Report: Epstein wanted to spread his DNA by impregnating 20 women at his ranch
NY financier accused of sex trafficking of minors was interested in eugenics, would surround himself with top scientists who entertained his ‘half-baked’ ideas, New York Times says
Jeffrey Epstein openly discussed a plan to impregnate as many as 20 women at his New Mexico ranch, according to an article in The New York Times on Wednesday, which cited top scientists familiar with his “half-baked scientific musings” on DNA enhancement and eugenics.
Epstein — who has been charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and could face up to 45 years in prison — would muse about the plan at dinner parties and conferences in the early 2000s, according to several award-winning scientists and a business adviser.
There is no evidence he acted upon his plan, or — had the women been over 18 — that it would have been illegal under US law, the report said.
Epstein also told someone, identified only as an adherent of transhumanism, that he wanted his head and penis frozen in the hopes of future resurrection, the NY Times said.
The wealthy hedge fund manager, who has befriended countless celebrities and politicians over the years, was convicted previously of paying young girls for sexual massages but avoided federal prosecution under a controversial plea deal.
He donated generously to genetic research and was fascinated by transhumanism, a movement that believes technology can bring the human race beyond its current physical and mental limitations, the NY Times said. As a result of his contributions, he was frequently surrounded by the who’s who of the scientific community, including Stephen Hawking, Oliver Sacks, and a handful of Nobel Laureates, such as physicists Murray Gell-Mann and Frank Wilczek.
Epstein, the report said, would draw the scientists to alcohol-fueled parties at his Manhattan mansion and fly them to his private island, and once took them on a private submarine.
Virtual reality founder Jaron Lanier told the paper he was informed of Epstein’s insemination plan by a NASA scientist at one of the dinner parties.
Lanier “said he had the impression that Mr. Epstein was using the dinner parties — where some guests were attractive women with impressive academic credentials — to screen candidates to bear Mr. Epstein’s children,” the report said.
Lanier, who said he declined funding from Epstein over his sexual offenses, described the New York financier’s scientific outlook as entirely unsubstantiated. That was echoed by Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, who dubbed him an “intellectual impostor.”
Still, despite his criminal past and his muddied views — and lured by the prospects of funding — many world-renowned scientists entertained his ideas, the report said.
“Everyone speculated about whether these scientists were more interested in his views or more interested in his money,” lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who represented Epstein in his 2008 case, told the paper.
Dershowitz recalled a conversation with Epstein in which he raised the genetic improvement of mankind. Invoking the Nazis’ fascination with eugenics, the Harvard law professor said he was shocked by the discussion.
Epstein also donated as much as $120,000 to a transhumanist organization, Humanity Plus, that advocates “the ethical use of technology, such as artificial intelligence, to expand human capacities.”
The report came a day after a US judge told Epstein that his trial on sex trafficking charges won’t begin before next June as he appeared in court for the first time since being found unconscious in his jail cell.
Epstein, 66, did not appear to be showing any visible signs of injuries after he was reportedly discovered last week with marks on his neck following an apparent suicide attempt.
Epstein was arrested July 6 when he arrived at a New Jersey airport on a private jet from Paris, where he has a home.
