In hundreds of emails between Ehnbom and Epstein, or his assistant Lesley Groff, their chatty, familiar manner paints a picture of an established relationship that benefited them both. The communications continued from 2005 through 2018 — after his 2008 conviction and during his 13-month jail term. He died by suicide in jail in 2019. Ehnbom later said that she was “deeply outraged” by the abuse girls had been subjected to.
The exchanges released by the U.S. Department of Justice and reviewed by POLITICO show Ehnbom telling Epstein she was financially dependent on him to continue her projects in Sweden. These included the Swedish-American Life Science Summit, an invitation-only event for businesses, scientists, and investors that she co-founded. It also included her young women’s networking club, Barbro’s Best and Brightest — her “BBBs” — and Sweden’s Female Economist of the Year scholarship, both launched in 2001.
In numerous emails, Ehnbom asked Epstein for money and, sometimes, introductions to his network of wealthy people. The emails suggested Epstein frequently deposited $25,000 to organizations linked to Ehnbom, and Ehnbom hinted that Epstein had made a $100,000 donation.
Financial and political elite
In the messages, one woman thanked him for the “inspiring, exciting, and thoughtful conversation.” Another who he booked on a trip to Africa after speaking with him, described it as a “dream coming true.”
Ehnbom shared a LinkedIn post on Dec. 16 on social media platform X from a former “BBB,” Camilla Wagner, who said that while she had never met Epstein, she knew women “who, like many in the financial, political, and business elite, had contact with him before 2019 when his monstrous crimes became known. Judging the story behind it without context is easy, but rarely honest,” she said.
“BBB is not a network for ‘pretty women,'” she said. “It is a network of competent women who help each other in the same way they always have. Doors are opened. Contacts are shared. Careers are made possible.” This LinkedIn post no longer appears to be visible. POLITICO tried to contact Wagner but received no response.
POLITICO, which has not identified the women to protect those who may have been victims, contacted three women on LinkedIn mentioned by Ehnbom in emails to Epstein, and whose names have not been redacted, but none replied to a request for comment.