FACT CHECK: No, USAID Did Not Fund The Late Jeffrey Epstein

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on X claims the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) purportedly funded late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein via Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.

Verdict: False

The post does not refer to the late Epstein but to a different individual named Jeff Epstein.

Fact Check:

Thousands of USAID employees will be placed on leave beginning Feb. 7, according to BBC News. President Donald Trump’s administration has accused the agency of wasting money, the outlet reported.

The X post, viewed over 1,000 times as of writing, claims USAID purportedly funded the late Epstein via Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. The post includes a screenshot of what appears to be a tax form indicating a “Jeffrey E. Epstein” was paid $265,915 in 2023. According to the same screenshot, Jeffrey E. Epstein’s title is listed as “Director.”

The claim is false. A reply to the X post indicates the claim does not refer to the late Epstein but a different one. “Same name. Different guy,” the post reads. Likewise, a press release from PR Newswire reveals an individual named Jeff Epstein joined the board of directors at Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. in 2013. Jeff Epstein previously served as the chief financial officer (CFO) at Oracle and has “more than 20 years of finance experience and a successful track record in business management,” the same release states.

Using this information, Check Your Fact conducted a keyword search and found a LinkedIn profile belonging to an individual named Jeff Epstein. The individual’s profile shows he has served on Kaiser Permanente’s board of directors since April 2013 and also previously worked at Oracle as the company’s executive vice president and CFO.

In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting the late Epstein had been funded by USAID via Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. Actually, the opposite is true. On Feb. 5, Lead Stories debunked the claim, reporting the individual in question was a different Epstein. Newsweek also debunked the claim.

Furthermore, USAID does not appear to have publicly commented on the claim. (No, Trump Did Not Ban All Nigerian Politicians From Entering The US)

The late Epstein died in 2019 after he allegedly hanged himself, according to The New York Times.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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