Frank Rondel
Casey Wasserman, a leading entertainment and sports agent and chair of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has announced plans to sell his namesake talent agency following scrutiny stemming from documents released by the U.S. Justice Department regarding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reports customreceipt.com via sources from CNN.
In an internal memo shared with agency employees on Friday, obtained by CNN, Wasserman stated that he had “become a distraction” to the company’s ongoing operations and client services. “That is why I have begun the process of selling the company, an effort that is already underway,” he wrote.
The recently released Epstein files revealed that Wasserman had a more substantial relationship with Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, than previously documented. This disclosure prompted internal and public pressure, including calls for him to step down from the Olympics coordinating committee.
Wasserman has not been accused of any criminal activity in connection with Epstein. According to the DOJ documents, he took flights on Epstein’s private plane and exchanged messages with Maxwell that some have characterized as suggestive. Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner, was convicted of sex trafficking and related offenses in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
In his memo, Wasserman minimized the extent of his interactions with Epstein and Maxwell, noting that they were “limited” and occurred years before their criminal conduct became public. He described the contacts as including a single humanitarian trip to Africa and a few emails he “deeply regret[s] sending.” He expressed regret for the impact of these events on his company and clients, stating, “I’m heartbroken that my brief contact with them 23 years ago has caused you, this company, and its clients so much hardship over the past days and weeks.”
Sources familiar with the agency’s operations told CNN that investors, concerned about the potential reputational and financial risks, urged Wasserman to sell. Earlier statements to the Associated Press emphasized that Wasserman’s interactions with Maxwell occurred over two decades ago and that he “never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.” He also noted that the 2002 humanitarian trip was conducted as part of a delegation with the Clinton Foundation aboard Epstein’s plane.
Following the release of the documents, several artists have departed from Wasserman’s agency, including singer Chappell Roan, singer Orville Peck, and singer-songwriter Weyes Blood.
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