[Fuzz]

Epstein paid for a conference of top scientists in 2006. His motives are now clear

The 2006 Virgin Islands conference illustrates how Epstein used philanthropy to build relationships with scientists and academic institutions. NPR spoke to scientists and searched through the Department of Justice documents on Epstein to understand how he built his network of prominent scientists. Epstein's interests spanned fields including theoretical physics, evolutionary biology and computer science, and he funded conferences, research programs and individual scientists.

Guth said that during the conference, Epstein "was around but was really quite inconspicuous. He did not act as a host. He acted as a bystander."However, "we probably never saw him without three or four young women," Guth said.

"I think we did kind of laugh about it," he said. "We thought it was rather odd."
Peebles attended the conference with his wife. He vividly recalls a coffee break between talks at the Ritz where he and others "noticed several young women, maybe five, maybe 10," who seemed out of place. "Several of us asked each other, 'What are they doing here?'"
"I can only tell you they were younger than the youngest women in our meeting," he told NPR. "Were they 15 or 30? I have no idea."

https://www.npr.org/2026/03/09/nx-s1...nds-conference