US university head admits he approved Epstein gift

The president of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) admitted Thursday he had approved financial support from Jeffrey Epstein after the disgraced financier was convicted of child sex offenses.

Rafael Reif said lawyers investigating MIT's links to Epstein, who hung himself in prison last month, had told him that he had signed a letter of thanks to Epstein following a gift to faculty member Seth Lloyd.

In this May 16, 2012, file photo, L. Rafael Reif addresses a news conference after he was announced as the 17th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. [Photo: AP]

"I apparently signed this letter on August 16, 2012, about six weeks into my presidency. Although I do not recall it, it does bear my signature," he said in a statement published on the university's website.

The donation came four years after the well-connected Epstein, who committed suicide as he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges, was convicted in Florida on one count of paying young girls for sexual massages at his Palm Beach mansion.

Reif's admission comes after Joi Ito resigned as director of MIT's famous Media Lab Saturday after The New Yorker magazine revealed he had downplayed and concealed funds from Epstein.

Reif said in his letter to staff that several members of MIT's administration were aware of gifts given by Epstein between 2013 and 2017, and that they asked Ito to ensure that they were kept anonymous so Epstein could not use them to rebuild his reputation

"I am aware that we could, and should have, asked more questions about Jeffrey Epstein. We did not take time to understand the gravity of Epstein’s offenses or the harm to his young victims," said Reif.

Epstein was arrested in New York in July on multiple charges of trafficking underage girls for sex. He killed himself on August 10.

Dozens of victims have described him as a sexual predator who used young women as his sex slaves. Prosecutors have pledged to charge any co-conspirators.