A Harvard University professor sent a disturbing message to Ghislaine Maxwell confessing that he was “so happy” that he did not “kill anybody.”
The message, sent by mathematics professor Martin Nowak, was revealed in a trove of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein that were published by the Justice Department this month.
Nowak’s name appears over 4,000 times in the files, with some emails sent directly to Epstein and others to his associates.
Highlights
- Harvard professor Martin Nowak sent a disturbing 2002 email to Ghislaine Maxwell expressing relief that he did not "kill anybody."
- Nowak’s name appears over 4,000 times in Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, showing extensive communication with Epstein and his associates.
- Emails reveal exchanges about a "spy mission" and requests involving procurement of girls from Romania linked to Epstein’s network.
Martin Nowak appears over 4,000 times in the Epstein files
Image credits: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
One of those emails was sent to Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, in 2002.
“Dear Ghislaine, many thanks again for your amazing hospitality,” the email read. “I am so very sorry I caused you so much worry and that I spoilt [sic] this day.
“I am so happy that I did not kill anybody. My perspective of life has changed somehow... lots of love, Martin.”
The circumstances surrounding the email are unknown, and it is unclear whether Nowak is referring to a specific incident or location.
Image credits: Department of Justice
Another email that has drawn heightened scrutiny of Nowak’s relationship with Epstein is one sent to the convicted sex offender in 2014.
“Our spy was captured after completing her mission,” Nowak wrote to Epstein.
The disgraced financier replied, “Did you torture her?”
In a separate email sent to Nowak in 2015, an undisclosed sender requested that he attend dinner with Epstein.
Image credits: Department of Justice
“Jeffrey would like to have dinner at the Institute this Friday with the Chomsky's and `all the boys' he says he would like an hour with you alone first—will this work for you? I know you said you have something starting at 4pm at PED,” the email read.
An exchange between Nowak and Epstein’s long-term executive assistant, Lesley Groff, in 2009 was also published by the DOJ, in which the pair talks about procuring girls from Romania.
“Hello Martin! Jeffrey requested I get the name of the University in Romania that you ‘got the people from,’” Groff wrote.
Nowak maintained a close relationship with Epstein until at least 2018
Image credits: Harvard University
In response, Nowak questioned, “Dear Lesley, which people? Does he mean membrane computing?”, to which she replied, “Yes, that is who Jeffrey means…”
Nowak then followed up with Corina Tarnita, a Romanian-American mathematician, asking her to reply to Groff and CC Epstein.
“The two girls were both from the University of Iasi in Romania. It is the oldest University in Romania, in what used to be our capital a few centuries ago,” Tarnita said. “Please let me know if Jeffrey needs more information.”
Image credits: Department of Justice
While Nowak has been named in the files thousands of times, appearing in the documents does not imply wrongdoing.
Nowak is an Austrian-born theoretical biologist and mathematician who serves as a professor of mathematics and biology at Harvard University.
He is best known for his work in evolutionary dynamics and the mathematics of cooperation and viral systems.
Nowak founded and for many years directed Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, a research center that received substantial financial support from Epstein, including a $6.5 million donation to help create the program in 2003.
Image credits: Department of Justice
A 2020 internal Harvard review found that Epstein was given unusually broad access to university facilities through Nowak’s program and that Nowak’s handling of that relationship violated multiple university policies.
The review led to sanctions that included a temporary suspension from advising students and the closure of his program, but those sanctions were lifted in 2023, and Nowak remains on the faculty.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper, Nowak’s relationship with Epstein drew heightened scrutiny after a university review launched in September 2019.
The review found that Epstein had used connections with Harvard, including ties to Nowak’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, in efforts to rehabilitate his public image following his 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution.
Image credits: Kypros/Getty Images
It determined that prior to his 2008 conviction, Epstein donated $9,179,000 to support Harvard faculty and programs, with the vast majority of those donations occurring before his 2006 arrest.
The internal review concluded that Epstein visited the program’s offices more than 40 times between 2010 and 2018 and that Nowak approved online descriptions portraying Epstein’s support for Harvard in a misleadingly positive light.
In the wake of the publication of the Epstein files, there are growing calls for Harvard University to terminate Nowak.