Latvian Scientist Linked to Jeffrey Epstein’s Network & Right-Wing Politics

The recently released files of the late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein reveal regular contact with Latvian scientist Madars Virza in the years leading up to Epstein’s death. Their acquaintance began through a prestigious university, where Epstein’s donations and visits with faculty later sparked scandal and resignations. However, newly published email correspondence indicates that Virza and Epstein later discussed business opportunities in the cryptocurrency space. Epstein also introduced Virza to right-wing publicist and former Donald Trump campaign member Steve Bannon, who was then active in Europe consulting populist parties and opposing Pope Francis.

A Focus on Information Concealment

Around 15 years ago, Latvian computer science talent Madars Virza travelled to the U.S. To study for a master’s degree at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Virza told a Latvian magazine at the time that he wanted to focus on cryptography – the science of concealing information. He described the U.S. In three words: “Progress. Freedom. Opportunities.”

After completing his studies, Virza became a researcher at “MIT Media Lab.” This research laboratory was led in the 2010s by Japanese-born scientist and entrepreneur Joichi (Joi) Ito. Ito had known Jeffrey Epstein since 2013, when they were introduced in the hallway during a “TED” conference. Due to Epstein’s notoriety – specifically, a conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor – he was barred from attending the conference itself and met people in hallways and hotel lobbies.

Looking at Epstein with “An Open Mind”

Ito initially questioned Epstein’s reputation, as some lab staff immediately pointed out that, despite portraying himself as a generous philanthropist, the “MIT Media Lab” should not associate with him, citing publicly available information about his accusations and registered sex offender status. However, after Epstein began donating to “MIT,” Ito told staff that, despite his past, the financier was intelligent and interesting and should be viewed with an open mind.

Ito left his position as director of “MIT Media Lab” only in the fall of 2019 – shortly after Epstein’s suicide in jail. Before that, Ito publicly apologized for his ties to Epstein and admitted to inviting him to “MIT” and visiting several of the financier’s residences, as well as accepting his donations to the university and investments in his private funds.

Virza was virtually introduced to Epstein by an “MIT” student as early as 2015, described as one of the most outstanding cryptographers working on the “Zerocash” project, which aimed to provide anonymity.

However, their first in-person meeting likely occurred in mid-April 2017 during a weekend – as evidenced by Epstein’s files, alongside other scientists, Ito organised this gathering at the “MIT Media Lab” premises over the weekend.

Andris Ambainis, Virza’s bachelor thesis supervisor at the University of Latvia (LU), stated that he had limited contact with the former student in recent years. They have not spoken since the release of the Epstein files, so Ambainis is unaware of Virza’s explanation, but previously had not heard of his acquaintance with Epstein.

“I know that Madars thought highly of Joiichi Ito. He was a star in his field, a developer of digital copyright standards. I haven’t communicated much with Madars, but I assume he looked up to Joiichi Ito, who was a leading figure in the scientific field, and if Ito invited him, he would go along and participate,” Ambainis suggests.

Former Employee Raised Concerns About Donations and Visits

Former “MIT Media Lab” employee Signe Svenson previously raised concerns about Epstein’s donations, the concealment of their origin, and his visits to the laboratory. In the fall of 2019, Svenson told U.S. Public radio NPR that Epstein was usually accompanied by one or two companions – young women who spoke English with an Eastern European accent.

She recounted details of a 2015 visit that seemed problematic to several employees at the time. “We were warned in advance that Epstein never went anywhere without two women beside him. And they looked young, definitely looked like models. Given his past experience, we knew there was a possibility – that it wasn’t their choice, that they weren’t travelling with him voluntarily. We did everything to let them know: if you need anything, we are here. We tried to make them feel safe enough to say something.

We even checked the trash cans to see if they had written anything on napkins,” Svenson recalled.

Epstein and Virza Regularly Corresponded for a Couple of Years

Epstein’s files show that Virza’s contacts with him weren’t limited to visits with Epstein in the Boston academic suburb of Cambridge and conversations alongside other scientists. From 2017 to 2019, the two regularly corresponded. Epstein, for example, involved tax consultants to help Virza with advice or making payments abroad.

In the summer of 2017, Epstein visited Ito at his Cambridge home. Virza was also invited. The next day, Epstein wrote Ito a thank you note for the meeting and announced that he would pay for a tax consultant for Madars, adding – “he may be able to reimburse this service someday.”

In his reply to Epstein, Ito praised Virza: “Yes, it was fun. Madars learns quickly. He asked me if you were planning to have children, because he thought being childless was a waste of your intellect. I told him that people like him and me are your children – you pass on your intellect and your bad humor to us.”

In March 2018, for a regular meeting with representatives from the Cambridge science and academic community, Epstein brought a new friend – former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager and later White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. Epstein’s email correspondence and published photographs show that attendees included Harvard University professors of biology and mathematics Martin Nowak and former Harvard President and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Joi Ito, and Madars Virza.

The night before, Virza had sent Epstein an email titled “For Steve.” It contained a list of Catholic churches in the Boston area where good Palm Sunday masses might be held. Epstein forwarded it to Bannon with the explanation that the letter was from the “coin guy,” clearly referring to Virza’s work in the cryptocurrency field.

On Sunday evening, after the meeting, Epstein “introduced” Bannon and Virza virtually – in an email, greeting both as students of the righteous or right school, under whose umbrella students could exchange knowledge “without taxes.” Virza liked this metaphor. “Thank you, Jeffrey! This Sunday was magical, and I would be very interested in being in this school!” replied the Latvian.

“Church Cleansing” and the Populist Movement

Six months later, in October 2018, Virza wrote to Epstein about Bannon’s efforts to influence the course of the Roman Catholic Church and then-Pope Francis: “Dear Jeffrey! You mentioned that Steve is working on cleansing the church. If there is a significant way I could help, I would be very interested in doing so. I will pray for the Pope, but I also hold some of Steve’s efforts in my prayers. The need for clarity and change is more than obvious.”

Several media outlets now describe Bannon’s activities at the time, as revealed by new evidence in the Epstein files, as a “crusade” against Francis and an attempt to “overthrow” the Pope disliked by right-wing populists. “My objections to the Pope today are related to this crisis of pedophilia, which they do not treat as a crisis,” Bannon told “NBC News” in an interview in Rome in April 2019.

Bannon was interested in the Vatican not only in Europe – he also wanted to create a global populist movement, and Epstein tried to help him – encouraged him to think about funding it with cryptocurrency and studying blockchain. Perhaps that is why Epstein considered it important to bring Bannon together with Virza, Ambainis suggests: “I think that Epstein and Bannon’s interest in this case was rather in cryptocurrencies, which was something that could earn a lot of money at that time.”

Bannon and Epstein also made plans for what would happen if Benno’s advised populist parties and politicians achieved good results in the European Parliament elections – the National Front in France, the “League” in Italy, the Swiss People’s Party, the German “AFD”, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and British politician Nigel Farage.

After listing this list, Bannon told Epstein in a “Skype” message in the spring of 2018: “Next May there will be European Parliament elections. We can go from 92 seats to 200 and stop any cryptocurrency legislation or anything else we want.” “Exactly!” Epstein agreed.

Political Alignment Could Be Acceptable

It is unclear whether Virza knew anything about the conspiracy of both. However, the political alignment represented by Bannon could be quite acceptable to him, as evidenced by Ambainis’s statement about the former student’s earlier political stance: “Madars has always had views that are much closer to the U.S. Republican Party than mine. Because, in fact, when he left

he was enthusiastic about several political elements typical of the Republican Party.” Ambainis means, for example, Virza’s support for the right to firearms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

It is not known whether ideology also played a role in Virza’s attitude towards Epstein, who in a letter to Ito in March 2019 himself stated that he had become a symbol of all misfortunes in the eyes of those who dislike the rich, men, and Trump-type personalities. Virza visited Epstein at his New York private home, sent him gifts, prayed for him, and generally thought highly of this registered sex offender, who never faced trial for the latest charges.

“Jeffrey is a Positive Energy Flow”

In the spring of 2019, after Virza’s last known meeting with Epstein, the young scientist wrote to Epstein’s assistant, Leslie Grof, who was also investigated as a supporter of the financier’s possible crimes. “I’m glowing when I returned to Columbia University. Jeffrey is such a positive energy flow!” Virza wrote to Epstein’s assistant. Two months later, in July 2019, Epstein was arrested at Newark Airport immediately after returning from Paris.

Madars Virza apparently has not lost touch with Latvia, as he was included in the composition of the election commission of the U.S. City of Boston’s precinct in the last parliamentary elections. However, Virza did not respond to “de facto” letters and messages requesting comment on his relationship with Epstein.