Leon Blackpaidan international sex trafficker with no known accounting skills $170 million between 2012 and 2017. Why – and for what – may never be definitively answered. Black’s billionaire pockets have afforded him enough top-shelf lawyers to protect his privacy as long as he lives. But the public dump of millions of pages of Epstein files has opened a window into at least some of the answers.
In a March 2026 letter sent to Black, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, said: “According to federal government records reviewed by my investigators, you have made at least $8 million in payments between 2015 and 2018 to women of Eastern European origin that were potentially involved in prostitution and possible victims of Epstein’s trafficking scheme.” Wyden also suggested that Black may have used “gifts” as a way to evade taxes and that he was“surveilling and paying off”women.
We looked into some of the women who discussed Black with Epstein, who seem to have been significantly familiar with the billionaire, and who appear to have had financial dealings with and/or received gifts from him. As Black is due to testify before the House Oversight Committee later this week, we offer up the following discoveries for potential lines of questioning.
Two of the women openly emailed Epstein about recruiting for him. Both were young Russians and both received significant sums of money from – and spent considerable time with – Leon Black between 2009 and 2019, when Epstein was arrested. The women often refer to “Leon” or “L,” a designation that Sen. Wyden believes refers to Black, as do we.
The first woman we identify as Irina Chernova. She is in the DOJ files, and Wyden has stated that Black made payments directly to her between 2009-12. That allowed us to confirm that emails to Epstein during this period referencing “Leon” from “Irina” were sent by Chernova.
Chernova was born in 1984 in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, and worked in television journalism. Based on the files, she appears to have recruited dozens of women for Epstein, and in 2011, introduced him to Karyna Shuliak, the Russian model and eventual dental student to whom Epstein later bequeathed his estate.
In oneJanuary 2011email exchange, he pressures Chernova to bring him new girls.
Chernova was also one of the largest recipients of Leon Black’s money. According to Sen. Wyden, she received“hundreds of thousands of dollars”directly from Black’s Bank of America accounts between 2009 and 2012.
It seems Chernova was already close enough with Black in 2009 to accompany him tovisit Epsteinwhile Epstein was still under house arrest for his Palm Beach conviction. In the email arranging the trip, Irina says she plans to bring at least one [redacted] girl; Epstein replies that he will talk to Leon about the visit and says [redacted] “can bring her sister or friend” (apparently some new girls Epstein had not yet met).
In January 2010, Chernovaemailed Epsteinabout a trip she planned to Paris and London, writing,” Leon is going to China on Feb 1 for a week.”
Two months later, shereported to Epsteinthat she was going to Paris, London, and then Russia for Easter, adding “It’s between us, I didn’t tell Leon about Paris, only about Russia.”
That August, after losing her phone, she askedEpstein for Leon’s number. Epstein in return asked for the number of a redacted woman. Two days later, shefollowed upto say he had given her Leon’s number in the Hamptons, but she wanted his cell phone number as well. In that same email, she also confirmed two appointments for Epstein with individuals whose names are redacted.
