Despite calls for his resignation, the LA28 Executive Committee Board Wednesday supported Casey Wasserman to continue in his role as chair of the Olympic organizing effort, citing an independent investigation that examined his past interactions with Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s been convicted of sex trafficking for her role in a widespread sexual abuse scandal involving the late Jeffrey Epstein.
The Board — the leaders responsible for planning and executing the preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles — said in a statement that the organization takes allegations of misconduct seriously, and is committed to thoroughly reviewing any concerns related to the organization’s leadership.
LA28 hired outside counsel O’Melveny & Myers LLP to conduct a review of Wasserman’s past interactions with Maxwell and Epstein. The board said Wasserman fully cooperated with the review.
“We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” the board said in a statement.
“Twenty-three years ago, before Mr. Wasserman or the public knew of Epstein and Maxwell’s deplorable crimes, Mr. Wasserman and his then-wife flew on a humanitarian mission to Africa on Epstein’s plane at the invitation of the Clinton Foundation. This was his single interaction with Epstein. Shortly after, he traded the publicly known emails with Maxwell,” the board said in its statement.
The executive committee determined that based on these facts, and Wasserman’s “strong leadership” exhibited over the past 10 years, that he should continue to lead LA28 and deliver the 2028 Games.
Earlier this month, three Los Angeles City Council members and County Supervisor Janice Hahn, among other elected officials, called on Wasserman to resign from LA28 over a string of racy emails with Maxwell, and his alleged connection with Epstein.
Wasserman’s name surfaced when the latest batch of Epstein documents were made public late January by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its investigation into Epstein, who died in a jail cell in August 2019 of a reported suicide as he awaited trial on federal charges.
The former financier was accused of procuring underage girls to perform sexual favors for various highly influential millionaires and billionaires at a private island.
The documents revealed multiple salacious email exchanges between Wasserman and Maxwell, Epstein’s associate who was convicted in 2021 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping Epstein procure girls and young women.
In a statement to various media outlets, Wasserman said, “I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light. I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. As is well documented, I went 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.”
The newly released emails are from 2003. They feature flirtatious remarks from both parties, including Wasserman writing that he wanted to see Maxwell in a “tight leather outfit,” and Maxwell offering to give him a massage that can “drive a man wild.”
The 51-year-old Wasserman is the founder and CEO of Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent agency, and grandson of legendary Hollywood agent Lew Wasserman.
Wasserman recently traveled to Milan, Italy, with the LA28 delegation for the Winter Olympics.