DEF CON bans three tech figures named in Jeffrey Epstein files

Three tech figures banned from DEF CON

The cybersecurity conference DEF CON has banned three men named in the Jeffrey Epstein files from attending future events. The banned individuals are technologist and investor Pablos Holman, identity management CEO Vincenzo Iozzo, and venture capitalist Joichi "Joi" Ito.

Organizers stated that contact with the convicted sex offender provided the rationale for the sanction. None of the three men are accused of any criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein.

Emails detail connections to Epstein

The bans are based on email evidence from a Department of Justice dump of Epstein-related documents. The files show the three men had professional and social ties to Epstein between 2010 and 2019.

Pablos Holman's connection dates to at least 2010. Emails indicate he planned to stay at Epstein's New York residence in 2013 and introduced the financier to other tech figures.

One introduction was to individuals who offered to manipulate search results to bury negative news and promote philanthropic efforts. Holman, now a tech investor at Deep Future, did not respond to a request for comment.

Iozzo disputes the ban

Vincenzo Iozzo, the CEO of SlashID and a former Black Hat board member, was in contact with Epstein between 2014 and 2018. Emails show he offered to procure DEF CON tickets for Epstein.

Iozzo sent a lengthy statement to Politico last year, claiming the allegations in the files were fabricated. He said his interactions were limited to exploring business funding that never materialized.

A spokesperson for Iozzo called DEF CON's actions "entirely performative," noting Iozzo has barely attended the conference in twenty years. They criticized the move as a "rush to judgment."

In a separate statement to The Register, Iozzo said, "I never observed nor participated in any illegal activity or behavior. I regret the past association and take full responsibility for not exercising greater judgment at the time."

Ito facilitated an introduction

Joichi Ito appears to have introduced Vincenzo Iozzo to Epstein in 2014. In a May 2014 email, Ito praised Iozzo as "one of the best network security guys I know" and suggested Epstein meet him to discuss a business idea.

Ito, now president of the Chiba Institute of Technology, was in contact with Epstein from 2013 to 2019. Epstein was an investor in the MIT Media Lab while Ito served as its director.

Ito resigned from MIT in 2019 after it was revealed he had accepted $1.7 million from Epstein for the lab. He previously apologized for the association, claiming no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. He did not respond to a new request for comment.

A short public ban list

The three men join a very short list of individuals publicly banned from DEF CON. The conference states that "many bans" are not revealed.

Only six other people have been added to the public list since 2017. The conference provided a clear rationale for these new bans:

• Contact with Jeffrey Epstein was the stated reason.
• The banned individuals are not accused of criminal acts.
• The decision is based on documented email evidence.

Readers can examine the relevant Epstein emails themselves at Jmail.world, a project created by Luke Igel and Riley Walz. The site ingests the raw DOJ email dump and presents it in a Gmail-like interface.