In 1997 a little black book was found on Fifth Avenue in New York. It is believed to be Jeffrey Epstein's, according to a 2021 Business Insider story.
Private equity underwriters (PEU) were fairly uncommon. They would metastasize after the new millenium.
A smattering of PEUs were in Epstein's 1997 black book.
Prince Bandar - Investment Enterprises Ltd.
Leon Black - Apollo
David Bonderman - TPG
Lynn Forester (listed twice) - went on to form Inclusive Capital Partners
Henry Kravis - KKR
Black, Bonderman and Kravis became PEU royalty.
Epstein's 2004 black book had more PEUs:
Tony Blair - Khosla Ventures, a longtime defender of the greed and leverage boys
Ron Burkle - Yucaipi
John Huntsman - Huntsman Gay Global Capital
Ron Perelman - MacAndrews and Forbes
Thomas Pritzker - Madison Dearborn Capital Partners, Pritzker Private Capital
Ehud Olmert - Genesis Angels
Ehud Barak - SCP Private Equity Partners, Epstein funded one investment for Barak
Tom Barrack - Colony Capital
John Kerry - courted PEU money for climate change, referencing private equity's "sway"
Andrew Farkas - Island Capital
Craig Hatkoff - Victor Capital Group
These entries show the crowd Epstein circulated within, the ultra-wealthy and uber-powerful. A number of former elected officials went on to become PEUs. More went on to take highly paid speaking PEU engagements.
A more recent trend is the PEU to elected official phenomena.
Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.
Update 1-5-24: Fox News reported "Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre said (hedge fund giant) Glenn Dubin was the "first" individual Ghislaine Maxwell had sent her to for sex after she completed her massage training." Dubin co-founded Highbridge Capital Management.
