MIT Media Lab officials tried to hide the center’s philanthropic relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide while awaiting trial last month.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology research center’s ties with the now-dead financier have earned scrutiny since state and federal law enforcement arrested Epstein on child sex trafficking charges in July. New documents and emails obtained by the New Yorker detail how MIT faculty and staff attempted to hide Epstein’s ties with the university’s research.
MIT staff listed Epstein on its donor list as “disqualified,” but instead of severing ties, staff took efforts to hide his donations and fundraising activities. Around the research center, Epstein became known as Voldemort or “he who must not be named,” referencing the main villain of the Harry Potter series.
Epstein solicited a total of $7.5 million for MIT Media Lab from philanthropist Bill Gates and the investor Leon Black.
In reference to Gates’ $2 million gift, MIT Media Lab’s then-Director of Development and Strategy Peter Cohen directed staff to not mention Epstein’s connection to the donation.
“For gift recording purposes, we will not be mentioning Jeffrey’s name as the impetus for this gift,” Cohen said in an email.
Media Lab director Joi Ito directly solicited Epstein for $100,000 to fund a certain research project for another year. Epstein approved the donation, and Ito directed the staff member handling the donation to “make sure this gets accounted for as anonymous.”
Referring to the same donation, Cohen also told staff that it was “Jeffrey money” and “needs to be anonymous.”
Epstein served as a go-between for the research center and Gates and Black. Epstein and Ito also made plans to organize larger fundraising and financial support for the Media Lab, though those plans may never have come to fruition.
The university has apologized for its relationship with Epstein. MIT President L. Rafael Reif announced last month that MIT would be donating an amount equal to what it received from Epstein to charities for sex abuse.
“With hindsight, we recognize with shame and distress that we allowed MIT to contribute to the elevation of his reputation, which in turn served to distract from his horrifying acts. No apology can undo that,” Reif said in an Aug. 23 statement.
