UCLA professor named in Epstein files
Mark Tramo, an associate adjunct neurology professor at UC Los Angeles, corresponded with the convicted child sex offender who died while on trial for sex trafficking charges, Jeffrey Epstein, according to United States Department of Justice documents.
As reported by the Daily Bruin, Tramo discussed neuroscience, research funding and other subjects with Epstein via email. One email correspondence included Tramo saying he would see whether students seeking research advice were “cute” after Epstein asked him.
Their interactions appeared in the files released on Jan. 30 and included a $100,000 check from one of Epstein’s charities, Gratitude America Ltd., to a research institution that Tramo founded and is a director of.
Tramo said he has “not committed any crime and was not involved with Epstein’s sickness” in an emailed statement to the Daily Bruin.
“His philanthropy helped [me], my colleagues’, and some of my student’s careers,” Tramo’s statement continued. “I am both horrified and angry that a patron of our well-intentioned non-profit foundation hurt so many females!”
Tramo’s profile on the university’s media guide was removed sometime between Feb. 4 and the afternoon of Feb. 5.
Federal investigations into UC Berkeley continue
The Daily Californian reported that UC Berkeley (UCB) is currently facing at least six different federal investigations.
The investigations include two by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights for alleged antisemitism and campus support of The PhD Project, a nonprofit organization.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is also investigating alleged diversity, equity and inclusion discrimination within the University of California’s (UC’s) admission process. Language from UC Berkeley’s hiring initiatives, which aimed to “support student and faculty diversity,” could be part of the DOJ’s investigation.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is also investigating how the University handled the cancellation of an event in 2017 that featured conservative speakers. The lawsuit was brought by Harmeet Dhillon, who sued the campus on behalf of two student groups before later becoming the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force is also investigating “Antifa,” which is short for anti-fascist, after a UCB protest outside of a Turning Point event. In September 2025, President Donald Trump published a memorandum that named the largely-decentralized Antifa movement as a terrorist organization.
The Department of Education also began investigating alleged violations of the Clery Act by the University. The act requires institutions of higher education to disclose data on campus crime.
Donated UCSD cadavers used for IDF medical training following deal with USC
Cadavers that were donated to UC San Diego (UCSD) and moved to the University of Southern California (USC) were later used for Israel Defense Forces (IDF) training, according to an investigation by Annenberg Media.
The bodies were first donated to UCSD through the UCSD Body Donation Program, according to the UCSD Guardian. According to the program’s website, it provides “human remains for scientific studies essential to education and research.”
In the past seven years, the U.S. Navy has given USC over $860,000 in funding for 89 bodies used for military training. According to contract records, 32 of those bodies were used for surgical training exercises for the IDF, which took place at the Los Angeles General Medical Center. It is unknown how much money USC paid UCSD for the bodies.
A UCSD spokesperson told the UCSD Guardian that it may loan donated materials to other organizations under “strict parameters” and that requests are reviewed for their merit.
According to its website, Navy Medicine hosts IDF surgical teams to “teach and reinforce medical procedures to one of [its] key military allies in the Middle East.”
A version of this article appeared on p. 2 of the Feb. 12, 2026 edition of the Daily Nexus.
