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The New York Academy of Art in the United States has announced that it will transfer donations made by financier Jeffrey Epstein to a charity that supports girls who have been victims of human trafficking, following newly released documents that shed fresh light on the extent of Epstein’s ties to the institution.
According to reporting by The New York Times, documents released by the United States Department of Justice show that Epstein’s involvement with the academy was more extensive than previously understood, continuing years after he had already been investigated in Florida over allegations involving the sexual abuse of underage girls.
The academy said it would now review its policies on philanthropy and donor relations, while acknowledging failures in judgment related to its past association with Epstein.
In an email sent to students and alumni, the academy’s board expressed regret over what it described as a long association with Epstein and acknowledged that the institution had made serious errors in its decision-making.
The message stated that the academy should not have accepted contributions from Epstein nor allowed him to attend events or maintain connections with programs involving students after his criminal conduct had become known.
The institution said it recognized “serious failures in judgment and governance,” adding that it deeply regretted the relationship that had developed between the academy and Epstein.
As part of its response, the academy plans to donate $65,900 originally contributed by Epstein to an organization that assists trafficked girls. Officials also noted that a further $30,000 previously donated by Epstein had already been redirected elsewhere.
The documents released by the Justice Department indicate that Epstein had maintained ties with the academy well beyond the period when he first came under investigation.
The New York Academy of Art, founded in 1982 and co-founded by the pop artist Andy Warhol, was established as a school focused on figurative drawing at a time when traditional methods had fallen out of favor in the art world.
Epstein had served on the academy’s board during the early 1990s and had later been approached to sponsor scholarship programs. Records show that he also attended fundraising events organized by the academy, including the Tribeca Ball and the Take Home a Nude art auction.
Emails included in the Justice Department files suggest that academy leadership continued to engage with Epstein in later years, inviting him to events and encouraging his involvement in fundraising activities.
The case also drew attention to allegations raised by former academy student Maria Farmer, who has said she first encountered Epstein during a graduation exhibition at the academy.
According to her account, she was introduced to Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell by the academy’s dean at the time and later went on to work for Epstein, helping him acquire artworks.
Farmer has stated that she and her sister were later abused by Epstein and Maxwell at one of Epstein’s properties. After returning to New York in the mid-1990s, she contacted both the police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
No action was taken by authorities at that time. An internal investigation later concluded that there was no evidence that the academy’s leadership had been aware of any sexual abuse involving Farmer.
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The academy said it would establish an ethics committee tasked with reviewing institutional policies, particularly those governing fundraising and relationships with donors.
The announcement also confirmed that the chair of the academy’s board, Eileen Guggenheim, would step down one month earlier than previously planned. Officials said her departure had already been scheduled for this year.
Meanwhile, alumni have continued to raise concerns about student safety and institutional oversight. Some former students have called for stronger safeguards, arguing that protecting students must remain a priority as the academy moves forward.
Epstein was accused of trafficking dozens of underage girls, some reportedly as young as fourteen, and forcing them into sexual acts. He had previously served 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to prostitution related offenses in Florida.
He was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges linked to sex trafficking but was found dead in his cell at a federal detention center in Manhattan on August 10, 2019.
Investigations conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department concluded that Epstein died by suicide while in custody.
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