A New York surgeon defended himself to an LGBTQ media outlet after news broke that he once asked Jeffrey Epstein to fund his transgender health documentary.
Dr. Jess Ting of the Mt. Sinai Health System told The Advocate on Monday that he did not “recall” whether Epstein was charged with sex crimes before he treated multiple female patients of his as a plastic surgeon. Ting also accepted $50,000 in breast cancer research funding from Epstein in 2013, visited his private island in that year and asked the late financier to support a film on his “groundbreaking” transgender surgery practices in 2016, according to emails the Daily Caller News Foundation reported Monday.
“I have taken care of thousands of patients over the years, from all walks of life, from actual prisoners at Riker’s Island to captains of industry and A-list movie stars,” Ting told the outlet. “When I am referred a patient, I don’t pass judgment on the patient’s personal life, or on the background of the person referring that patient. I focus only on the patient and how I can help them.”
“I remember reading news reports about [Epstein] being charged with sex crimes, but I don’t recall if that was before or after I treated any of the patients referred by his office,” Ting said. He also reportedly denied engaging in any sexual behavior with any Epstein associate while on his island, and said a reference to playing with “toys” on the island referred to jet skis and sailboats. He has not been implicated in any of Epstein’s crimes.
Ting switched from plastic surgery in 2016 to become head of Mt. Sinai’s transgender program and asked Epstein for funding in 2016, emails released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) show.
“That’s right — Mount Sinai, being the progressive place that it is, saw [an] opportunity and need to take a leadership position in the area of Transgender Health and created the first full-spectrum academic program in the US focused on transgender surgery and care,” Ting told Epstein. “This was such an interesting and innovative idea, that I thought it would make a good documentary.”
“If I could just be really forward, I was wondering if you would be interested in supporting this documentary?” Ting asked. The DCNF could not confirm whether Epstein agreed to fund the project.
Ting also told Epstein in July 2017 how passionate he was about surgically removing body parts in an attempt to help people switch genders. Ting is credited with pioneering a specific procedure that castrates men to create fake vaginas.
“I have given up plastic surgery and have jumped into the world of transgend[e]r surgery,” he wrote Epstein. “It’s the most gratifying, worthwhile, and fascinating thing I’ve ever done.”
“wow, ill return mid july, lets t[a]lk,” Epstein replied.
The emails also reveal that Epstein consulted Ting about getting a lipoma tumor treated before his 2019 death in jail. Ting referred to Epstein as a “VIP” patient in a 2016 email to Mt. Sinai staff about arranging for him to receive MRI scans. On another occasion, Ting agreed to fit one of Epstein’s female assistants into his schedule to fix a hole in her nose created by a nose ring.
“I’m on vacation for two weeks starting his Friday … BUT for Mr Epstein anything is possible,” Ting wrote to an Epstein associate.
“They all were adults,” Ting told The Advocate about the “few” female assistants referred to him for care. “There were no concerns about consent.”
Ting’s deference toward Epstein even involved asking an associate for his permission to respond to a January 2015 email from a Reuters reporter that asked if “recent news” about the sex offender had affected his financial dealings with the sex offender. A month prior, a woman made headlines by alleging that Epstein trafficked her to high-profile friends.
“I will ask [the reporter] to email me the questions and then I will forward them to you so Mr. Epstein can vet my responses,” Ting wrote to the Epstein associate after receiving permission to respond.
Ting told The Advocate he first knew Epstein in a “professional capacity” around ten years ago. He does not regret anything about spearheading “gender-affirming” procedures, he said.
“Since creating this program in gender affirming surgery, I have been the subject of death threats, bomb threats, stalkers, and protestors,” he told the outlet. “Despite that all, I remain committed to devoting my career to providing care to trans and nonbinary patients.”
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