Stephen Hanson, known for his restaurant empire that included venues such as Blue Water Grill and Ruby Foo’s, played a varied role in his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. His tasks included organizing jobs, arranging visas, and providing entertainment for women.
The ties between Hanson and Epstein extended over many years, as shown by Department of Justice files. These documents reveal their interactions included vacations such as a 2013 trip to Las Vegas.
Listen · 17:38 min Credit: U.S. Department of Justice
In August 2012, Epstein requested Hanson’s assistance for a personal errand. Epstein wanted his preferred Zweigle’s Pop Open hot dogs sent from his Upper East Side townhouse to his Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. Hanson, owning a private jet and a thriving restaurant business in Manhattan, delivered the hot dogs himself.
An email from Epstein’s private chef detailed the arrangement: “In the white freezer in downstairs kitchen of 71st Street, there are packages of frozen hot dogs. JE would like to have hot dogs for lunch tomorrow, and these are the new dogs he likes.”
Additionally, Epstein asked Hanson to accommodate a woman who would deliver a wallet he had forgotten. Documents from the Department of Justice, part of their investigation into Epstein, show that this woman later received settlements from victim compensation funds established after Epstein’s legal issues.
The Justice Department files underscore Epstein’s connections with various influential men. Notable figures such as Les Wexner, the Victoria’s Secret magnate, and Leon Black, a private equity investor, contributed to Epstein’s financial empire. Celebrities like Woody Allen and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor provided societal and cultural legitimacy.
However, Hanson’s contribution was unique. His correspondence with Epstein, spanning thousands of emails and texts over a decade, provided Epstein with entry into the culinary and hospitality sector. Moreover, Hanson offered companionship and social events that Epstein valued, leveraging his resources to entertain and assist attractive women.
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