A Democratic congressional candidate running for a toss-up seat was mentored by a billionaire allegedly linked to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and an infamous sex cult.

George Whitesides, the Democratic candidate for California’s hotly contested 27th district, is a former CEO of Virgin Galactic, a company founded by billionaire Richard Branson, who has alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein and to the NXIVM cult, which allegedly lured women into becoming sex slaves. (RELATED: Driver Reveals How Much He Was Paid For Each Girl He Delivered To Jeffrey Epstein)

“I would say Richard’s had quite an influence on me. He’s a really amazing person and an amazing leader, and I’ve learned a lot from him,” Whitesides said in a March 2013 interview. “I think what he’s done with his career, from starting with very little resources at the front of his career to creating a mobile empire with the Virgin brand is incredible and it’s a testament to the guy.”

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Whitesides is using the personal fortune he accumulated from Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company founded by Branson, to fund his campaign, the Washington Examiner previously reported. He was the company’s first CEO from May 2010 to July 2020 and served in various advisory roles for the firm until he began running for congress in February 2023, his LinkedIn profile says.

Republican Rep. Mike Garcia won California’s 27th district 53.2% to 46.8% over Democratic challenger Christy Smith. Garcia, Whitesides and another Democratic candidate are running in California’s non-partisan primary. Democratic California Reps. including Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna, Zoe Lofgren, Judy Chu and Josh Harder have endorsed Whitesides campaign, his website touts.

Whitesides raised $3 million in 2023 and provided $270,000 to his campaign, Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show. Virgin Galactic paid Whitesides $8.3 million of compensation over his decade running the firm, corporate financial documents disclose. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Branson’s name appears in Epstein’s “little black book” of powerful contacts and Epstein recorded three phone numbers for Branson. Epstein’s former estate, the infamous Little St. James island in the U.S. Virgin Islands territory, is 34 miles away from Branson’s island in the British Virgin Islands, according to the Seattle Times.

Three years after Epstein’s jail stint for child prostitution, Epstein and Branson allegedly had breakfast together, a court document from litigation between the U.S. Virgin Islands and JP Morgan Chase alleges, the Daily Mail reported in July.

Branson’s name also appeared in Sept. 2013 email obtained by the Daily Mail about Branson potentially attending a dinner Epstein had coming up. A source in the Branson camp told the Daily Beast that Branson did not attend the dinner.

Epstein died in Aug. 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. His partner, socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her work with Epstein.

In January, a trove of new court documents from Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s defamation lawsuit against Maxwell were released by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Prominent individuals such as former President Bill Clinton, disgraced British royal Prince Andrew, deceased former Democratic New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, deceased model scout Jean-Luc Brunel, business mogul Thomas Pritzker, deceased physicist Stephen Hawking and billionaire Les Wexner are named in the court filings.

Branson’s name appears in a court filing containing discredited allegations that Epstein recorded sex tapes showing trafficked girls engaging in sex acts with prominent figures like Clinton, Prince Andrew, Branson and former President Donald Trump, whose name also appears in the court filings. Epstein accuser Sarah Ransome admitted to the New Yorker she made up the sex tape allegations to draw attention to Epstein’s behavior.

A spokesperson for Virgin Group declined to comment on Branson’s relationship with Whitesides. They provided the Daily Caller with previously publicized statements about the Epstein and NXIVM allegations about Branson.

“We categorically reject all allegations made by Sarah Ransome. In 2016, Ms Ransome retracted her claims and then in 2019 after settling her claims with Epstein and Maxwell, she also admitted to The New Yorker that the “tapes” had been ‘invented’. The allegations are baseless and unfounded,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“The actions of Jeffrey Epstein were abhorrent and we support the right to justice for the many victims impacted by his abuse.”

Branson allegedly hosted parties for NXIVM (pronounced “nexium”) cult members on his private island and allegedly took NXIVM classes. A former publicist for the cult claimed that NXIVM staged seminars to recruit Branson and that several members of the organization allegedly visited Branson’s private island for seminars in 2007 and 2010.

“Smallville” actress Allison Mack was accused by NXIVM’s former publicist of recruiting 25 women into the cult and ordering the sex “slaves” to sleep with NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, the Sun reported.

Mack was sentenced to three years in prison on racketeering charges related to her work for NXIVM and was released in 2023 after 21 months in prison. In Oct. 2020, Raniere received a 120-year prison sentence for numerous racketeering and sex trafficking offenses related to his activities leading NXIVM. Branson has denied any connection to NXIVM and Raniere.

“There is no association between Keith Raniere and Sir Richard Branson and Sir Richard did not take part in a NXIVM seminar. Clare and Sara Bronfman did hire Necker Island many years ago and we understand they hosted a gathering for team members of NXIVM. The island is available for hire by the public and this was one of many gatherings held on the island over the years by various groups from across the world. Sir Richard was not aware of any of the allegations against NXIVM or its leader whatsoever,” the Virgin Group spokesperson said.

Branson has not been accused of criminal activity.

 

This article has been updated to include the statements provided by the Virgin Group spokesperson.