MIT and Harvard accepted $7.5 million from Epstein after conviction

MIT and Harvard accepted millions from Jeffrey Epstein between 2002 and 2019, continuing to take his money years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito Joi Ito accepted $525,000 directly from Epstein for the lab and an additional $1.2 million for his personal venture capital firm, while deliberately listing Epstein's donations as anonymous gifts. Internal MIT emails from 2014-2015 show staff calling Epstein "Voldemort" while concealing his funding from faculty and other donors. Epstein also facilitated an additional $7.5 million in donations to MIT from other billionaires, including a $2 million gift from Bill Gates Bill Gates and a $5 million gift from Leon Black, routed through him to obscure his role. MIT professor Seth Lloyd received $225,000 from Epstein while hiding the source from the university. MIT's January 2020 investigation found Epstein donated $850,000 directly to MIT across 10 donations between 2002 and 2017, with nine donations totaling $750,000 made after his 2008 conviction. Harvard accepted $9.1 million from Epstein between 1998 and 2007, including $6.5 million in 2003 to endow Martin Nowak Martin Nowak's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Harvard stopped accepting Epstein donations in 2008 by administrative decision but continued allowing Epstein to visit campus and maintain academic relationships for nearly another decade. Ronan Farrow's September 2019 New Yorker investigation exposed MIT's concealment practices, prompting Ito's resignation and MIT's commissioning of an independent review.

Key facts

MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito Joi Ito accepted $525,000 directly from Jeffrey Epstein for the lab after Epstein's 2008 sex offender conviction, coding the donations as anonymous gifts and instructing staff not to record Epstein's name.

Internal MIT emails from 2014-2015 reveal staff called Epstein 'Voldemort' while deliberately concealing his donations from faculty, other donors, and university records.

Epstein facilitated an additional $7.5 million in donations to MIT from other billionaires, including a $2 million gift from Bill Gates Bill Gates in 2014 and a $5 million gift from Leon Black, routed through Epstein to obscure his coordination role.

Harvard accepted $9.1 million from Epstein between 1998 and 2007, including $6.5 million in 2003 to endow Martin Nowak Martin Nowak's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Harvard stopped accepting Epstein donations in 2008 but allowed him to visit campus more than 40 times and participate in academic life through 2018.

MIT professor Seth Lloyd received $225,000 from Epstein across donations in 2012 and 2017 while hiding the source from MIT; he also accepted a personal gift of $60,000 that he deposited into his own bank account.

Ronan Farrow's September 6, 2019 New Yorker investigation exposed MIT's concealment practices, prompting Joi Ito Joi Ito's immediate resignation and MIT's commissioning of an independent fact-finding review released in January 2020.

MIT's January 2020 investigation confirmed Ito violated university policies by accepting and concealing Epstein donations and found that top officials committed 'significant mistakes of judgment.' Harvard's 2020 report found it donated unspent Epstein funds of approximately $200,000 to victim organizations but could not return the $6.5 million grant, which had been fully spent.

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