reference number can be verified. The emails carry Apollo Global Management's own confidentiality disclaimers. The calendar entries were maintained by Epstein's own staff.

329,473 documents. Indexed. Searchable. Cross-referenced.

The receipts don't care who owns the Commanders.

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*Every document referenced in this article is from the DOJ's Epstein file production, searchable at epstein.dugganusa.com. EFTA reference numbers are provided for independent verification. DugganUSA LLC maintains 329,473 DOJ documents indexed and searchable in under 100ms.*

*DugganUSA LLC. Butterbot. $76/month. 275+ consumers in 46 countries. The documents speak for themselves.*

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*Her name was Renee Nicole Good.*

*His name was Alex Jeffery Pretti.*