Jeffrey E. Epstein, the financier later convicted of sex offenses, rented a house near Harvard for several years in the early 1990s, making sporadic overnight visits and hosting a small circle of guests that included Ghislaine Maxwell and at least one young woman, according to a former live-in housekeeper and newly released Department of Justice records.

The house, on Follen Street near Harvard Square and Cambridge Common, was owned at the time by William A. Haseltine, a prominent Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health professor who stopped teaching in 1993.

Epstein rented the property — which has not been previously reported — while he was exploring what his employee described as a possible academic or philanthropic affiliation with Harvard.

Heidi A. Conover, who lived in the house while employed as its sole staff member from 1993 to 1995, said Epstein visited the house “about half a dozen times” and usually stayed just one night. His arrivals, she said, were unpredictable.

“Once, the only notice I got was the arrival of a loaf of his favorite bread,” Conover wrote in a statement to The Crimson.

Epstein’s presence in Cambridge throughout the 1990s appears to have been limited, but he did host visitors. Conover said Maxwell — whom Epstein met in 1991 and who was later convicted for her role in his sex trafficking operation — visited the house two or three times, never alone. Leslie H. Wexner, the retail magnate and longtime Epstein associate, visited at least once, according to Conover. Epstein’s mother and aunt also stayed for several days.

The house, which Haseltine purchased for $1.2 million, was also occasionally occupied by other guests when Epstein was not present.

On one occasion, Conover said, Epstein hosted a young woman for an afternoon. The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, “possibly late teens,” she wrote.

“She was there for an afternoon in bed with Jeffrey, then she was gone,” Conover wrote, adding that she did not speak with the woman or see her closely.

“She could have been underage, but that didn’t occur to me at the time,” Conover added.

Conover said she was hired after meeting one of Epstein’s personal assistants while working as a Cambridge taxi driver, expressing interest in a paid live-in position at the Follen Street house, and interviewing for the job days later.

Epstein rented the house until July 1995, when Haseltine sold the property. Public records reviewed by The Crimson show that Haseltine owned the home from 1990 to 1995, before selling it to Phillip T. and Susan M. Ragon, a billionaire couple who said they were unaware of Epstein’s connection to the house.

“I didn’t know Bill, and I don’t know anything about whether he and Epstein knew each other,” Ragon wrote in a statement to The Crimson. “I also have no knowledge about whether Jeffrey ever rented the property or stayed there.”

Epstein confirmed renting Haseltine’s Cambridge home in emails that were released last week by the Department of Justice. When Terry Kafka, a long-time friend of Epstein asked in 2009 if Epstein knew Haseltine, Epstein replied tersely.

“I rented his house in cambridge,” he wrote.

Epstein again noted his ties to the home in 2013, when he emailed Mark Lloyd, who had just attended a Dubai conference that Haseltine had headlined.

“Do you know of him?” Lloyd asked in the email. “Does he enjoy a first class reputation?”

“yes to both„ i rented his house in cambridge,” Epstein replied.

Haseltine did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Epstein’s ties to Harvard during that period have been documented previously. A 2020 internal investigation commissioned by the University found that senior Harvard officials met with Epstein beginning in 1992, though he did not begin donating to faculty members until several years later.

It is unclear when Epstein began renting the Cambridge house.

Conover’s account contrasts with a 2019 tip submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation by Kimberly Heath, a friend of Conover, who reported that Conover had described a number of “very young” models visiting Epstein’s residence, according to a document included in the Friday dump.

Conover strongly disputed that characterization.

“Kimberly misremembering or sensationalizing,” Conover wrote in an email. “Her report is just plain false.”

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at megblon.50. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Claire L. Simon can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at csimon.13. Follow her on X @ClaireSimon.