Leon continues to live the life of a billionaire, with all its ups and downs. He has lost about 35 pounds, thanks to a steady diet of Mounjaro. He’s hired security for the first time in his life, after receiving death threats. He’s been busy planning a trip to the Far East and spending time at the opera with his wife of 44 years. And he’s been tending to his multibillion-dollar art collection, with its masterpieces by Picasso, Munch, van Gogh, and Cézanne. Naturally, his interest in smart investing continues.

And yet, Black has been unable to escape what he asserts is a direct pipeline from Wyden to the Times, which has reported on practically every microdevelopment in Wyden’s investigation. (Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha wrote in an emailed statement that “our reporting is based on interviews with dozens of people who have close knowledge of the Black-Epstein relationship,” along with Black’s financial records, documents in the Epstein files, public records, and materials “obtained from sources.”)

Black was particularly frustrated with the paper’s latest salvo because he felt he’d been dutifully cooperating with Wyden’s office. To Black, Wyden never cared about his answers—only his own agenda. “I’ve paid billions of dollars in federal, state, and city taxes,” Black told me—a figure he’s never divulged publicly. “If and when I sell shares in Apollo, I will pay capital gains taxes. I’ve never had an issue with the I.R.S. I’ve had several audits through the years.”

Last week, under the guise of a major scoop, the Times reiterated the themes Wyden had alleged in his letter by way of a four-byline story that quoted the senator. These included that Epstein served as Black’s “fixer” with a “yoga instructor” who was waiting on a $100,000 payment from Epstein, and that Epstein and Black once “brainstormed” how to “avoid taxes” on “$20 million paid to a dozen women,” as well as the allegations of spying on Ganieva.

But the paper went further than Wyden’s letter, citing I.R.S. audits of both Black and Anastasiya Siro—a former model and art dealer with whom, according to the Times, Black was also having an affair. Epstein, the Times reported, helped Siro navigate the audit, and also advised Black to separate from his wife, Debra, “so he doesn’t have a heart attack,” as Epstein wrote in an email to Karp. The paper also claimed Epstein once told Karp a rumor that Black was using cocaine. “Other than experimenting with drugs early in his life, Mr. Black has not used illegal substances in more than 40 years,” his lawyers told the paper, also noting that he never consulted Epstein about his marriage.

On March 19, a few days before publication, Black and his attorneys pushed back against Wyden in response to queries from the Times. Estrich wrote the paper that Wyden’s letter was designed to “distract” from the fact that Wyden may have “violated federal law” by previously “leaking to the media confidential financial information”—a reference to SAR reports from Black’s Bank of America accounts that found their way to the media in December 2024. Estrich further claimed that the senator’s son, Adam Wyden, who founded his own hedge fund in 2011, had himself met with Epstein in 2016 at his East 71st Street townhouse to try to get him to invest in his hedge fund. (There are indeed emails to that effect in the Epstein files.)

Another set of Black’s lawyers, at Kaiser Law, also lobbied the Times ahead of publication. “For more than five years, The New York Times has waged a vicious and specious campaign to destroy Leon Black’s reputation,” Black’s attorney at Kaiser wrote. “In all, the Times has written nearly 37,000 words filled with unsubstantiated allegations and speculation about Mr. Black, while allowing only roughly 1,100 words—often paraphrased—for him to respond.” Kaiser reiterated Black’s denials of any inappropriate relationships with underage girls or that he paid Epstein for women or sexual activity, and called the idea of assaulting any woman “repulsive and reprehensible to him.”

Rhoades Ha called the paper’s coverage of the Epstein-Black relationship “groundbreaking, comprehensive, and fair,” writing in her statement that “Mr. Black and his representatives have been given every chance to fact-check, provide context and speak with our reporters to ensure his perspective is included.” She wrote that the paper’s coverage of Black, as “one of Mr. Epstein’s two largest financial benefactors,” helped show how Epstein continued to prosper after becoming a registered sex offender. “We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting,” she concluded. “Mr. Black and his representatives have not disputed the facts in our coverage.”

I could tell Black was not happy that Wyden and the Times had struck again. After all, the life Black had made for himself before it became publicly known that he was entangled with Epstein was arguably an enviable one even for a Wall Street Master of the Universe. Others have argued, less charitably, that he’s leveraged his billions to create the reality he wanted, giving himself free rein to conduct extramarital affairs, albeit with some consequences, and then deploying an army of lawyers to try to keep things quiet. It was only after he got involved with Epstein that many of Leon’s secrets were exposed.

So when Black found himself again the subject of a damning front-page New York Times article, he seemed rather peeved. That’s probably why, for the first time in the three years that we’ve been visiting together—largely for my upcoming book on Apollo—he wasn’t fully on the record, in case his pique got the better of him. He’s scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on May 13, and no doubt Wyden’s missives will help his counterparts in the House come up with some pointed questions. “I’m looking forward to setting the record straight on my business relationship with Epstein when I meet with the congressional committee,” he said.

After that, perhaps, he may yet be able to reclaim some semblance of the life he enjoyed before the Epstein saga laid him low. He said his four children have been very supportive of him, as has his wife—although she understandably does not appreciate all the negative publicity. When we spoke last week, they had just been to the opera together, and then back uptown for a burger at JG Melon. “I feel terrible for the victims of Epstein’s heinous activities,” Leon told me. “I also feel terrible for my wife and family, who have had to endure relentless and intrusive scrutiny. As I’ve said before, I regret ever having met Epstein and having him involved in my family office activities.”

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