US House Votes to Hold Billionaire Leon Black in Contempt Over Epstein Subpoenas

The US House of Representatives has voted to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress, referring the matter to the Justice Department after he refused to comply with subpoenas issued as part of an investigation into his connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Black, who co-founded the private capital firm Apollo Global Management, is among a number of political and business figures who have been called to testify about their relationships with the financier. The Justice Department now has the discretion to decide whether to prosecute.

Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor that can carry a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of as much as $100,000. In a statement, the department said it treats allegations of contempt of Congress seriously, adding that the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia would review the referral carefully and would not hesitate to pursue additional cases where the evidence supports it.

Earlier this month, Black sued the House Oversight Committee and declined a summons to appear at a deposition and to produce certain non-disclosure agreements. He had appeared before the committee voluntarily in June, telling members he had never abused women, engaged in sex trafficking or had sex with underage women. He denies knowing about Epstein's conduct. Committee members said Black walked out during that June interview.

On Wednesday, Black's lawyers said he had provided the committee with the only confidentiality agreement that Epstein knew about as part of his cooperation with its efforts to uncover the truth about Epstein, but that the committee had continued to insist on looking for information that does not exist. They have asked the Office of Congressional Conduct to investigate the committee's chairman, James Comer, a Kentucky Republican.

Black stepped down from his chief executive role at Apollo in 2021 after an external law firm found he had paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning. Epstein was found dead in a New York City jail cell in 2019, and his death was ruled a suicide.