EPSTEIN-MIT MEDIA LAB CORRESPONDENCE 2013-2019
Internal communications at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology revealed the extent of Jeffrey Epstein's post-conviction relationship with the MIT Media Lab and the efforts to obscure his involvement in funding.
DONATIONS: Epstein directed donations totaling approximately $7.5 million to MIT from 2013 to 2017. Because MIT had designated Epstein as a "disqualified" donor following his 2008 conviction, communications revealed that donations were routed through intermediaries and anonymous channels to conceal their origin.
DIRECTOR INVOLVEMENT: Joi Ito, then-director of the MIT Media Lab, maintained a direct relationship with Epstein and facilitated the donation process. Internal emails showed Ito and other MIT personnel using the code name "Voldemort" and "he who shall not be named" when referring to Epstein in communications — evidence that they were aware the relationship needed to be hidden.
SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILITY: The relationship illustrates how Epstein used philanthropic giving to maintain access to prestigious academic institutions and cultivate an image of intellectual respectability — even after his criminal conviction. Epstein hosted scientific salons at his Manhattan townhouse and positioned himself as a patron of cutting-edge research.
FALLOUT: Following public exposure of the relationship in 2019, Joi Ito resigned from MIT. MIT President L. Rafael Reif acknowledged the institution's "mistakes" in accepting Epstein's money. An internal MIT investigation found that senior administrators were aware of Epstein's donations and approved the decision to accept them.