US House votes to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress

NEW YORK: The US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday (Sep 16) to find billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress and refer the case to the Justice Department, after he declined to comply with subpoenas as part of a probe into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Black, who co-founded private capital firm Apollo Global Management, ⁠is among several political and business figures who have been called to testify about their ties to the financier.

The Justice Department can now decide whether to prosecute. Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanour offense that carries up to a year in prison and a fine of up to US$100,000.

The Justice Department said, in a statement, that it takes allegations of contempt of Congress seriously.

"The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will review the referral of Mr. Black carefully and will not hesitate to pursue additional cases where the evidence supports," the department said.

Black sued the House Oversight Committee earlier this month and refused a summons to appear at a deposition and to hand over some non-disclosure agreements.

He had appeared voluntarily in front of the committee in June, and told them he had never abused women, engaged in sex trafficking, or had sex with underage women. He denies he knew about Epstein's conduct.

Black walked out during the June interview, according to members of the committee.

Black's lawyers said on Wednesday that "Mr. Black provided the Committee with the only confidentiality agreement that Jeffrey Epstein knew about as part of Mr. Black's cooperation with the Committee's efforts to ferret out the truth about Epstein," but "the Committee has continued to insist on looking for information that does not exist."

They have asked the Office of Congressional Conduct to investigate committee 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 US$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.