(Ohio Capital Journal Photo) The Ohio State University Medical Center was renamed the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in 2012.

By Marty Schladen

Special to The Times

An Ohio State spokesman last week confirmed that the university is investigating an arrangement 20 years ago in which sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein paid a prominent gynecologist $100,000 a year.

But the university declined to comment further. And the gynecologist, Mark B. Landon, didn’t comment beyond his original statement denying any knowledge of Epstein’s illegal activities.

Landon said he was paid to advise on potential biotech investments. But he didn’t respond to follow-up questions asking for details about his consulting.

“The university investigation is ongoing, and Dr. Landon continues to cooperate fully,” Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said in an email. “Given the ongoing investigation, I’m not going to comment further at this time.”

Landon is connected to Columbus billionaire Les Wexner, who had a long relationship with Epstein.

As with other wealthy people whose names repeatedly appear in Epstein’s communications, Wexner denies that he knew anything about Epstein’s global sex-trafficking ring. It is estimated to have exploited at least 1,000 underage girls and young women.

Wexner’s denials come despite the fact that the two lived a stone’s throw from each other in New Albany, his team provided security for Epstein’s house, the two men socialized together — and the fact that Epstein had power over Wexner’s finances for 16 years. Wexner, who built a fashion empire, said he was “naive” and “conned” by Epstein.

In a February deposition to a congressional panel, Wexner denied that he and Epstein were even friends.

On March 30, accusers of Epstein filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against Wexner claiming that he helped fund Epstein’s crimes.

Wexner is a prolific donor to Ohio State, former chairman of its board of trustees, is on the board of Wexner Medical Center, and his long-time personal lawyer is the current chairman of the university board of trustees.

Ohio State has a history of controversy when it comes to sexual abuse. Hundreds of students were abused over decades by a team doctor before it acted.

It now faces growing calls from many of those survivors for Wexner’s name to be removed from campus buildings because of his relationship with Epstein. So far, the university’s administration and the board of trustees have resisted them.

Johnson, the Ohio State spokesman, didn’t answer a question asking whether the university is investigating Wexner’s involvement with Epstein.

“My wife’s doctor”

In his congressional deposition, Wexner was asked about his relationship with Landon, who chairs the obstetrics and gynecology department at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. Wexner described Landon as “my wife’s doctor,” and said that Landon delivered their children.

In the early 2000s, Landon received quarterly checks for $25,000 from the New York Strategy Group, one of several businesses Epstein ran out of a building at 457 Madison Ave. in New York, according to a Palm Beach Police report from 2006.

Also operating out of the building was the Ghislaine Corporation, which is likely named after Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein accomplice who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. Other than Epstein, she is the only person to be convicted in Epstein’s sprawling conspiracy to traffic women and girls to the rich and famous.

In February, Landon issued a written statement after files containing his name became public. He denied any knowledge of Epstein’s predatory machine.

“I did not provide any clinical care for Jeffrey Epstein or any of his victims,” Landon said. “I was a paid consultant for the New York Strategy Group regarding potential biotech investments from 2001 to 2005. I had no knowledge of any criminal activities; I find them reprehensible and I feel terrible for Epstein’s victims.”

Emails released by the Justice Department show that Epstein was billing the Wexners for the money he was paying to Landon.

An entry from April 2005 said, “FYI: On the Dr. Landon quarterly payments, we (New York Strategy Group) billed LHW/Abigail as we have in prior years,” one said.

Even so, in his February deposition, Wexner said that in 2005 he was unaware of any biotech consulting Landon did for Epstein.

Landon “was paid by Epstein on your behalf to consult on biomedical investments. Is that correct?” a questioner asked.

Wexner responded, “I just heard about that. I didn’t know that till maybe, I don’t know, the last few days.”

Then Wexner was asked about Epstein’s many victims.

“Okay. So, with you knowing doctor Mark Landon, are you aware as to whether or not doctor Landon ever was paid to render medical services to any, the alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein?” the questioner asked.

“No,” Wexner replied. The fashion magnate also said he never introduced Landon to Epstein.

The Epstein files so far made public don’t show Landon rendering any clinical services on Epstein’s behalf.

They do show other gynecologists caring for women or girls. Some show Epstein was involved in that care and even sponsoring it.

“Hi Kim… we need to get a girl who works for Jeffrey an appt with a gynecologist today or tomorrow,” says a 2015 email by Lesley Groff, Epstein’s longtime assistant. “I keep calling around and no one is available until next week… Jeffrey is asking if Eva can help… Can you let me know ASAP?”

“Eva” appears to be Eva Dubin, a Swedish beauty queen who dated Epstein in the 1980s and later became a doctor. Her name appears frequently in the Epstein files, but like so many others, she said she knew nothing of Epstein’s criminal conduct, the New York Times reported in February.

Inactive corporation

At least in some cases, Epstein’s payments to Landon came from the heart of his inner circle. The Epstein files contain receipts for Fedex packages sent to Landon’s Columbus home by Darren K. Indyke.

Indyke was Epstein’s longtime personal lawyer and served as executor of his estate. CBS News reported that Indyke was “involved in almost every aspect of Epstein’s business and personal affairs and was paid millions of dollars for his services…”

But when Indyke was deposed by Congress earlier this month, he, too, denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activity. Indyke made the claim despite the fact that he continued to represent Epstein after Epstein in 2008 pleaded guilty to procuring a minor for prostitution.

As for the New York Strategy Group, the entity on whose behalf Indyke paid Landon, few details appear to exist online about what it actually did.

The New York Department of State lists it as an inactive limited liability corporation that made its first filing in 2000. It filed four biennial statements before filing articles of dissolution in 2015.

But in terms of its investment activities, nothing seems to exist online in the business press or in terms of marketing materials or other information. It’s possible that it managed investments only for those in Epstein’s world, and so had no need to advertise itself.

In the light of the lack of detail — and after so many have denied knowing anything about Epstein’s criminal conduct — Landon was asked to provide some particulars about his consulting in order to support his claims.

“Dr. Landon is not currently giving interviews,” Johnson, the OSU spokesman, said on the doctor’s behalf.

Original story can be found at https://ohiocapitaljournal.com