"How the Conscience of the Era"… Chomsky, Controversy Over Millions in Advisory Fees from Sex Offenders

Epstein, Imprisoned for Minor Sex Crimes, Commits Suicide
"Transferred $270,000 to US Scholar Chomsky" Controversy
Chomsky: "Financial Advice Only...Occasional Meetings"

Star American intellectual Noam Chomsky, an emeritus professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) known as the "conscience of the era," has sparked controversy after it was revealed that he had a friendship with billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who committed sex crimes against minors and died by suicide.

On the 17th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Professor Chomsky and Leon Botstein, president of Bard College in New York, sought financial advice from Epstein and received hundreds of millions of won. According to the report, Epstein transferred $150,000 (about 200 million won) to President Botstein and $270,000 (about 360 million won) to Professor Chomsky.

[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

President Botstein told WSJ that he received checks totaling $150,000 from an account linked to Epstein in 2016. Meanwhile, Professor Chomsky denied receiving any money from Epstein, stating that the $270,000 was personal assets held in a different account.

Regarding "why money deposited in the account moved through Epstein's account," he explained, "First, after my first wife passed away, I received 'financial advice' during the process of settling joint assets." He added, "After my first wife died 15 years ago, I paid no attention to financial matters until I sought advice from Epstein."

Epstein advised transferring funds deposited in a specific account to another account belonging to Professor Chomsky, and the account related to Epstein was used during the transfer process.

Professor Chomsky said, "I sought financial advice from Epstein, but there was no legal contractual relationship such as paying fees for this," and added that he occasionally met Epstein to discuss political and academic topics.

Controversy over 'financial assistance' after sex crime revelations

Jeffrey Epstein. [Photo by AP News]

However, the controversy is expected to continue as 2018, when Professor Chomsky sought financial advice from Epstein, was already a time when Epstein's status as a sex offender was widely known. According to WSJ, Chomsky met Epstein several times at least since 2015.

Regarding his relationship with Epstein, Professor Chomsky told WSJ, "It is a personal matter that others do not need to worry about," but also said, "I knew Epstein and only met him occasionally."

Meanwhile, billionaire Epstein, a former hedge fund manager, is known to have lured thousands of girls aged 14 to 19 from disadvantaged backgrounds to serve as sex slaves, building an extensive network with influential figures in politics, finance, academia, and culture through financial advice and sexual favors.

Epstein was prosecuted by prosecutors in Florida in 2006 for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl and was imprisoned in 2008. In 2019, he shocked the public by ending his own life in jail while awaiting trial in a U.S. federal court on charges of sex trafficking dozens of minors.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.