Jeffrey Epstein, the U.S. billionaire who died in prison after being convicted of child prostitution crimes, was found to have tried to maintain academic influence by leveraging Harvard University connections and research programs even after his first release.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 21st (local time), materials recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice showed that Epstein emailed a Harvard professor right after his release in 2009 saying, "I'm back home and free," attempting to restore ties. The professor replied, "Fantastic." The NYT said it "shows that contact with key academic figures continued even after the conviction."
Epstein was indicted on child prostitution charges in 2008, pleaded guilty, and served 13 months, and was arrested again on the same charges in 2019. He later took his own life in a New York jail while awaiting trial. But during the investigation, his close relationships with political, financial, and business figures were revealed, and the case grew into a power scandal beyond a simple crime.
Epstein built ties with Harvard from the 1990s, donating a total of $8.4 million (about 12.36312 billion won) and cultivating an academic network. Despite lacking a formal degree, he obtained a research fellowship and reportedly acted like a co-researcher with professors. Notably, even after his sex crime conviction, it was confirmed that he maintained relationships by socializing at his home with some professors or sharing flights on his private jet.
According to the NYT, Harvard imposed sanctions on some professors connected to Epstein and shut down related programs in its own 2020 probe, but the newly released materials revealed numerous additional ties not covered at the time, rekindling controversy over a "lenient investigation."
In particular, Epstein maintained a close relationship with former Harvard President Lawrence Summers and continued to exchange contacts and advice even after his release. It was also confirmed that, even after donations were banned, he supported funds through related entities and sought to expose his name in university programs.
Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig criticized this, saying, "The university focused on downplaying the matter and did not sufficiently identify core ties." Harvard is currently conducting a reinvestigation based on the hundreds of thousands of newly released documents, and some professors have resigned or been removed from their duties.
As powerful figures around the world became heavily entangled, the "Epstein scandal," which rattled not only the United States but the entire world, has not faded from public attention even after last year's release of the Epstein files. President Trump filed a damages lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which reported that he sent Epstein an obscene birthday greeting letter, but lost in the first trial on the 13th.
More recently, U.S. first lady Melania Trump delivered an unscheduled live statement at the White House, flatly denying allegations that she was tied to Epstein. Melania said, "The allegations are false and the media exaggerated a mere social contact," adding, "Attempts at defamation for political purposes and monetary gain must stop."