Elon Musk once reportedly introduced Mark Zuckerberg to Jeffrey Epstein at a dinner hosted by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman

Reuters

Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photo taken for the NY Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry

• Elon Musk introduced Mark Zuckerberg to Jeffrey Epstein at a dinner a few years ago, Vanity Fair reports.
• The incident illustrates how the disgraced financier rehabilitated his image among high society after he went to jail in 2008.
• Epstein was recently arrested on charges of sex-trafficking and conspiracy.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Before his recent arrest, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was welcomed in high society - and that includes Silicon Valley.

According to a Vanity Fair report published Wednesday, the disgraced financier once met Mark Zuckerberg at a dinner organised by Reid Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn, "a few years ago" - well after he went to jail in 2008 for charges including procuring a minor for prostitution.

Complimentary Tech Event

Transform talent with learning that works

Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, reportedly made the introduction.

Ben LaBolt, a spokesperson for Zuckerberg, confirmed that the meeting took place, and said it was the only time the Facebook CEO and Epstein met. In a short statement, he told Business Insider: "Mark met Epstein in passing one time at a dinner honoring scientists that was not organized by Epstein. Mark did not communicate with Epstein again following the dinner."

The anecdote illustrates how in the years after his conviction and imprisonment for sex crimes, Epstein was able to continue to move in rarified circles. The 66-year-old multimillionaire was recently arrested on sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges.

It's not clear what relationship Epstein has or had with Musk or Hoffman; spokespeople for the two high-profile tech figures did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.

Got a tip? Contact this reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (650) 636-6268 using a non-work phone, email at rprice@businessinsider.com, Telegram or WeChat at robaeprice, or Twitter DM at @robaeprice. (PR pitches by email only, please.) You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

Read more:

• Mark Zuckerberg's personal security chief accused of sexual harassment and making racist remarks about Priscilla Chan by 2 former staffers
• Facebook says it 'unintentionally uploaded' 1.5 million people's email contacts without their consent
• Years of Mark Zuckerberg's old Facebook posts have vanished. The company says it 'mistakenly deleted' them.
• Car-bomb fears and stolen prototypes: Inside Facebook's efforts to protect its 80,000 workers around the globe