Survivors of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein have come forward with disturbing new accounts, alleging he systematically used the promise of a university education to lure young women into his sexual abuse network. This tactic created a powerful form of control, masking exploitation as generosity.
The False Promise of a Scholarship
One survivor, New York artist Rina Oh, was a 21-year-old art student in 2000 when she was introduced to Epstein. She recalls him telling her, "You're really talented. I think you should be in school." Epstein presented himself as a philanthropist who had sent many young people to university and offered her a scholarship to the School of Visual Arts in New York "with no strings attached."
Oh spent roughly two years within Epstein's circle and says the reality was very different. "He attached a lot of strings to that scholarship," she stated. "When I wouldn't do all that he wanted he took it away." In her case, the scholarship was replaced by a few art lessons and a specific painting commission. She says Epstein was obsessed with female body parts and instructed her to paint a crotch, telling her to "keep it real."
A Wider Pattern of Academic Exploitation
Oh's experience is not isolated. Last week, victim interviews with Democrats on the US House Judiciary Committee aired similar stories. Congressman Jamie Raskin has sent letters to Columbia University and New York University (NYU) seeking more information.
"Mr Epstein repeatedly lured young women into his network by promising to help them gain admission into colleges and universities," Raskin wrote. He added that Epstein "not only lured young women... he also ensured his victims were indebted to him and less likely to come forward."
Specific cases presented to the committee include:
- A survivor, abused from 2002 to 2005, whose tuition at NYU between 2000 and 2002 was paid for by Epstein, who also arranged a scholarship.
- A high school student repeatedly promised admission and paid tuition at NYU by Epstein.
- A woman who said Epstein helped pay for her to attend Columbia University between 2004 and 2007.
- Another individual who was promised a visa and admission to NYU by an Epstein associate but declined the offer.
Lisa Phillips, another survivor who introduced Oh to Epstein, told the Wall Street Journal that Epstein dangled an education at NYU, arranged a campus visit, and she eventually took classes. Phillips and Oh say another woman being exploited by Epstein was also studying at NYU at the time.
Infiltrating Prestigious Institutions
The revelations point to a deliberate strategy by Epstein to embed himself within academia to access and control young people. "He was very much obsessed with infiltrating the minds of young people," Oh said. "He didn't just want to infiltrate for physical abuse, he wanted to infiltrate their brains because he was a cerebral beast."
Epstein's financial ties to elite universities, including Harvard and MIT, became a major scandal after his death in custody in 2019. Many officials maintained connections with him even after his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor.
MIT's director, Joi Ito, resigned in 2019 over his financial ties to Epstein. In November, former Harvard president Larry Summers stepped back from public life after emails revealing a close relationship with Epstein were released. Epstein had an office at Harvard and supported a non-profit run by Summers' wife.
"There seems to be a larger scheme and pattern," Oh observed. "Epstein wasn't just sending students to school, I think he was infiltrating the schools. His reach seems to have been wide and deep."
Ongoing Investigations and Legal Fallout
Congressman Raskin's inquiry into Columbia and NYU is likely part of an effort to understand Epstein's financial operations and potential connections at the universities. The enrolments and tuition payments were directed by Epstein and managed by his lawyer, Darren Indyke, and accountant, Richard Kahn. Both men are co-executors of Epstein's estate and have been subpoenaed to testify.
A new tranche of Epstein-related documents is expected to be released by the US Justice Department in the coming days, which may shed further light on these methods. Documents released last month revealed a lawsuit claiming Epstein met his first known victim at the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer camp in Michigan in 1994, where he also boasted about being a patron of the arts and giving scholarships.
NYU told the Guardian it was reviewing Raskin's letter and was "fully committed to cooperating with this inquiry," adding it supports efforts to bring transparency to Epstein's conduct. Columbia confirmed it had received the letter and was reviewing it.
For survivors like Rina Oh, the pattern is clear. "He wanted to collect these people so that he could own them," she said. "He had this whole thing about ownership. Nothing with Epstein came for free."
