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Recent revelations expose Jeffrey Epstein's connections to Bitcoin developers
The newest release of Jeffrey Epstein documents has uncovered some surprising details about the convicted sex offender's involvement with key figures in Bitcoin's early development.
Hidden among millions of newly released pages are emails, business arrangements, and conversations between Epstein and several Bitcoin developers that took place over nearly seven years.
Epstein's interest in Bitcoin wasn't exactly a secret.
Between 2002 and 2017, he gave MIT $850,000 in total. Of that amount, $525,000 went specifically to the MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative.
When the Bitcoin Foundation went broke in 2015, some of Epstein's money ended up indirectly paying the salaries of Bitcoin Core developers who moved to the MIT Media Lab.
Epstein stayed in regular touch with Joichi Ito, a Japanese entrepreneur who ran the MIT Media Lab from 2011 to 2019. Together, their financial support helped make MIT a major center for Bitcoin development work.
When Bitcoin Core developers joined the MIT Media Lab, Ito wrote to Epstein: "This is a big win for us."
The developers' names come up throughout the emails for different reasons.
Just because someone's name appears in these documents doesn't automatically mean they did anything wrong.
It's worth noting that all these interactions happened after Epstein's 2008 convictions in Florida for soliciting a prostitute and procuring a child for prostitution.
When you look at all these communications together, they paint a picture of Epstein's obsession with Bitcoin and its developers. In many cases, the emails show he tried using his money, influence, and connections to shape the direction of what's now a $1.5 trillion blockchain.
Jeremy Rubin
Jeremy Rubin first shows up in the Epstein files in June 2014 when he was still an MIT student. Emails between Epstein and his personal assistant Lesley Groff show her trying to set up a phone call between the two.
In December 2015, Rubin reached out to Epstein on his own.
"I was wondering if you would be interested in financing my continued research in this space, or if there are any projects you'd want to push forward that I might play a role in," Rubin wrote. "I'd also love to learn more from you about how financial markets really work and build some of my own 'exploits' at some point."
"Their deal is to pump the currency, it is dangerous." — Jeffrey Epstein
Epstein replied with several options for how Rubin could receive funding.
"One, you can merely work for me, salary. Two, start a company, hire others, I make an investment (more paperwork). Three, do research. Tax advantages but restricted. I can easily pay your tuition. Or some combo of the above," Epstein wrote.
By 2018, their relationship seemed to have grown closer. Emails show they planned in-person meetings in June and made introductions for each other.
That same year, Rubin also tried pitching Epstein on crypto investment opportunities, including a potential deal with Layer 1, a Bitcoin mining company. Epstein was skeptical.
"Jeremy I am more than happy to fund things but as I am high profile, it can't be questionable ethics," he responded. "Their deal is to pump the currency, it is dangerous."
Rubin has since publicly addressed his connection to Epstein.
"I'm glad the emails are being released," he said on February 2, adding that he had "some professional engagement" with Epstein that was "never exclusive."
"I hope the release of the emails brings us closer to justice for those harmed and a better understanding of the nature of corruption in our society," he said.
Gavin Andresen, Wladimir van der Laan and Cory Fields
These three Bitcoin Core developers joined MIT Media Lab's Digital Currency Initiative in 2015.
Their names appear in an April 2015 email exchange between Ito, who was running the DCI at the time, and Epstein.
Ito explained that Andresen, van der Laan, and Fields had been getting paid by the Bitcoin Foundation, a nonprofit that had just gone bankrupt weeks earlier.
"The idea is great, the execution as you are now aware has some serious risks." — Jeffrey Epstein
"Many organizations scrambled to step into the vacuum created by the foundation and 'take control' of the developers," Ito wrote. "We moved quickly talking to all of the various stakeholders and the three developers decided to join the Media Lab. This is a big win for us."
Epstein had actually tried meeting with Andresen much earlier—back in 2011, just months after Andresen took over as lead maintainer of Bitcoin's code from Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin's mysterious creator.
"Gavin, I spoke with Jason Calacanis. I would like to speak with you. Call my office in NY. The idea is great, the execution as you are now aware has some serious risks," Epstein wrote to Andresen in June 2011. (Calacanis is a well-known US investor and co-host of The All-In Podcast.)
"Jeffrey Epstein will be up at Harvard this Friday June 17th and Saturday June 18th. He would love to meet with you. Might you be around and have some available time?" one of Epstein's assistants asked Andresen a few days later.
"No, sorry, I'm busy," Andresen replied.
So far, there's no evidence that Wladimir van der Laan or Cory Fields had any direct communication with Epstein or his staff.
Andresen has stayed out of the spotlight since he stopped working on Bitcoin in 2016. He hasn't publicly commented on his name appearing in the Epstein files and didn't respond to DL News' request for comment.
Amir Taaki
Amir Taaki is a significant Bitcoin Core contributor who was one of the first people to join the project after Satoshi Nakamoto left in 2010.
"They are crazy open source folks who are radicals, their motivation is more in line with Wikileaks or Wikipedia." — Jason Calacanis
Taaki's name first appears in the Epstein files, along with Gavin Andresen's, in a June 2011 email from Calacanis.
"I would like to get in touch with the Bitcoin guys," Epstein wrote.
"Will dig up their info," Calacanis responded. "So you know, these are folks who are not trying to build a business. They are crazy open source folks who are radicals, their motivation is more in line with Wikileaks or Wikipedia."
In July 2011, Epstein emailed Taaki directly.
"Amir, the Bitcoin idea is brilliant, but I suggest it has some serious downsides as I'm sure you are aware. If you can find time please call my NY office," he wrote.
At that time, Taaki was running Bitcoin Consultancy with co-founder Donald Norman, a group focused on Bitcoin development, consulting, and promotion.
In a July 7 email, Taaki suggested setting up a meeting between Epstein and Norman in New York.
On February 2, Taaki responded to his name appearing in the Epstein files, saying that he and Norman decided to stop communicating with Epstein after Norman met him and researched the financier's background and the accusations against him.

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Jeffrey Epstein nie zaczął życia z ekstremalnym bogactwem ani elitarnym statusie. Urodził się w rodzinie klasy średniej w Brooklynie i wykazywał silne talenty w matematyce. Ta umiejętność dała mu pierwszą szansę, gdy zaczął uczyć matematyki w latach 70., mimo że nie miał formalnego wykształcenia nauczycielskiego.

Jego trajektoria zmieniła się po nawiązaniu kontaktu z Alanem Greenbergiem, dyrektorem generalnym Bear Stearns. Epstein został zatrudniony na stanowisku juniorskie i szybko przeszedł do handlu opcjami. Wykazywał wysoką pewność siebie i szybkie podejmowanie decyzji w finansowych okolicznościach. To pomogło mu uzyskać dostęp do zamożnych klientów i wpływowych kręgów towarzyskich. Pomimo jego szybkiego awansu, później został zwolniony z Bear Stearns w okolicznościach, które nigdy nie zostały jasno wyjaśnione.

Jeffrey Epstein urodził się w rodzinie klasy średniej w Brooklynie, a nie w bogactwie czy władzy. Był dobry z matematyki i w latach 70. został nauczycielem matematyki, nawet bez formalnego dyplomu nauczyciela.
Jego życie zmieniło się po nawiązaniu kontaktu z Alanem Greenbergiem, dyrektorem generalnym Bear Stearns. Epstein dołączył do firmy, przeszedł do handlu opcjami i szybko wszedł w bogate i elitarnie kręgi. Później został zwolniony z Bear Stearns z powodów, które nigdy nie zostały w pełni wyjaśnione.
Epstein następnie założył własną firmę doradztwa finansowego, twierdząc, że zarządza skomplikowanymi sprawami majątkowymi dla miliarderów. Jak jego firma naprawdę działała, pozostało niejasne. Współpracował również ze Stevenem Hoffenbergem, który później został skazany za dużą piramidę finansową, ale Epstein nigdy nie został oskarżony.