Guzel Ganieva is a Russian model who became known for her allegations of sexual abuse against billionaire Leon Black, a co-founder of Apollo Global Management and an associate of Jeffrey Epstein.
From 2008 to 2015, Ganieva was in what she has characterized as an abusive and coercive relationship with Black, while Black has described the relationship as consensual.
According to her civil lawsuit filed on June 1, 2021, Ganieva alleges that Black:
On March 18, 2021, Ganieva posted on Twitter that she had been "sexually harassed and abused" by Black for years. On June 1, 2021, she filed a civil lawsuit in New York Supreme Court alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and gender-motivated violence. After multiple legal proceedings, her claims were dismissed in January 2025 based on the 2015 NDA she had signed.
In 2015, Jeffrey Epstein contacted Sergei Belyakov, requesting help with what Epstein described as a blackmail problem. Epstein specifically mentioned that Ganieva was targeting "powerful men" in his circle, including Black.
According to investigative reporting from the Dossier Center, there is a 2015 message from Epstein to Belyakov asking for help because Ganieva — described as a "Russian girl from Moscow" — was allegedly "attempting to blackmail a group of powerful businessmen in New York."
[The only repeated threats for many years came from Black to Ms. Ganieva that if she did not sign the NDA, take his hush money and retreat into silence forever, she would feel the brunt of his true wrath. He said many times to her: “If you do not take the money, I will put you in prison.” “If you do not take the money, I will destroy your life.”]
https://www.scribd.com/document/510296296/Guzel-Ganieva-v-Leon-Black-Summons-Complaint