Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous “pedophile island” and “orgy island” have been sold to billionaire investor Stephen Deckoff for $60 million.
The property, located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, will be developed in a “state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort that will help bolster tourism, create jobs, and spur economic development in the region,” SD Investments LLC said in a statement.
Great St. James and Little St. James were initially listed for $125 million by Epstein’s estate. Many of his crimes took place on the latter.
In the statement, SD Investments said “a significant portion of the sale proceeds” would go to the government of the Virgin Islands, citing a settlement agreement.
Under the settlement, which was announced by the Virgin Islands Department of Justice in December, half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, “the island on which Epstein resided and on which many of his crimes occurred,” are to be paid to the government of the Virgin Islands. The proceeds are in addition to a $105 million payment and another $450,000 payment “to remediate environmental damage around Great St. James,” where Epstein “razed the remains of centuries’-old historical structures of enslaved workers to make room for his development.”
The proceeds from the sale of the island will be used by the government to fund projects and counseling programs that “help Virgin Islands residents or inhabitants who are victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and child sexual abuse,” the Virgin Islands Justice Department said. (The Washington Post)
"I've been proud to call the U.S. Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty," Deckoff said in a statement. "There is simply no place in the world as special as the U.S. Virgin Islands and I am humbled by the opportunity to share its splendor with visitors in a manner that will provide economic benefits to the region while respecting its culture, history and natural beauty. I very much look forward to working with the U.S. Virgin Islands to make this dream a reality."
