WASHINGTON (AP) — Among them are Nobel Prize winners and famous authors. Pioneer of science and medicine. At least one is a university president. Prominent academics have been spinning in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit for years, even after he was convicted of sex crimes. Now, facing a backlash, many say they are driven by one factor: Epstein’s wealth.
A series of new documents released by the Justice Department show that Epstein’s influence over academia was deeper than previously known. He maintains close contact with dozens of researchers, who exchange friendly emails while relying on him to fund their projects. Some sent him gifts and visited him in New York and Florida. Some expressed sympathy as he faced the consequences of his crime.
The new review is targeting a number of academics whose emails have emerged in documents revealing conversations covering topics ranging from scientific research to sex and romance. At least one academic has resigned in response to new revelations, and Yale University has removed another academic from teaching while it reviews his conduct.
When asked about relationships that often lasted for years, many gave similar responses: Epstein had money to give, and they needed it.
In a world of ultra-competitive research funding, professors rely not only on federal grants but also on private donations from wealthy donors, which they often must secure themselves. Doing so helps secure their jobs, fund graduate students, and further their research.
To some, Epstein was a willing donor with a personal interest in science.
A professor says his courtship of Epstein was ‘standard operating procedure’
Dr. Mark Tramer, a neuroscientist at UCLA, said his connection to Epstein was always rooted in cultivating donations. Records show he exchanged dozens of emails and phone calls with Epstein over more than a decade, on topics that went well beyond the professional realm. Tramo occasionally sent Epstein gifts and provided medical advice for Epstein’s back pain.
In 2009, as Epstein’s sentence was coming to an end, Tramer sent an email: “Only 13 days left, man!!!! – where and when is the party?” Tramer later suggested a party in Florida or New York. Epstein offered to help “in any way” as he sought to rebuild his image.
Tramo told The Associated Press that he didn’t learn of Epstein’s crimes involving underage girls until years later and that he now regrets the relationship. Still, Tramo described his actions as “standard operating procedure” when dealing with potential donors.
“It’s human nature for philanthropists to expect at least a little kindness from fundraisers and beneficiaries,” he said in an email.
UCLA officials did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Tramo estimates he received about $200,000 from Epstein to support his research. As federal funding becomes harder to come by, the financier’s money becomes more tempting, he said, especially for riskier, “outside the box” research like his. Tramo runs a research institute that studies the connection between music and the brain.
Private funding provides a shortcut to research funding
Leslie Lenkowsky, a philanthropy scholar at Indiana University, said the disclosures underscore the appeal of private funding in research. He said Epstein provided a quick way to get funding without the scrutiny and red tape that comes with federal grants. Epstein also offered access to a world of wealth and power and was surrounded by celebrities, which enhanced his appeal, Lenkoski said.
“It blinds people,” he said. “They see the money coming and they see little risk, so they go after it.”
The new emails reveal a deeper relationship than previously known between Epstein and Leon Botstein, president of Bard College in New York.
The two met several times, with Epstein sometimes arriving by helicopter at the small private university. Botstein invited Epstein as a guest at the 2013 graduation ceremony, and the conductor president later suggested they meet for an opera performance.
In 2018, weeks after the Miami Herald reported new details of Epstein’s criminal prosecution, Botstein reached out: “I want you to know that I hope you stick with it.” Botstein mentioned his “friendship” with Epstein in at least two emails.
Botstein now denies any personal connection. “Mr. Epstein was not a friend of mine; he was a potential donor,” Bostein said in a campus letter this week.
In 2016, Epstein donated $150,000 to Botstein, funds that the president has previously said he has donated to the college. Bostein’s spokesman, David Wade, said Epstein later raised the possibility of more donations, but they never materialized.
“The only reason President Bostein communicated with Jeffrey Epstein was to raise money for the academy,” Wade said.
Epstein trained scholars at multiple universities
Epstein often positioned himself as a patron of science, and some of his academic relationships are well documented. He has donated more than $9 million to Harvard University, much of it to a research institute founded by mathematics and biology professor Martin Nowak. Harvard sanctioned Nowak in 2021 because Epstein had his own office in the building and visited regularly.
Records show that during Epstein’s trip to Harvard, he spent the day meeting with prominent academics, who sometimes became close friends. He occasionally met with former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University President Larry Summers, as well as linguist and activist Noam Chomsky.
The emails reveal how Epstein built a network of scientists, asking people he knew to connect him with others they respected. In other cases, researchers approached him asking him to fund their projects. The documents include emails from academics at the University of Texas, the University of Tennessee, Indiana University and others.
Two Yale professors were recently discovered to have ties to Epstein. One of them, computer science professor David Gelernter, has been removed from his position while the university reviews his conduct. Gallente’s emails with Epstein included a 2011 message advising a senior at Yale University to apply for a job and describing her as “a petite, pretty blonde.”
Other documents show that Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a sociologist and physician at Yale University, met with Epstein in 2013 and exchanged emails with him. Christakis told The Associated Press that he met to raise money for his lab, although Epstein never offered support. He said he was shocked when he later learned of Epstein’s crimes.
“Any funds I raise are administered by Yale University, and the Yale Development Office is aware of and supports my meetings with Mr. Epstein,” Christakis said in an email.
Yale officials declined to comment.
Other documents reveal Epstein’s friendship with museum director David Ross, who resigned from the School of Visual Arts in New York this month. Some of the emails appeared to be an attempt to comfort Epstein as he faced public unrest.
“It’s so frustrating to see you dragged through the mud again. I’m still proud to call you a friend,” Ross wrote in 2015.
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