Wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein moved hundreds of thousands of dollars for two academics in the years before his 2019 arrest, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Linguist Noam Chomsky told the Journal that he sought financial “advice” from Epstein, who in 2018 transferred $270,000 to him.

Chomsky claimed the transaction—which was related to the disbursement of funds from his first marriage—“did not involve one penny from Epstein.” He added: “The simplest way seemed to be to transfer funds from one account in my name to another, by way of his office.”

Last month, Chomsky claimed his ties to Epstein were “none of your business” and that “I knew him and we met occasionally.”