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Late financier and convicted trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein was known for his notoriously twisting intrigues. One such instance relates to a 2015 correspondence Epstein sent to his closest associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In this exchange, Epstein put forward a proposition for a cash reward, in return for information that could counter the damaging allegations made against him and some well-known figures. Intriguingly, the esteemed personalities caught up in this rumor mill included the globally reputed physicist, Stephen Hawking, and ex-President, Bill Clinton.
In the aforementioned communication, Epstein was seemingly attempting to negate the allegations of nefarious goings-on in his private Caribbean retreat and a speculated dinner attendance by former President Clinton. Documentation belonging to Epstein unveiled that Hawking and the ex-president were rumored to partake in certain activities on the island, which were of a questionable nature.
Adding to the complexity of these happenings was the documented sighting of the eminent British scholar, Stephen Hawking, on Epstein’s Caribbean island, Little St James, in March 2006. Hawking was in the region to attend a conference on gravity, which convened 21 of the globe’s top physicists. The conference itself was organized by Epstein’s foundation and took place on the neighboring island of St. Thomas.
The conference was set against the backdrop of St. Thomas, a robust island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, situated just northwest of Epstein’s Little St. James. This latter location was disparagingly referred to as ‘pedophile island’ by numerous locals and critics. While the discourse of the gravity conference was ongoing, Epstein welcomed Hawking and other delegates to Little St. James for a social gathering.
Evidence for Hawking’s presence at this exotic locale exists in the form of photographs showing him partaking in various leisure pursuits on Epstein’s island. These activities ranged from enjoying a barbecue to embarking on a boat tour and even a submarine dive. All these took place during the course of the conference that Epstein had master-planned.
The gathering of elite physicists at the 2006 conference was extensively covered by the St. Thomas Source, a U.S. Virgin Islands periodical. The publication characterized Epstein as ‘the driving force’ behind the organization of this conference. Notably, three Nobel laureates were among the guests who congregated to unravel and discuss the complex question, ‘What is gravity?’
In a surprising and tragic turn of events, within a few months following the conference, Epstein came under scrutiny for child sex crimes. The charges resulted in his arrest, and eventually, a remarkably lenient plea deal in 2008. As for Hawking, despite his debilitating condition, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease – he continued to forge ahead with his research and writing until his death in 2018.
Perusal of Hawking’s published email trails revealed no evidence whatsoever that he partook in any activities that were improper or illegal during his stay on Epstein’s island. Epstein, infamous for his social connections within the elite echelons of society, entertained many academics, celebrities and influential figures. Yet, there is no substantiated evidence linking these guests to the illicit activities for which Epstein was later convicted.
Hawking, a British citizen, was a recognized figure worldwide, and was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009. Moreover, Hawking was one of the early cautionary voices who warned about the potential perils of artificial intelligence, suggesting that such technology could lead to the ‘end of the human race’.
The revelations concerning the email exchange arrived on Wednesday when a New York federal court unsealed a collection of Epstein-linked documents pertaining to a lawsuit filed against Maxwell in 2015 by alleged victim, Virginia Giuffre. The files revealed Epstein’s far-reaching relations with influential figures in politics, entertainment, academia, and even royalty, such as Britain’s Prince Andrew.
Prince Andrew, whose name appeared numerous times in the documents, managed to settle his lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022, however, without admitting guilt. Convicted in separate sex-trafficking cases, both Epstein and Maxwell found their paths steeped in legal battles and public scrutiny.
Epstein met his end in prison in 2019, while awaiting trial on more severe federal charges. An in-depth report from the FBI labeled his death as a suicide. The report critiqued the Bureau of Prisons for their negligence, blaming them for creating such conditions, which, to many, denied Epstein’s countless victims, a substantial number of whom were minors, their rightful opportunity to seek justice.
