Epstein Set Up LLC for Lauder, Black to Hold $25 Million Artwork

Jeffrey Epstein coordinated the creation of a legal vehicle in 2014 that allowed billionaire financiers Ronald Lauder and Leon Black to share ownership of a $25 million painting, a deal that sheds new light on the extent of the convicted sex offender’s connections to wealth and power.

Black’s association with Epstein has been publicly known for years, but the trove of emails released by the Department of Justice last week reveals Epstein’s association with Lauder — an heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics empire, art collector and major donor to President Donald Trump.

Ronald Lauder

Photographer: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP/Getty

In the emails, members of ...