Two Caribbean islands that once belonged to the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein have been put up for sale, according to a new report.
Great St James and Little St James, two islands in the US Virgin Islands, were part of Epstein’s extensive global property portfolio and have been listed for $125m, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
The larger island, Great St James, spans more than 160 acres. According to court records and listing materials reviewed by the journal, Epstein bought the island in 2016 for close to $20m. It remains largely untouched and contains just a small collection of structures and Christmas Cove, a marine preserve.
Little St James, which Epstein bought in 1998, spans more than 70 acres and in addition to a main residential compound and four guest villas, the island includes a helipad, a private dock, two pools, three private beaches, a gym and a tiki hut.
In 2020, US Virgin Island officials, including the attorney general, alleged that Epstein lured women and girls – some as young as 11 – to Little St James, where he “trafficked, raped, sexually assaulted and held captive” his victims, according to court documents.
Proceeds from the islands’ sale will go towards the estate’s resolution of outstanding lawsuits and costs of estate operations, Daniel Weiner, an attorney for the Epstein estate, told the Journal.
Already, $121m of Epstein’s estate has been used to compensate the late financier’s victims through the Epstein victims’ compensation program, he added.
According to Denise George, the attorney general, Epstein used a computerized database to track women and girls on the island.
Over the years, Epstein courted and interacted with numerous rich and powerful figures including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.
Throughout his activities, Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and daughter of the late press baron Robert Maxwell, helped traffic women and girls for Epstein.
In 2019, Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell where he was being held without bail after his arrest on sex-trafficking charges. He was facing trial in Manhattan on federal crimes, having worked out a plea deal in Florida years earlier on charges of sex offenses.
Last December, Maxwell was convicted in New York of sex-trafficking and related charges for procuring girls in conjunction with Epstein, her former boyfriend.
