Nov 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers managing partner Josh Harris looks on during the third quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
Philadelphia 76ers owner Joshua Harris is one of the notable names who appears in the latest round of files released pertaining to convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
There is no evidence that Harris engaged in any wrongdoing with Epstein, but the interactions, according to Ryan W. Briggs and Max Marin of The Philadelphia Inquirer, took place "between 2013 and 2016." Here's a sampling of the interactions from the Inky reporting:
"Later in 2014, Harris and Epstein’s schedulers e-mailed yet again to arrange a different visit to Epstein’s home.
"This time, Epstein proposed another breakfast involving Black, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, tech investor Reid Hoffman and Ron Baron, the founder of Baron Capital.
“Jeffrey Epstein would like to invite Josh to breakfast on Dec. 5th at Jeffrey’s home in NY... Bill Gates will be in attendance. The breakfast will be intimate...less than 6 people,” one email invitation read.
The pair also discussed the meeting directly.
“Sorry i missed you. Crazy week,” Harris wrote to Epstein in November 2014. “U around any time from now to sunday? Whats this Bill Gates thing about? Tks for thinking about me.”
“I thought you might like to schmooze,” wrote Epstein in response, asking Harris to call him. “nothing but fun friday 5th breakfast.”
A later interaction uncovered by the Inquirer's reporting seems to indicate that this meeting that was being discussed in the email exchange above came to fruition.
“Did you have fun at breakfast?” Epstein wrote to Harris, about a week after the meeting was scheduled to take place.
“Yes very much,” he responded. “Thank you for inviting me.”
A spokesperson for Harris issued the following statement to OnPattison: "Josh Harris never had an independent relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Harris sought to prevent Epstein's attempts to develop a corporate relationship with Apollo [Global Management]. As these emails indicate, Harris sought to avoid meeting with Epstein, canceling meetings and having others return his calls."
Epstein pleaded guilty to "soliciting sex from girls as young as 14" in 2008, and ultimately served just over a year in a Florida prison, before serving another year on house arrest.
So, at the time of these interactions, Epstein was already a convicted sex offender. It's unclear what level of knowledge Harris had regarding this conviction.
Epstein's more notable arrest came in July of 2019, with an unsealed indictment accusing him of having "sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money." These acts were alleged to have taken place from "at least 2002 to 2005."
Before Epstein's case went to trial, he was found dead in his prison cell at Manhattan Correctional Center on Aug. 10, 2019. The official cause of death for Epstein was listed as suicide by hanging, though there's been widespread speculation that something else might have been at play.
Harris — who also owns the New Jersey Devils and Washington Commanders — is not the only major name in American professional sports to be involved in this latest release of files.
According to The Athletic, Epstein "connected New York Giants chairman and co-owner Steve Tisch with multiple women, according to newly released emails, and Tisch received scouting reports on women from Epstein and the two men discussed whether women were 'pro or civilian' or a 'working girl.'"
It's unclear what fallout, if any, this will lead to for the many powerful people in the world who continued or even began their relationships with Epstein after he became a registered sex offender.
