Fact Check: USAID Did Not Pay Jeffrey Epstein in 2023
Claim: A social media post alleges that USAID (United States Agency for International Development) paid $265,915 to Jeffrey Epstein in 2023.
Truth: The claim is false. The record referenced in the post pertains to a different Jeffrey Epstein, a director of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc., and not the late financier and convicted sex offender who died in 2019.
Evidence and Explanation
1. Different Individuals:
The screenshot shared in the post shows a record from Data Republican, a website that compiles financial information about executives of companies that receive federal grants. The record indicates that a Jeffrey E. Epstein received $265,915 in compensation in 2023 as a director of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.
However, this Jeffrey Epstein is not the same person as the late financier and convicted sex offender. Photos of Kaiser’s Epstein confirm that he is a different individual. Additionally, his well-documented career shows that he joined Kaiser’s board in 2013 and has held various executive positions in the healthcare and technology industries.
2. Deceased Epstein:
The late Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, could not have received the compensation mentioned in the post. A deceased person cannot hold a directorship or receive compensation from a company.
3. USAID Connection:
The post implies a connection between USAID and the late Jeffrey Epstein through the compensation record. However, the record does not reference USAID. It solely indicates that Jeffrey E. Epstein received compensation from Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.
4. Database Misinformation:
Data Republican’s database appears to have misclassified the compensation record of Kaiser’s Epstein. The website’s methodology for compiling financial information is not transparent, and the record shown in the post may be an error.
Conclusion:
The claim that USAID paid $265,915 to the late Jeffrey Epstein in 2023 is false. The record referenced in the post pertains to a different Jeffrey Epstein, a director of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. The post misrepresents information in a third-party database and does not provide credible evidence to support its claim.
