An Ivy League school acknowledged that it admitted a student to its dental school “through an irregular process,” as newly released Epstein files show the sex offender helped get his girlfriend accepted.
In a statement released Wednesday, Columbia University appeared to distance itself from professors at the institution who corresponded with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein about admitting his girlfriend at the time to study at the prestigious institution.
“In short, a student was admitted to the dental school through an irregular process, coinciding with fundraising solicitations by former academic and alumni leadership of the school,” Columbia wrote in a statement.
The “student in question” that the university identified as having been admitted through an “irregular process” is reportedly Epstein’s last girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, now 36, and has not been found “responsible for wrongdoing” by Columbia.
Shuliak moved to the U.S. from Belarus—where she had studied dentistry—at age 20, when Epstein was 56, and was reportedly named as a beneficiary to receive $100 million from his trust two days before his death in 2019.
According to documents released by the Department of Justice, Shuliak was initially rejected by the school in February 2012, but after several emails between Epstein and the administration, as well as donations from the sex offender, she was eventually accepted as a transfer student to the dental school on May 3, 2012.
Messages from February 23, 2012—shortly after Shuliak’s rejection—show a redacted sender asking Thomas Magnani, a Manhattan dentist and Columbia Dental graduate of 1980, to give Shuliak’s transcript to the dean after the sender requested on Epstein’s behalf that he “look at Karyna’s classes and determine how much credit she could be afforded.”
According to Campus Reform, Ira B. Lamster, the dean of Columbia University College of Dental Medicine at the time, emailed Shuliak’s university in Belarus on March 2 to ask if she could “take courses at Columbia to complete her 5th year, that would allow her to receive her dental degree.”
In a statement to the Columbia Sundial, Lamster said he was aware of Epstein’s past, “for which he had served time.” Lamster said that around the time, the university was vetting a major donation from him when Epstein inquired about a dental student in Belarus who had not completed her degree and hoped to finish in the United States.
“As at that time we were pursuing a major gift,” Lamster wrote in his statement to the outlet about his contact with Epstein, and said, “it was logical to agree to” Epstein’s request.
Records show that Epstein made donations to the College of Dental Medicine (CDM) between 2012 and 2014, including a $50,000 wire transfer in Shuliak’s name, which his employee confirmed via email to a Columbia email address.
By April, Epstein’s assistant emailed Martin Davis, a professor at the dental school, that “Jeffrey’s friend, Korina, is considering dental school,” and a tour for Shuliak was arranged, with Davis writing: “We rarely consider a candidate without a bachelors degree but her circumstances are highly unusual.”
Shuliak was also scheduled to take an admissions exam for the school. Richard Lichtenthal, another professor, emailed her a file of the exam’s outline that was “too large to e-mail.”
Later that month, Lichtenthal wrote to Epstein, thanking him for a “thoughtful and generous care package” and noting that “seeing Karyna succeed” would “please” him “very much,” according to the Columbia Sundial.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Lichtenthal said that at the time of the emails, he did not know who Epstein was and assumed he might be Shuliak’s guardian. However, he acknowledged that the gift received from Epstein was unusual.
“The University has taken action to remove individuals still associated with the school from their administrative and volunteer leadership roles,” Columbia wrote on Wednesday, noting that Lamster stepped down as dean in 2012 and left the university in 2017, Davis departed in 2015, and Lichtenthal in 2021. The statement added that further actions are being taken with individuals who remain affiliated with the school, including Magnani.
Additionally, Lichtenthal’s profile on the College of Dental Medicine’s page and Lamster’s Professor Emeritus profile have also been made unavailable to view.
“To be clear: the matters discussed in these communications do not meet Columbia’s standards for integrity and independence in admissions,” the Ivy League wrote.
The Daily Beast has contacted Lamster, Lichtenthal, Magnani, Shuliak, and Columbia University for comment, but received no immediate response; Davis could not be reached.
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