Montreal Tech Entrepreneur Confirms Business Interactions with Jeffrey Epstein on Private Island
A prominent Montreal technology entrepreneur has publicly acknowledged meeting with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein on his private Caribbean island in 2014. The admission comes following the release of U.S. Department of Justice files that document years of correspondence between the two individuals.
Business Meeting Details and Financial Connection
Austin Hill, co-founder and former chief executive of cryptocurrency firm Blockstream, confirmed to media outlets that he visited Epstein's Little St. James island in April 2014. Hill emphasized that his group stayed off-island and conducted their meeting outdoors during daylight hours with colleagues present. The purpose of the meeting was business-related, specifically fundraising for his blockchain technology startup.
According to the released documents, Epstein ultimately invested US$500,000 in Blockstream through a venture fund managed by Joi Ito, then director of the MIT Media Lab. Hill stated this investment represented less than three percent of the company's capitalization at the time and was divested in early 2015 due to unrelated conflicts of interest.
Extended Correspondence and Professional Network
The newly public files reveal that Hill first contacted Epstein in March 2014, introducing himself as working on "global finance technologies based on blockchain & bitcoin infrastructures." Their communication continued intermittently through 2018, covering topics including cryptocurrency regulation, government policy, and potential investments.
Emails from April 2014 place Hill and colleagues at a Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas, coordinating daily visits to Epstein's nearby island. Prosecutors and survivors have identified Little St. James as a site where Epstein trafficked and sexually abused underage girls, though the emails do not allege any wrongdoing by Hill or his associates.
Regret and Condemnation
Hill expressed regret over "any association" with Epstein and "unequivocally" condemned the financier's crimes. "I stand with the victims, and I support full transparency and accountability so that all responsible parties are brought to justice," Hill stated in his comments to media.
The entrepreneur explained that his interactions with Epstein were related to business or technology matters and were "initiated at the request of investors." Both men were attending the TED conference in Vancouver when they first connected, and subsequent meetings occurred at various locations including Epstein's New York City townhouse.
Canadian Connection in Epstein's Network
The released files demonstrate how Epstein's network extended into Canadian business and technology circles, despite much public attention focusing on his connections to American political figures and British royalty. Hill, now in his 50s, has been a long-standing figure in Canada's technology sector, having built much of his career in Montreal.
Before founding Blockstream, Hill co-founded TotalNet, one of Canada's early internet service providers. Blockstream later positioned itself as core infrastructure for Bitcoin and raised tens of millions of dollars in funding. According to his LinkedIn profile, Hill has since relocated to the United States.
Communication Details and Professional Assessment
The correspondence reveals several notable exchanges between the two men. When Hill arrived for one meeting at a Fairmont hotel where Epstein was staying, Epstein replied to his note by saying he was "with two pretty girls." Hill later followed up after their meeting, adding "Yes they were pretty :)" in a postscript.
In one assessment contained within the emails, Epstein described Hill to an associate as "a bullshit artist ... but has good info." Their communication included discussions about attempting to persuade then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and provincial governments to establish cryptocurrency regulations.
Epstein died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking of minors. The release of these documents has brought renewed scrutiny to how Epstein continued to maintain relationships within elite financial, technological, and academic circles years after his 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
