Arya News - US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein maintained extensive connections in Silicon Valley and invested in several prominent tech start-ups, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing files released by the US Department of Justice.
"Ok. I have a gap between noon and 3 PM today, but again, not crucial for me, but would be nice to meet him [Epstein] if convenient. Is it important for him?" Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange co-founder Fred Ehrsam wrote in an email to his associates dated December 2014 - the year when Epstein invested $3 million in the then-start-up. Tech billionaire Peter Thiel advised Epstein on potential investments, including audio streaming Spotify and Thiel"s own software company Palantir. While it remains unclear whether Epstein ultimately invested in Palantir, he did invest $40 million in another Thiel"s company, Valar Ventures, the report said. Epstein also financed several other technology and cryptocurrency-related projects, including nearly $12 million in US tech company Jawbone. Additionally, he maintained connections with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and US entrepreneur and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman. Epstein"s financial adviser was also pitched on backing Elon Musk"s SpaceX, the report said. On January 30, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the completion of the publication of materials related to the Epstein case. With the latest disclosure, the total volume of released data exceeds 3.5 million files and includes mention of numerous powerful figures, including US President Donald Trump, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, Gates, former US President Bill Clinton and others.