Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s 'Paedophile Islands' have been bought by a billionaire financier who plans to turn one of them into a resort.
Stephen Deckoff, paid $60 million for the two islands, around 50 per cent less than the price that was listed last year.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial over sex-trafficking charges.
The 75-acre estate's official name is Little Saint James, but locals referred to the child sex offender's Caribbean bolthole as "Paedophile Island", located of the coast off St Thomas.
Before he died in 2019, the billionaire was accused of grooming and raping underage girls at the sprawling property in the US Virgin Islands after flying them in on a private jet dubbed the "Lolita Express".
A portion of the sale will go towards paying the $105 million settlement Epstein’s estate reached last year with the government of the U.S. territory.
Mr Deckoff is the billionaire founder of Black Diamond Capital Management, an investment firm with offices across the world.
Although in a press release he said he plans to build a 25-room resort on one of the islands, it is unclear which one.
Little St. James, was the island where Epstein lived for almost two decades but the other island, Great St. James, is less developed.
At the time of his death, Epstein's estate was worth around $600 million.
By the time a civil settlement was made with the Virgin Islands government, its value had dropped to about $159 million.
The well-connected financier purchased his private island in 1998 for $7.95 million (about £5 million at the time).
Accessible by private plane or boat, the island features a stone mansion, two guest houses, a swimming pool, temple, helipad, sundial, and sweeping views of the crystal clear sea.
Some conspiracy theories suggest there are secret underground tunnels beneath the temple.
The island had dozens of staff when Epstein used it as his primary residence, and he is known to have hosted many rich and powerful guests.
But it gained a reputation for depravity, according to locals, and there have been allegations of child sexual abuse, human trafficking and orgies.
It is alleged Epstein continued to bring underage girls and young women to the island as recently as the months before his arrest in July 2019.
By then, he was a registered sex offender, having pleaded guilty In 2008 to a felony charge of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor in Florida. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence, and continued his lavish lifestyle with high-profile associates following his release.
The island estate, now thought to be worth more than £45 million, was raided by the FBI following Epstein's suicide in August 2019.
Sarah Ransome, a Brit who alleges she was a victim of Epstein, has claimed she was raped up to three times a day during months imprisoned on the island.
