The Dark Side of Silicon Valley: Jeffrey Epstein’s EV Empire

In the shadowy world of Silicon Valley startups, a sinister figure lurked behind the scenes, manipulating deals and exploiting connections for personal gain. Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, had a secret empire of electric vehicle (EV) startups, and his influence extended far beyond the confines of his notorious private island.

The Lucid Motors Connection

In 2017, Lucid Motors, a promising EV startup, was struggling to raise a Series D funding round. Ford, a potential investor, had been courted, but Jia Yueting, the founder of rival EV startup Faraday Future, had quietly amassed a significant stake, blocking new investors. Enter David Stern, a mysterious businessman and close advisor to former Prince Andrew, who saw an opportunity to break the logjam: bring in Jeffrey Epstein.

Stern pitched the idea to Epstein, who saw the potential for a lucrative investment. “Ford will likely be lead in $400m Series D in Lucid. Big strategic move,” Stern wrote in emails released as part of the Department of Justice’s disclosure of 3 million documents related to Epstein. Stern knew that Jia had “massive cash issues” at Faraday and needed to “sell now to make payroll for his other business.”

A Decade of Deals

The Lucid Motors connection was just the tip of the iceberg. Epstein and Stern had been working together closely for nearly a decade, with Stern acting as Epstein’s “China contact” and Epstein serving as Stern’s “mentor.” Their relationship was built on a foundation of mutual exploitation, with Stern using his connections to powerful and wealthy Chinese businessmen to facilitate deals, and Epstein providing the financial backing and connections to Silicon Valley.

Over the years, Stern brought Epstein a number of potential deals across various industries, including a “secret” fund to invest in Chinese businesses, farmland in Russia, the news organization Al Jazeera, and even a buyout of Deutsche Bank. But it was the EV startups that truly captured Epstein’s attention.

The EV Startup Empire

Stern’s connections in the EV industry were extensive. He had dinner with Jack Ma, met alone with UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and was “friends” with the grandson of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin. These connections allowed him to pitch investments in Faraday Future, Lucid Motors, and Canoo, another EV startup.

Faraday Future, in particular, was a target of Stern’s attention. Stefan Krause, a former BMW and Deutsche Bank CFO who had been brought in to save Faraday Future, made a direct appeal to Epstein in April 2017. “Faraday Future (FF) is a great story in itself, regretfully surrounded by a lot of noise around Jia Yueting (YT) and his other enterprises (LeEco, LeMall, LeSports, to name a few). These businesses are not working, so he run out of cash. FF is starving,” Krause wrote. “Great chance to build a better Tesla.”

The Canoo Connection

When Krause left Faraday Future to start a new EV company, Canoo, Stern was one of the original backers. He contributed just $1 million alongside larger sums from Li, the CCP-connected Chinese businessman, and Michael Chiang, a billionaire who runs Taiwanese electronics giant TPK. Stern’s involvement in Canoo triggered a national security review when the company went public in 2020.

Epstein, however, never invested in Canoo. Instead, he pitched the company to powerful people on Stern’s behalf, including Deepak Chopra and Eduardo Teodorani, an Italian businessman who is a senior vice president of agriculture machinery giant CNH. Epstein’s connections and influence were used to facilitate deals and open doors, all while he was facing charges of sex trafficking and abuse.

The Dark Legacy

The documents released by the Department of Justice provide a glimpse into the many connections Epstein had to Silicon Valley startups up until his arrest and death in 2019. They also provide a snapshot of a relationship that has not been explored in previous reporting, one that highlights the dark underbelly of the tech industry and the exploitation of power and influence for personal gain.

As the tech industry continues to grow and evolve, it is essential to remember the lessons of the past and to hold those in power accountable for their actions. The Epstein scandal is a stark reminder that even in the most innovative and forward-thinking industries, there are those who will stop at nothing to get ahead, no matter the cost to others.

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• “Ford will likely be lead in $400m Series D in Lucid. Big strategic move.”
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• “How do we get him?” (referring to Warren Buffett)
• “David has a new electric car co in los angeles. They are going to build the next gen health sensors into the car. You guys should talk.”

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