Before Jeffrey Epstein was disgraced — before he was arrested this month and charged with sex trafficking dozens of minors, before he received a slap on the wrist in 2008 for molesting girls at his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. — he aimed to be a Harvard man.
He contributed millions to the university, reportedly funding the construction of Harvard Hillel’s building, and helping to establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. He frequented an office blocks from campus, and flew up in his private plane to host seminars there with some of Harvard’s most prominent professors, according to Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus professor of law at Harvard who served as one of Epstein’s lawyers. Among Epstein’s close associates, according to a 2003 Harvard Crimson article, were former president Lawrence Summers, former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Henry Rosovsky, and professor emeritus of psychology Stephen Kosslyn.
“He had a close connection to Harvard,” said Dershowitz, who helped negotiate the generous plea deal with prosecutors in Florida. Two women have alleged that Epstein directed them to have sex with Dershowitz; he denies ever meeting them.Get Metro Headlines in your inboxThe 10 top local news stories from metro Boston and around New England delivered daily.Sign Up
Epstein savored his university ties. He was photographed wearing a crimson sweatshirt, “Harvard” emblazoned in white letters across his chest. As recently as 2014, Epstein’s foundation issued press releases referring to him as a “Harvard mogul,” and “renowned science and Harvard investor.”
But Epstein was not, exactly, a Harvard mogul. He was not a Harvard alum, a Harvard professor, or a Harvard parent.
Instead, he seems to have simply chosen Harvard to be his, adding it to a collection of prized objects that would reflect glory back upon him, like the photographs of famous people displayed in his New York home, the lavish properties he amassed from Manhattan to the Caribbean, and the young girls he allegedly hunted down. Some have likened him to a sinister Jay Gatsby, whose stories about himself don’t always line up with the truth. – READ MORE