The Backroom Files Presents
Dark Academia: Jeffrey Epstein’s Influence on Higher Education
This investigative series uncovers how Jeffrey Epstein exploited philanthropy, elite connections, and institutional blind spots to gain unprecedented access and influence at America’s top universities.
Despite lacking academic credentials, Epstein donated millions to Harvard and other institutions, securing privileges such as a private office, keycard access, and a role in shaping research agendas, even after his 2008 sex-crimes conviction.
The series reveals how academic prestige was used to launder Epstein’s reputation, how faculty and administrators overlooked red flags in pursuit of funding, and how these failures exposed deeper systemic vulnerabilities in higher education’s relationship with wealth and power.
Through exclusive reporting and analysis, the series examines the enduring consequences for transparency, ethics, and public trust in the academic world.
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