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Harvard Professor Told Ghislaine Maxwell He Was “So Happy” He Didn’t Unalive Anyone
Man in blue shirt with arm around smiling woman in gold top at a social event, relating to Harvard professor and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Harvard Professor Told Ghislaine Maxwell He Was “So Happy” He Didn’t Unalive Anyone

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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.

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.

Nowak’s name appears over 4,000 times in the files, with some emails sent directly to Epstein and others to his associates.

RELATED:

    Martin Nowak appears over 4,000 times in the Epstein files

    Man in a blue shirt and blazer hugging a woman smiling at a social event, related to Harvard professor and Ghislaine Maxwell.

    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.

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    “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.

    Email from Harvard professor to Ghislaine Maxwell expressing relief about not causing harm or unaliving anyone.

    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.

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    Email exchange between Harvard professor and Jeffrey Epstein discussing a captured spy and mission completion details.

    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

    Harvard professor wearing a suit and tie standing in front of a chalkboard with mathematical equations in a classroom setting

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    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.”

    Email screenshot showing Harvard professor’s correspondence related to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein case details.

    Image credits: Department of Justice

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    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.

    Email excerpt related to Harvard professor discussing plans linked to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

    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.

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    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.

    Close-up of a man with gray hair and beard related to Harvard professor and Ghislaine Maxwell case discussion.

    Image credits: Kypros/Getty Images

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    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.

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    In the wake of the publication of the Epstein files, there are growing calls for Harvard University to terminate Nowak.

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    Kaitlin Easton

    Kaitlin Easton

    Author, News Reporter

    Read more »

    Kaitlin is a Current Affairs Journalist at Bored Panda. She is based in Scotland and has previously worked for ABC News Australia, the Daily Record and the Press and Journal. In her spare time you can find her enjoying a good book and keeping active.

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    Kaitlin Easton

    Kaitlin Easton

    Author, News Reporter

    Kaitlin is a Current Affairs Journalist at Bored Panda. She is based in Scotland and has previously worked for ABC News Australia, the Daily Record and the Press and Journal. In her spare time you can find her enjoying a good book and keeping active.

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