DEF CON bans three Epstein-linked men from future events
(2026/02/19)
- Reference: 1771507388
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2026/02/19/def_con_epstein_bans/
- Source link:
Cybersecurity conference DEF CON has added three men named in the Epstein files to its list of banned individuals. They are not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
Pablos Holman, Vincenzo Iozzo, and Joichi Ito are the first names to be added to the shortlist this year, preventing them from attending any future conferences. Organizers said contact with the sex offender provided a rationale for the sanction.
All three are named in the Epstein files as having worked with, benefited from, or were otherwise tied to the disgraced financier during the prior decade, although as mentioned, they aren't accused of being involved in crimes.
[1]
The emails show that Holman and Epstein became acquainted as far back as 2010. Politico's [2]reporting claimed that Epstein made plans to meet with the technologist in 2013, although it isn't clear if the sex offender actually attended.
[3]
[4]
Emails from the evidence bundle also appear to show that in the same year, Holman planned to stay at Epstein's residence in New York City, and introduced Epstein to other industry figures, including those who offered assistance to manipulate search results – burying bad news and promoting philanthropic efforts
Holman currently works as a tech investor at venture capital firm Deep Future. He had not responded to The Register 's request for comment at the time of publication.
[6]
Iozzo, who is the current CEO at identity management company SlashID and a former Black Hat board member, was in contact with Epstein between at least 2014 and 2018, the files indicate, offering to procure DEF CON tickets for him, emails show.
Iozzo sent a lengthy statement to Politico for its previous reporting on the files. The CEO said he was first introduced to the financier in 2014 while aged 25 and exploring funding opportunities for a startup.
He claims the allegations in the files were fabricated, that the FBI had never contacted him about his ties to Epstein, and that his interactions with Epstein were limited to business opportunities that never materialized.
[7]
A spokesperson to Iozzo told The Register : "Mr Iozzo did not provide exclusive access to DEF CON or any other conference. In fact, Mr Iozzo has no idea if Epstein ever actually attended any conference. DEF CON is attended by tens of thousands of members of the public in any given year. DEF CON's actions are entirely performative, given that Mr Iozzo has barely attended the conference in the past twenty years. It was a rush to judgment not based on any investigation or wrongdoing by Mr Iozzo."
Vincenzo Iozzo told The Reg : "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."
Joichi "Joi" Ito appears to be one of the individuals who introduced Iozzo to Epstein, according to emails in the DoJ's files.
"Vincenzo is one of the best network security guys I know," Ito said in one May 2014 email. "Working with him on a network security company idea. He's in NYC often. If you have time, you should connect. I think you'll enjoy meeting each other and I also think this business idea that we're working on might be interesting for you as well."
Ito, a venture capitalist currently serving as president of the Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT), was in contact with Epstein between 2013 and 2019, emails show, and the two met numerous times during that period.
Epstein was an investor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, where Ito formerly served as a director. Ito resigned from his post at MIT in 2019, The New York Times [8]reported , after it was revealed that he had accepted $1.7 million from Epstein to help fund the lab.
Ito did not respond to The Register after we requested a statement via the CIT, but he previously [9]apologized for his association with Epstein and claimed to have no knowledge "of the horrific acts that he was accused of."
[10]Microsoft's Sinofsky saw Surface fail coming – then hit up Epstein for advice on exit
[11]Defamation case against DEF CON terminated with prejudice
[12]As angels, rich dudebros suck: 1 in 5 Y Combinator women tech founders say they were sexually harassed
[13]DEF CON's hacker-in-chief faces fortune in medical bills after paralyzing neck injury
Readers who wish to examine the Epstein emails relevant to the three individuals now banned from DEF CON can do so at [14]Jmail.world .
The project was set up by Luke Igel and Riley Walz. It ingests the raw email files included in the DoJ's poorly formatted dump of Epstein files and presents them in a Gmail-like interface.
Holman, Iozzo, and Ito join a list of individuals already publicly banned from DEF CON. The conference states that "many bans" are not revealed, and only [15]six others have made the public list since 2017. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/14/epsteins-hackers-defcon-black-hat-00779365
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00710503.pdf
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/business/mit-media-lab-jeffrey-epstein-joichi-ito.html
[9] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/business/media/ito-mit-epstein-apology.html
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/microsoft_sinofsky_epstein/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/16/def_con_defamation_dismissed/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2018/10/15/ycombinator_women_founders_harassment/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/07/def_con_security_chief_injured/
[14] https://jmail.world/
[15] https://defcon.org/html/links/dc-transparency.html
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Pablos Holman, Vincenzo Iozzo, and Joichi Ito are the first names to be added to the shortlist this year, preventing them from attending any future conferences. Organizers said contact with the sex offender provided a rationale for the sanction.
All three are named in the Epstein files as having worked with, benefited from, or were otherwise tied to the disgraced financier during the prior decade, although as mentioned, they aren't accused of being involved in crimes.
[1]
The emails show that Holman and Epstein became acquainted as far back as 2010. Politico's [2]reporting claimed that Epstein made plans to meet with the technologist in 2013, although it isn't clear if the sex offender actually attended.
[3]
[4]
Emails from the evidence bundle also appear to show that in the same year, Holman planned to stay at Epstein's residence in New York City, and introduced Epstein to other industry figures, including those who offered assistance to manipulate search results – burying bad news and promoting philanthropic efforts
[5]PDF
.Holman currently works as a tech investor at venture capital firm Deep Future. He had not responded to The Register 's request for comment at the time of publication.
[6]
Iozzo, who is the current CEO at identity management company SlashID and a former Black Hat board member, was in contact with Epstein between at least 2014 and 2018, the files indicate, offering to procure DEF CON tickets for him, emails show.
Iozzo sent a lengthy statement to Politico for its previous reporting on the files. The CEO said he was first introduced to the financier in 2014 while aged 25 and exploring funding opportunities for a startup.
He claims the allegations in the files were fabricated, that the FBI had never contacted him about his ties to Epstein, and that his interactions with Epstein were limited to business opportunities that never materialized.
[7]
A spokesperson to Iozzo told The Register : "Mr Iozzo did not provide exclusive access to DEF CON or any other conference. In fact, Mr Iozzo has no idea if Epstein ever actually attended any conference. DEF CON is attended by tens of thousands of members of the public in any given year. DEF CON's actions are entirely performative, given that Mr Iozzo has barely attended the conference in the past twenty years. It was a rush to judgment not based on any investigation or wrongdoing by Mr Iozzo."
Vincenzo Iozzo told The Reg : "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."
Joichi "Joi" Ito appears to be one of the individuals who introduced Iozzo to Epstein, according to emails in the DoJ's files.
"Vincenzo is one of the best network security guys I know," Ito said in one May 2014 email. "Working with him on a network security company idea. He's in NYC often. If you have time, you should connect. I think you'll enjoy meeting each other and I also think this business idea that we're working on might be interesting for you as well."
Ito, a venture capitalist currently serving as president of the Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT), was in contact with Epstein between 2013 and 2019, emails show, and the two met numerous times during that period.
Epstein was an investor in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, where Ito formerly served as a director. Ito resigned from his post at MIT in 2019, The New York Times [8]reported , after it was revealed that he had accepted $1.7 million from Epstein to help fund the lab.
Ito did not respond to The Register after we requested a statement via the CIT, but he previously [9]apologized for his association with Epstein and claimed to have no knowledge "of the horrific acts that he was accused of."
[10]Microsoft's Sinofsky saw Surface fail coming – then hit up Epstein for advice on exit
[11]Defamation case against DEF CON terminated with prejudice
[12]As angels, rich dudebros suck: 1 in 5 Y Combinator women tech founders say they were sexually harassed
[13]DEF CON's hacker-in-chief faces fortune in medical bills after paralyzing neck injury
Readers who wish to examine the Epstein emails relevant to the three individuals now banned from DEF CON can do so at [14]Jmail.world .
The project was set up by Luke Igel and Riley Walz. It ingests the raw email files included in the DoJ's poorly formatted dump of Epstein files and presents them in a Gmail-like interface.
Holman, Iozzo, and Ito join a list of individuals already publicly banned from DEF CON. The conference states that "many bans" are not revealed, and only [15]six others have made the public list since 2017. ®
Get our [16]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/14/epsteins-hackers-defcon-black-hat-00779365
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00710503.pdf
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZdBrxlWRpXa-EiSsOkV3gAAAEo&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/business/mit-media-lab-jeffrey-epstein-joichi-ito.html
[9] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/business/media/ito-mit-epstein-apology.html
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/microsoft_sinofsky_epstein/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/16/def_con_defamation_dismissed/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2018/10/15/ycombinator_women_founders_harassment/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/07/def_con_security_chief_injured/
[14] https://jmail.world/
[15] https://defcon.org/html/links/dc-transparency.html
[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Finally
segfault188
When informed he was being arrested, The Andrew Formerly Known As Prince allegedly said " [1]No Sweat "
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59839351
Inappropriate knee jerk reaction.
Chris Evans
About thirty years ago I had business dealing with someone who later committed murder. Should I be banned?
Re: Inappropriate knee jerk reaction.
VicMortimer
It's been known that Epstein was a pedo for over 20 years. By 2010, when these asshats were associating with him, he was already a convicted sex offender.
Not sure you want to compare yourself to these guys.
Re: Inappropriate knee jerk reaction.
retiredFool
If you knew 30 years ago the person was doing things like beating people to near death or fantasizing about killing people, maybe. Lie down with dogs, get fleas.
Finally
Some actual consequences. I saw where the former prince was arrested as well in the UK. I actually knew a guy by the name of Henry Nicholas who became quite rich, He was a whole nuther level of morally bankrupt. I can only imagine just how bad epstein's friends were. Nick didn't have a private island.