Jeffrey Epstein's private jet took more than 250 trips to and from Columbus, records show
Jeffrey Epstein flew in and out of Ohio hundreds of times in the 1990s and early 2000s, a time period in which he was accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting young girls and including the years he was closest with billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner.
His private jet flew in and out of what is now called John Glenn Columbus International Airport at least 267 times – 132 times in and 135 times out – between 1991 and 2005, according to flight logs from a federal lawsuit against his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, shared by McClatchy.
The Enquirer reviewed the logs after a different federal court released the so-called Epstein list. Being named on that list, or on the flight logs, does not mean a person has been charged with any crime. It only constitutes a possible or alleged association with Epstein or Maxwell as a witness, victim, plaintiff, or as a business or social contact.
The records offer a closer look into how closely Epstein and his trafficking empire were connected to Ohio, and the personal relationship he had with Wexner, the founder of the retail conglomerate that includes Victoria’s Secret and Bath and Body Works.
Epstein flew to and from Columbus frequently
Epstein’s jet flew into Columbus frequently in the early 1990s, the time period that aligns with when Wexner gave him power of attorney over his finances in 1991, and Epstein’s 1992 appointment as a trustee for the Wexner Foundation.
After peaking in 1992, the flights declined until 1994, the year he bought land on Wexner’s estate in New Albany. The number of flights fell again in the years just before he sold that land back to the Wexners for $0 in 2007.
While the pilot sometimes flew with no passengers to pick up Epstein or an associate, the financier was on the majority of the flights into Columbus. His best-known associates sometimes accompanied him. Maxwell, for example, was by Epstein’ side on 30% of the flights he took to Columbus. Other times, the flight logs listed unnamed females as passengers.
“1 FEMALE” was listed as a passenger on a Nov. 22, 1992, flight also carrying Epstein and Maxwell. On July 30, 1994, Epstein brought “2 FEMALES” with him.
A Florida state court convicted Epstein of soliciting minors for prostitution in 2008. While Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019, he was found dead in his jail cell before a trial could occur.
Epstein’s jet flew to Wexner family functions
Wexner, who had his own plane, appeared only once on a flight log in 1993 with wife Abigail. But other entries show the jet flying for events related to the Wexner family.
An entry in September 1991 said that Epstein’s jet relocated for a matter involving Wexner’s yacht. A few months later, the plane relocated to the Columbus airport for Christmas.
In 1996, Epstein flew to Columbus for Wexner’s 59th birthday with former Ohio Senator John Glenn, one of many powerful politicians who crossed paths with Epstein, and Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, one of Epstein’s lawyers.
Visual artist Maria Farmer alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Epstein earlier that year and held against her will by Wexner’s security on the New Albany land. No charges were ever brought in the matter.
In 2001, the jet flew to Columbus to attend the funeral of Wexner’s mother, Bella Wexner. Epstein had replaced Bella Wexner as a trustee on the board of the Wexner Foundation, according to a Vanity Fair article from 2003.
Wexner has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking, but Virginia Giuffre said she had sex with Wexner multiple times, according to a deposition unsealed this month as part of her federal case against Maxwell.
More: Latest Jeffrey Epstein documents contain more mentions of Ohio billionaire Les Wexner
Epstein flew to the same cities where he was accused of assaulting girls
Epstein flew all over the country from Columbus, but his most common destination was Teterboro, New Jersey, an airport known as a hub for the private planes of the wealthy that sits just west of New York City.
The jet flew 54 times to Teterboro Airport, mostly in the early 1990s. That airport, where authorities arrested Epstein on charges of sex trafficking in 2019, is 15 miles west of the luxurious property Wexner owned that he regularly stayed at on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Epstein’s second most common destination was Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a waterfront estate and regularly recruited and sexually assaulted young girls, according to prosecutors.
Other top destinations included Cleveland, Chicago and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jeffrey Epstein’s jet took hundreds of trips through Columbus, Ohio
