Leon Black paid $21 million to silence affair, told Epstein panel

In a June 26 interview with the US House Oversight Committee, billionaire Leon Black, the former CEO of Apollo Global Management, acknowledged that he paid $21 million to a woman he accused of extortion and blackmail. This payment followed her initial demand of $100 million, alleging that he had "ruined her life." Black consulted with Jeffrey Epstein, who managed aspects of his estate planning, regarding the matter. The funds were disbursed in installments over 15 years in return for a nondisclosure agreement. Although Black described the situation as "total blackmail and extortion," he sought to prevent public scrutiny due to his role as chair of a public company and family issues. The woman's identity was redacted, but the $100 million demand aligns with that of Black's former mistress, Guzel Ganieva, in 2015. The interview was part of a congressional inquiry into Epstein, a convicted sex offender who passed away in 2019, with the transcript released on Friday.