Jeffrey Epstein amassed clout in powerful circles like few have ever done.
The late sex trafficker was successful in cozying up to some of the most powerful people in politics, entertainment, finance and business.
Epstein also wanted into the automotive industry.
A review of the latest email dump in January from the U.S. Department of Justice, under orders to release troves of Epstein's communications from over the years that it used to investigate him, unveils Epstein's forays into the automotive industry — particularly with men who held or would hold high-powered positions in the corporations affiliated with Stellantis.
One executive rebuffed him in emails. Epstein discussed contacting another executive but apparently never reached him. A third, a scion of the Fiat-founding Agnelli family and former board member of Maserati and Stellantis' largest investor, maintained a yearslong friendship with Epstein that came with perks for both of them. That man, Eduardo Teodorani-Fabbri, is no longer affiliated with Fiat.
The files show Epstein got a sweet deal on a Maserati and leveraged his connection to the powerful family as he built his network of influential overseas leaders. And Teodorani-Fabbri — who regularly referred to Epstein as "master" in his written communications — vacationed at his properties and sent messages describing things like a meeting that would be "full of p---y," and encounters with women, including "Russian spy girls."
The two future Stellantis leaders, though — John Elkann and Axel Dumas — in the emails either declined Epstein's overtures or proved impossible for him to reach.
In the emails, some of Epstein's associates probed him for information about Elkann, the chairman then of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and eventually Stellantis. Elkann's family controls a large stake of the automaker via their holding company, Exor (as well as Ferrari, The Economist magazine, Juventus Football Club and more). Dumas, the CEO of French fashion house Hermès, is also director of the board of Exor and was approached several times by Epstein and his assistant.
Dumas has said he politely rebuffed Epstein’s invitations, telling news outlets in February he thought he "was a target," adding, "I was a young CEO. ... He was a financial predator."
Similarly, in the released emails, Elkann does not appear to have ever communicated with Epstein.
Teodorani-Fabbri, however, maintained a relationship with Epstein while Teodorani-Fabbri was a member of the board of directors of both Exor and Maserati, a brand that is now under the Stellantis portfolio.
Teodorani-Fabbri, who is related to Elkann, held those positions at various points throughout the last 15 years, including stints on the board of Maserati from at least 2011 to 2019. A request for Maserati to disclose his full term of leadership was not returned.
Epstein's interactions with these rich and powerful executives show instances in which he was unsuccessful in his fervent pursuit of elite company and circles of influence — and the disturbing details of what could happen when he was. The billionaire financier had connections to some of the most powerful people in the world, including Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and was a convicted sex offender who allegedly operated a large-scale sex trafficking operation, often preying on young girls.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019, two years before FCA merged with Peugeot to form Stellantis. His efforts to worm his way into the good graces of the men in this article had started years earlier.
Teodorani-Fabbri's emails to Epstein ooze fondness and reverence for the man he often referred to in writing as "master."
