MARBLEHEAD— Newly released emails, financial records, and scheduling communications show that Jeremy Rubin, a Marblehead native and Bitcoin developer, maintained intermittent technical and professional contact with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein over several years, beginning in 2014.
Rubin, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology squash player who rode a unicycle in high school, was named 726 times throughout the publicly released Epstein files. Although some files are duplicated, the correspondence referenced meetings, financial payments, and discussions related to cryptocurrency ventures.
The records reviewed by Essex Media Group do not indicate any alleged criminal wrongdoing by Rubin. They do provide detailed insight into how Epstein continued cultivating relationships with academics, technologists, and startup founders years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
Rubin attended Marblehead High School in 2009 and then went to Phillips Exeter Academy, where he graduated in 2012. He then attended MIT, where his communication with Epstein began.
According to his LinkedIn, Rubin now lives in San Francisco, where he founded Char Network Labs, a technology company built on Bitcoin.
Rubin was contacted by email before publication for additional comment regarding the records reviewed in this article, but did not respond.
Rubin’s interactions with Epstein occurred during a period in which Epstein was actively seeking involvement in emerging technology investments, including cryptocurrency companies. A Feb. 5, 2026 New York Times article described how Epstein invested $3 million in Coinbase in 2014 while the company was still a young startup, an investment that later generated substantial returns as the exchange expanded.
What seemed to have piqued Epstein’s interest was Rubin’s innovation and success with Bitcoin when he was only a sophomore at MIT.
After Rubin launched a Bitcoin mining project called Tidbit, the project won an innovation award at a hackathon called Node Knockout, and Rubin, at the time, was CEO of Bitcoin R&D lab Judica.
Rubin was a sophomore studying computer science and electrical engineering when he decided that he, along with fellow student Dan Elitzer, wanted to give every undergraduate student at MIT $100 worth of Bitcoin in 2014.
Seven months later, with $500,000 in donations from alumni and Bitcoin enthusiasts, Rubin accomplished that, giving 3,108 undergrads $100 worth of Bitcoin each.
In a 2021 article published by CNBC, Rubin’s experiment stated that the $100 worth of Bitcoin was worth more than $14,000 at the time of publication. The article also stated, “Had all recipients of this free Bitcoin let their crypto wallets sit idle, the ‘MIT Airdrop’ collective would have been $44.1 million richer by today’s prices.”
The earliest Epstein correspondence referencing Rubin appears in June 2014, when a person by the name of Stone identified Rubin as an MIT student who had organized the MIT Bitcoin Project and characterized him as “super interesting” and open to meeting Epstein.
The email also references Joi Ito, director of the MIT Media Lab from 2011 to 2019. Ito is referenced repeatedly in meeting coordination and introductions.
The same message described Rubin as working on cryptocurrency-related initiatives at MIT.
Scheduling emails from that period show efforts to arrange contact between the two. One forwarded message asked whether Epstein wished to schedule a Skype conversation with Rubin. In another exchange, Rubin wrote that he would be in New York “speaking at the NYC Bitcoin Center Monday night” and asked whether Epstein might want to meet in person.
In an October 2014 email exchange, from a redacted email address to Ito, Rubin, Assistant Director of the MIT Media Lab from 2014-2016, Heather DeManbay, and Assistant to the Director of the MIT Media Lab from 2011-2019, Mika Tanaka, titled “Re: Jeffrey Epstein,” it details the meeting of Rubin and Epstein.
The redacted emailer appears to be facilitating a meeting between Ito and Rubin’s Bitcoin team.
They write, “Hello Joi… Jeffrey is asking that we organize your kids to go see him Friday afternoon… could we make this happen?”
Ito confirms and adds Rubin to the exchange by cc’ing him.
The unknown person replied, “Ok…if ‘your kids’ are the Bitcoin troops… then we are good! I guess I’m confused! Jeremy and the Bitcoin troops are confirmed for 1:30 pm at Martin’s office on Friday… (I thought Jeffrey meant kids as in offspring!?).”
Ito clarifies the confusion by responding, “Ah, no. I don’t have ‘kids’ I have ‘kid-like trouble makers’ like Jeremy. I just call them ‘my kids’ so I think Jeremy calls them that too.”
The unknown person responds, saying, “Got it!! Very cute and understandable! Well your kids are booked!”
By 2015, Rubin’s name appears in additional email exchanges coordinating meetings that involved MIT-affiliated researchers. In one communication, an organizer wrote that “Jeremy and the Bitcoin troops are confirmed” to attend a scheduled session with Epstein, suggesting that Rubin’s contact initially occurred within a broader academic and technology context.
In May of 2015, the acting attorney general of New Jersey filed a suit against Rubin regarding his software company, Tidbit.
The state investigated whether Rubin’s software accessed people’s computers without their knowledge or permission. The software was used on websites and could run code on visitors’ computers. The state believed this may have violated consumer protection and computer-crime laws.
Rubin cooperated with the investigation, according to the court documents, and the website distributing the software was shut down. Both sides agreed to settle the issue without going to court.
The settlement amount is $25,000. However, the payment is suspended (basically waived) if Rubin follows the agreement and does not break the rules. If he were to violate the agreement, the full amount becomes due.
Communications from early 2016 show Epstein’s office requesting Rubin’s private contact details. An assistant wrote that Epstein’s attorney was requesting Rubin’s “private mailing address… fax… and private email address.” Rubin provided updated information and indicated that mail could be sent to his Cambridge address and later to Marblehead.
Other emails from that year show Epstein planning visits to meet Rubin at MIT’s Media Lab and asking whether colleagues would be available to participate. Rubin responded that he could “bring some interesting folks later in the day,” indicating that additional researchers or associates might attend.
Financial records from 2016 show Rubin received at least two payments from Gratitude America Ltd., an entity associated with Epstein. One check dated April 19, 2016, lists a $25,000 payment labeled “2nd quarterly payment.” Another check dated Aug. 1, 2016, lists a $25,000 payment labeled “3rd Quarterly Payment of 4.”
Emails from July 2016 reflect a discussion about whether one of those payments had been received. Rubin wrote that he had not yet obtained the check and believed it had been sent to a previous address. Epstein replied, “Ok you didn’t cash your last check?” The available documents do not specify the purpose of the payments or indicate whether any formal consulting or employment agreement existed.
Additional emails show Rubin sharing travel schedules and coordinating calls. In one message, Rubin outlined plans to travel through several European cities before returning to the United States, noting specific dates and locations. These communications suggest ongoing but intermittent contact during that period.
In September 2016, Rubin and Epstein exchanged emails discussing a hypothetical scenario involving settlement payments and tax treatment. Rubin wrote, “Bob starts a company, then hires Alice. Bob touches Alice inappropriately or something, Bob settles to Alice. Can Alice/Bob not pay taxes on that?” Epstein responded that damages related to physical injury would generally not be taxable, but that emotional damages could be subject to tax. The exchange appears theoretical and does not reference any specific event.
Other communications from 2016 include intellectual and technical discussions unrelated to business transactions. In one thread, Rubin discussed broader questions about designing systems or games that might test differences in performance across groups.
The conversation appears exploratory in nature.
In a 2016 exchange between Rubin and Epstein, Rubin writes, “Would be interesting to attempt to make an intellectually stimulating game where women outperform men. Unless women are inherently inferior to the maximally talented man at all tasks;) I think there’s some material which says women may be better endurance athletes ie, long distance swimming, as an existential proof a women might be better than the best man. I’m reminded of the most-likely-not-Einstein quote: ‘Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.’ In any case, it’s a fun experiment. If you fail to make such a game, you provide evidence of universal inferiority which would inform you (society) to not invest in gender diversity as much, if you make one then you’d probably learn more about how to get value out of female employee.”
By 2018, emails confirm Rubin scheduled meetings with Epstein at his Manhattan residence at 9 East 71st St. One message stated that Epstein “would like to see you” at his New York home on a specified date, and Rubin responded with travel information and scheduling details. Additional correspondence referenced arranging another meeting the following morning.
Emails from mid-2018 also show Rubin discussing potential cryptocurrency ventures with Epstein. In one exchange, Rubin wrote that he was speaking with a company that had “built a new cryptocurrency exchange” but was “struggling to get banking/licensure in a good jurisdiction.” He asked whether Epstein could assist. Epstein responded by asking what Rubin meant by a “good jurisdiction,” suggesting possible locations including Dubai, Qatar, and Switzerland. Rubin replied that if the technology proved viable and the company could launch successfully, “it could be lucrative.”
Other correspondence from that period referenced concerns about losing a potential deal involving a cryptocurrency company known as Layer1. Rubin wrote that the company appeared anxious and that “we may lose the Layer1 deal otherwise.” Epstein responded that market conditions and manipulation risks made the situation challenging.
In the spring of 2018, Epstein designed a dedicated investment vehicle called Deploy Capital for Rubin. The emails show an outline to fund it with $5 million.
Rubin also expressed concern that Epstein’s involvement might create reputational risks with potential investors or founders. In at least one instance described in those reports, a startup later stated that it did not accept funding from Epstein.
Documents indicate that Rubin was aware that Epstein’s reputation could affect potential investment relationships. In one exchange, he raised concerns about how startup founders might respond if Epstein’s involvement became known. “Potential investments googling your name might get spooked,” he wrote in an email to Epstein with the subject line “Fund Optics.” Rubin suggested not naming Epstein and simply telling people, “I raised a fund.”
Correspondence shows Epstein was willing to proceed but continued seeking direct access to founders connected to Rubin’s proposed investments, including Layer1. As discussions continued, Rubin proposed steps that might limit immediate disclosure of Epstein’s identity, suggesting that he participate in conversations under a pseudonym or simply as “Jeff” during an introductory call.
When the founders of Layer1 requested clarity about the source of funding behind Deploy Capital, Epstein responded in an email that his associate, Peter Thiel, could assure his involvement. Alex Liegl, a co-founder of Layer1, later said the company did not accept investment from Epstein or Deploy Capital and did not discuss the matter with Thiel.
Later the same day, after receiving Epstein’s message, Rubin indicated that the founders were willing to continue discussions. “They’re not bothered,” he wrote. “They’ll chat with Thiel.”
Rubin addressed his past contact with Epstein in a public statement posted on X after the release of the documents on Feb. 2.
“I’m glad the emails are being released,” Rubin wrote. “I think they help shed light on who Epstein was and how he operated.”
He continued, “Yes, I had some professional engagement with him through my Bitcoin work (though never exclusively; I’ve mostly worked independently throughout my career and have consulted for various organizations and individuals).”
Rubin wrote that he had previously declined to comment because he believed he lacked sufficient information to speak definitively about Epstein’s activities: “I haven’t commented much to date because I realized how little I actually knew, and it didn’t feel right to share what are ultimately just my own speculations based on personal anecdotes,” he said.
He added, “I hope the release of the emails brings us closer to justice for those harmed and a better understanding of the nature of corruption in our society.”
The documents establish that Rubin and Epstein communicated repeatedly between 2014 and 2018, met in person, and discussed academic, technical, and investment topics. The records do not identify the specific purpose of the payments Rubin received or indicate that any proposed cryptocurrency investments were completed.
