Russell Simmons on "In Depth, Graham Bensinger," Dec. 7, Twitter screengrab
Music mogul Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, has made shocking claims against his ex-wife, Kimora Lee Simmons. In a recent interview, Simmons alleged that Lee Simmons stole a staggering $800 million from him to secure bail for her husband, Tim Leissner, who had faced criminal charges.
During an interview with Graham Bensinger on “In Depth,” Simmons, who was in Bali, opened up about his past relationship with Lee Simmons, founder of Baby Phat and a successful model. The couple had been together for 15 years, including eight years of marriage, and Simmons had been a supportive partner and best friends with her throughout their time together.
“I must’ve been a sh*t partner, from what I hear,” he told Bensinger in an interview that went viral on Dec. 7, HipHopDX reported. “No. I was very generous and tried to be supportive. We were together 15 years, Kimora and I. And for eight years, we were married. And together for seven, before that. And then, I was best friends with Kimora throughout the entire raising of my children.”
However, according to Simmons, the situation took a drastic turn, leading to their separation. He claimed that his ex-wife late gave $800 million worth of stock to the government illegally. These stocks, now valued at that significant sum, were allegedly used to secure bail for her new husband, Leissner.
“So, I tried to be flexible, and accommodating, and supportive,” Simmons said. “And sometimes, things don’t work out. You’ve seen the lawsuit. I had no choice. I think Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha, anybody would have sued. […] She gave what is now, today, based on the value of the stock, $800 million to the government illegally, and now I’m fighting to get my half of it back.”
Leissner, a former banker, had pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 2018, along with charges related to money laundering. Simmons asserted that Lee Simmons used these stocks as collateral for her husband’s federal bond while facing trial.
Russell Simmons had initially accused Lee Simmons of defrauding him out of Celsius stocks in 2021. In May 2023, it was reported that he was required to pay $100,000 to her, months before his daughters accused him of abuse.
In response to these allegations, Lee Simmons was awarded $100,000 in legal fees as part of the case against Simmons. The legal fees were granted following a breach of contract claim by her against the Phat Farm founder.
Leissner pleaded guilty to criminal charges and was ordered to repay $43.7 million as part of his sentence. More recently, Leissner became a U.S. government witness in a broader case related to the theft of billions from Malaysia.
During the interview he also spoke about the sexual assault allegations against him.
“It’s ruined my life,” he said of the 2017 accusations. “It’s ruined my relationships with everything. All my five charities have gone down.”
Simmons admitted he’s “slept with” “thousands” of people, and over the years “I was in so many compromising situations that people can have a recollection from 30 or 40 years ago, and it can be different from my recollection.”
He said he has taken “nine lie detector tests,” in which he attested to having “never done this to anyone,” including answering to each individual woman’s accusations, USA Today reported.
Russell Simmons on “In Depth, Graham Bensinger,” Dec. 7, Twitter screengrab
