Two of the private islands that were owned by the late disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein have been listed on the market for $125m (£94,671,875).
The two US Virgin Islands, Great St James and Little St James, span more than 230 acres in total. The latter, which Mr Epstein converted to his primary residence, has a complex which includes a hilltop mansion, two swimming pools, guest villas and large beaches with sand still seemingly preserved from the days when it used to be shipped in to enhance its aesthetic.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the news on Wednesday.
The 160-acre Great St James, the bigger sibling of the pair, sits across the bay from St Thomas and was purchased by Mr Epstein in 2016. It largely remains untouched, unlike Little St James, which locals took to panning as “paedophile island” rather than the billionaire’s own familiar term for the vacation getaway, “Little St Jeff”.
The smaller 70-acre island, that prosecutors allege was the epicentre of Mr Epsstein’s international web of sexual abuse where girls as young as 14 were reportedly assaulted, was owned by the convicted sex offender from 1998 until his death in 2019.
The convicted child abuser died by suicide in New York in 2019 while he was being held in a detention centre ahead of his trial for federal sex trafficking charges.
The Miami Herald reported last February that the pair of US Virgin islands had begun attracting attention from rich buyers, with some real estate agents disclosing to the newspaper that these interested parties planned to use the location as a private residence but were seeking out non-disclosure agreements between Mr Epstein’s estate before moving ahead.
“There are people that are quite interested and very qualified to buy the islands, and I have some clients that have already visited the islands,” real estate agent April Newland told the newspaper.
The Wall Street Journal said that Daniel Weiner, attorney for Mr Epstein’s estate, told the newspaper that the proceeds from the sale of the properties will be put towards resolutions of outstanding lawsuits and regular fees incurred by the estate’s operations.
The pair of islands were the centrepiece to the billionaire’s international property portfolio, which included a New Mexico ranch, a Paris apartment, a Manhattan townhouse and a since-demolished Palm Beach mansion.
The New York townhouse was sold to an undisclosed buyer for $51m (£38,626,125), again with the proceeds of the sale being redirected to a compensation fund for victims of the late Mr Epstein.
