A photograph of the late physicist Stephen Hawking seated on a sun lounger between two women wearing bikinis has emerged in documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The image, shared by The Telegraph and contained within millions of files made public by federal authorities, shows Hawking fully clothed and holding a tropical cocktail.
The women beside him, whose faces are redacted, are understood to have been his long-term caregivers.
The photograph is reported to have been taken in 2006 during a scientific conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, where Hawking delivered a lecture on quantum cosmology.
Hawking, who lived with motor neurone disease for more than five decades, died in 2018 at the age of 76.
His name appears approximately 250 times in the released records. The files also include other images of the scientist on Little Saint James, Epstein's private island, including photographs from a barbecue in March 2006 and from a boat excursion and submarine tour with an unidentified blonde woman.
According to the documents, Epstein arranged for a submarine to be modified to accommodate Hawking, who had not previously been underwater.
The physicist was among 21 scientists who visited the island five months before Epstein was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Correspondence from 2015 is also included in the released materials. In one email, Epstein discusses responding to allegations made by Virginia Giuffre that Hawking had participated in sexual activity involving underage girls.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in April last year at the age of 41, had long alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and sexually abused by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has denied any wrongdoing.
The email states, "You can issue a reward to any of Virginia's friends, acquaintances, or family who come forward and help prove her allegations are false."
"The strongest is the Clinton dinner, and the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy."
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former partner who is serving a prison sentence for sex trafficking offenses, replied that the proposal was a "seriously bad idea."
The files also reference an FBI tip concerning a report that Epstein and Hawking attended an "all-male gay club" in 2011. The allegation was not substantiated.
A source described the location as a bathhouse and told authorities he had seen "important men" there that year but did not know their identities at the time, according to a Ynet report.
"Epstein and Hawking were there with some Russian men. I recognized them from the news," the person was quoted as saying.
The account could not be independently confirmed.
Hawking's visit to St. Thomas coincided with a conference titled "Energy of Empty Space That Isn't Zero" held at the Ritz-Carlton.
Participants reportedly paid $1,600 per night for accommodation, though the documents indicate that Epstein also hosted members of the group on his nearby island.
Records show that Epstein sought to cultivate relationships with prominent scientists, several of whom are named in the files without being accused of misconduct.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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