Leon Black’s surprise departure from the helm of Apollo Global Management last month came just days after several directors of the private capital giant’s board learned of allegations of sexual harassment against him by a woman who claimed she was trying to shake him up for a “consensual affair,” The Post has learned.
Black was already on his way to leaving the post of CEO of Apollo in late July, when on March 22 he unexpectedly announced that he would step down as CEO and Chairman, with immediate effect.
Black – who Apollo revealed earlier this year had paid millions to financial pedophile Jeffrey Epstein after his recent 2008 convictions for acquiring a minor girl for prostitution – cited his wife’s health and their own health problems due to the sudden change in plans.
Neither Black nor Apollo mentioned at the time that in the days leading up to the resignation, at least four of Apollo’s twelve board members had noticed a series of but explosive tweets from Güzel Ganieva, an old model who claimed to have been “forced to sign an NDA in 2015” related to allegations that blacks “sexually harassed and abused her,” according to sources close to the situation.
In a statement to The Post, Black acknowledged that he knew Ganieva, but denied that he had acted inappropriately towards her.
“I had a crazy adventure agreed upon with Mrs. Ganieva that ended more than seven years ago,” Black said in his statement. “Any allegation of harassment or any other inappropriate behavior towards her is completely fabricated.”
He also denied that his accusations influenced his decision to leave the company faster than expected. In January, Black had indicated that he would continue as chairman after leaving the post of CEO on July 31st.
“This is completely a personal matter; this matter has nothing to do with Apollo or my decision to move away from the firm ”.
Black added that he believed he was being “extorted” by Ganieva because he had allegedly “made him cash payments, based on his threats to make our relationship public, in an attempt to save my family from public embarrassment.” .
The billionaire said he has referred the matter to “criminal authorities” on the recommendation of his lawyer and welcomes “a thorough investigation”.
It is still unclear whether any of Black’s allegations against Ganieva would amount to criminal conduct and there is no evidence that charges have been filed or are being considered.
Ganieva did not immediately respond to Black’s extortion claims. Ganieva said she signed a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, in 2015 with the goal of keeping her quiet “under duress,” but did not detail the terms or whether she received a monetary benefit.
“Although I am a private person, in light of recent media coverage, I believe I have an obligation to make a statement about Apollo Global Management CEO and President Leon Black,” began the first of his tweets of March 17th. “I was harassed and sexually abused for years.
“It started in 2008 when I met with him to talk about the job,” Ganieva continued. “Although he understood my professional aspirations, he could not understand me when I rejected his sexual advances. I was harassed, manipulated, threatened and coerced. “
Ganieva refused to provide a copy of the NDA. A second source claiming knowledge of the matter, agreed to sign an NDA, but refused to elaborate.
The NDAs became a hotbed of the #MeToo movement, with commentators arguing that they had become a tool to protect powerful men from allegations of abuse.
“Now I break my silence because I don’t want this kind of predatory behavior to continue to happen to other women,” Ganieva said in her third and final tweet, which as of Thursday was still posted on Twitter.
In an exclusive interview with The Post earlier this week, ahead of Black’s extortion allegations, Ganieva alleged that Black’s abuse “was for a long period of time and was tragic.”
Ganieva, who emigrated to the United States from Russia, said she met Black at a 2008 Manhattan party when she was 25 years old. He tried for a while to help her get a job, she said, but said she wanted favors in return.
Ganieva declined to speak more specifically about her allegations, saying she still did not feel comfortable sharing additional details about her allegations.
Among the addresses who had known the tweets, according to sources, was Jay Clayton, the former head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, who was appointed as Apollo’s chief independent director in a January review of to improve Apollo’s corporate governance.
Clayton did not return any requests for comment. An Apollo spokeswoman declined to comment and noted that Black is no longer in the company.
It was widely reported that Black’s sudden departure from Apollo.
In January, an investigation for the law firm Dechert for Apollo found that it had paid Epstein $ 158 million for tax advice and estate planning services between 2013 and 2017. Following the investigation’s closure, Black said his involvement with Epstein who was only guilty of a bad trial in his dealings with Epstein and who had done nothing wrong.
“[There was no] evidence that I have had some involvement with Mr. Epstein’s flagrant conduct or that I have been involved in crimes of any kind, ”he said in a letter to Apollo investors.
Four days later, on March 26, Black said he would not run for re-election as president of the Museum of Modern Art when his term ends on June 30.