Epstein Survivors Reveal to Judiciary Democrats that Epstein Used Relationships with New York University, Columbia University to Lure and Silence Victims By Promising Them Admission, Tuition

 

In New Letters to NYU and Columbia, Ranking Member Raskin Requests Universities’ Assistance in Understanding How Epstein Used Their Institutions to Further His Sex Trafficking Operation

Washington, D.C. (January 14, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a pair of letters to the presidents of New York University (NYU) and Columbia University in light of new evidence provided to Committee Democrats by survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring that Epstein lured young women by promising to get them into colleges and universities, including NYU and Columbia, potentially leveraging his relationship with the institutions to further his sex trafficking operation. Ranking Member Raskin is seeking the universities’ assistance in shedding light on the extent to which Epstein used his relationship with elite universities and colleges to further his criminal goals.    “The House Committee on the Judiciary has now received substantial and detailed information that Mr. Epstein promised young women, some of them minors at the time, that he would arrange for them to be admitted to NYU. In other cases, Mr. Epstein personally paid for their NYU tuition. By doing so, Mr. Epstein not only lured young women who he and his co-conspirators would come to sexually abuse and rape, he also ensured his victims were indebted to him and less likely to come forward to report crimes to law enforcement,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin in the letter to NYU President Dr. Linda G. Mills. “My staff has recently received detailed information from numerous survivors that Mr. Epstein repeatedly lured young women into his network by promising to help them get into colleges and universities, including Columbia University. According to these survivors, Mr. Epstein and his co-conspirators promised victims that he would ensure they were admitted to Columbia, then paid for their classes—all while he and his co-conspirators continued to sexually assault and rape them. I write to you today to request that Columbia assist the Committee’s important investigation by providing all records related to Mr. Epstein and his efforts to use Columbia in his conspiracy to lure victims and silence survivors,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin in the letter to Columbia University Acting President Claire Shipman. Whistleblower information provided to Judiciary Committee Democrats by numerous survivors reveals that Epstein promised to arrange admission into college for several of his victims, some of them minors at the time. He later paid the tuition for several of these same young women. For example: Between 2000 and 2002, Epstein paid for a survivor, whom he abused from 2002 to 2005, to attend NYU and arranged a scholarship for her. When the individual transferred from NYU to Hunter College, Epstein arranged for her tuition at Hunter—to which he has also previously donated; Around 2004, a survivor was in high school when Epstein repeatedly promised that he would get her admitted to NYU and pay for her to attend. She eventually reported this conduct to the Palm Beach Police Department; Between 2004 and 2007, Epstein helped pay for a survivor, whom he abused from 2002 to 2009, to attend Columbia. Towards the end of her time at the school, Epstein would make payments in excess of tuition fees for Survivor 3, so when the tuition was refunded, Survivor 3 would receive several thousand dollars directly from Columbia, through Epstein; and Around 1993, at a modeling event, Epstein promised to “take care of” of a survivor, a young foreign model. At that same event, an associate of Epstein promised that he would ensure she received both a visa and admission to NYU. She did not accept this offer of assistance to receive a visa or gain admission to NYU. Multiple survivors also reported that their tuition, paperwork, and expenses were personally arranged by Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, Epstein’s long-term lawyer and accountant and now co-executors of his estate. Epstein maintained close ties to various academic institutions and he collectively donated millions to dozens of colleges. Ranking Member Raskin is requesting records from NYU and Columbia, including records relating to Epstein, Indyke, Kahn, Ghislaine Maxwell and their associates, and records related to the financial relationship between the universities and entities associated with Epstein. The request instructs the universities to produce the documents in a manner that protects the identity and privacy of individual students. Committee Democrats urge anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact Committee staff via the Whistleblower Tipline here.  Click here to read the letter to New York University. Click here to read the letter to Columbia University.