Dean Kamen

Dean Kamen (full name Dean Lawrence Kamen) is an American engineer, inventor, and businessman. He is best known for inventing the Segway self-balancing transporter and the iBOT powered wheelchair, and for founding the youth STEM organization FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 and the technology company DEKA. He holds more than 1,000 patents.

Kamen’s name surfaced in records connected to Jeffrey Epstein. According to the Union Leader, House Democrats on the Oversight Committee released 19 photos from Epstein’s email server on December 12, 2025, one of which shows Kamen seated beside Richard Branson with Epstein behind them; the date and location of that undated image were not disclosed. The Union Leader also reported that 2003 flight logs list Kamen’s name on a private flight with Epstein from New York to California. New Hampshire Public Radio reported that released Justice Department emails show the two men were in contact for more than a decade, that Kamen visited Epstein’s Caribbean island in April 2013 — five years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction — and afterward emailed his host describing it as a “magical place,” and that a 2009 email shows Epstein coordinating a $10,000 donation to a FIRST affiliate.

Kamen has said he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes. He told the Union Leader, “I have no knowledge of any of the horrific actions of Jeffrey Epstein other than what I have learned from news reports,” and said the released photo was likely taken at one of the conferences or fundraisers he attended on Branson’s Necker Island. NHPR reported that Kamen was placed on voluntary leave from FIRST in January 2026 and voluntarily resigned from its board in March 2026, stating, “I only wish that I had been more careful, particularly given the faith that the FIRST community has placed in me,” and that he supported “justice for all of his victims.” FIRST Board Chair Laurie Leshin said an independent review “found no evidence of misconduct” by Kamen, while noting that “Dean has acknowledged errors in judgment by not avoiding any connection with Jeffrey Epstein.” Both outlets reported that Kamen has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

Is Dean Kamen in the Epstein files?

Yes. According to the sources cited here, Dean Kamen appears in records released from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate and the Justice Department, including a December 2025 photograph, 2003 flight logs, and emails documenting more than a decade of contact and a 2013 visit to Epstein’s island. Being named in or appearing in these documents is not evidence of any crime or wrongdoing. Kamen has said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s conduct beyond news reports, an independent FIRST review found no evidence of misconduct by him, and he has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing. See the sources below for the documented context.

Documents

Primary-source records that name or reference Dean Kamen. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Kamen says he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes, an independent FIRST review found no evidence of misconduct by him, and he has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

• Epstein flight logs — As reported by the Union Leader, 2003 flight logs list Kamen’s name on a private flight with Epstein from New York to California.
• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release) — New Hampshire Public Radio reported that released Justice Department emails show Kamen and Epstein in contact for more than a decade, including a 2009 email in which Epstein coordinated a $10,000 donation to a FIRST affiliate and a 2013 visit by Kamen to Epstein’s Caribbean island, after which Kamen emailed describing it as a “magical place.” Kamen’s name does not appear in the Jan. 2024 Giuffre v. Maxwell unsealing.