A 2006 conference for physicists in the U.S. Virgin Islands that included a trip to Jeffrey Epstein's private island shows how he used his wealth to build relationships with prominent scientists. Some 100 feet below the ocean's surface, Stephen Hawking peeked through the circular porthole of a submarine and saw the brilliant blue tropical water. It was March 2006, and the famous astrophysicist, accompanied by one of his ever-present nurses, s... [16034 chars]