Wasserman Group CEO issues apology after emails appear in Epstein files
Casey Wasserman, founder and CEO of Wasserman Group, the talent management and sports marketing company, has issued a public apology after his name and multiple old emails appeared in newly released files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
The correspondence documents were among the over three million files released last week by the US Justice Department relating to the convicted pedophile and child sex trafficker Epstein. Per The Guardian, these included intimate email exchanges from 2003 between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell, the close associate of Epstein’s who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence on child sex trafficking charges as well as other offences.
The Wasserman talent agency was founded in 2002, and the Wasserman Music subsidiary was launched in 2021. The Wasserman Group oversees management and events bookings for some of the biggest names in music, including a wide-ranging roster of DJs, producers and live musicians from across the electronic music world. It also acquired UK agency Paradigm in 2022, bringing even more talent under its control.
One email exchange shows Wasserman writing to Maxwell: “I think of you all the time. So, what do I have to do to see you in a tight leather outfit?”
In a statement, Wasserman said he “deeply regrets” the exchanges and emphasised that they occurred “long before her horrific crimes came to light”.
He denied having any personal or professional relationship with Epstein, but did acknowledge going on “a humanitarian trip as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation in 2002 on the Epstein plane”. “I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them,” he added.
In the wake of the documents being made public, Wasserman has faced calls to resign from his position as chair of the LA28 Olympics committee.
On Thursday, 5th February, Bethany Cosentino, a musician with the indie-rock group Best Coast, who is on the Wasserman Music roster, shared an open letter calling on Wasserman to step down from his role at the company. “Ghislaine Maxwell is not a neutral character in a messy story – she is a convicted sex trafficker who helped facilitate the abuse of minors. As an artist represented by Wasserman, I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation. Staying quiet isn’t something I can do in good conscience – especially in a moment when men in power are so often protected, excused, or allowed to move on without consequence. Pretending this isn’t a big deal is not an option for me.”
Read Cosentino’s statement in full below
Read the files concerning Wasserman here.
