Former Apollo CEO Leon Black buys $28M London townhouse

Leon Black, the founder and former CEO of Apollo Global Management, bought an opulent apartment in London’s Belgravia neighborhood.

Black bought the 7,500-square-foot unit for $28 million from the estate of Kathleen DuRoss Ford, the widow of Henry Ford II, according to Dirt. Black was forced out of his hedge fund last year after his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed through an independent review.

The review found he paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning from 2012 to 2017, according to Reuters. Two women have also accused Black of sexual assault at Epstein’s homes, including the model Guzel Ganieva.

Ganieva sued Black in a New York state court in June, accusing him of rape and abuse during their six-year-long relationship. She also claims Black tried to get her to have sex with Epstein. He denied Ganieva’s allegations and sued her, alleging extortion.

Black’s new London home dates from the 1820s and spans the ground and lower floor unit of a low-rise building. It also includes an attached mews house, or carriage house.

The house has three reception rooms, seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The home is lavishly decorated in listing photos from Beauchamp estates. Many rooms have colorful wallpaper, Persian rugs and chandeliers.

(Beauchamp Estates)

The rear of the home opens to a patio garden. The mews house could be expanded by another 600 square feet. The cellar could also be expanded to connect to the main house.

The home sits on the north side of Eaton Square, the largest garden square in London and easily one of its most storied. It was developed by the Grosvenor family, which was behind the development of much of Belgravia in the early 19th century.

Past residents of Eaton Square include Sean Connery, Andrew Lloyd Webber, former Prime Ministers Neville Chamberlain and Stanley Baldwin and royals Aga Khan and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

[Dirt] — Dennis Lynch