San Juan, Puerto Rico –
A US investor has purchased two Caribbean islands once owned by the late Jeffrey Epstein.
SD Investments LLC’s Stephen Deckoff plans to purchase the Great and Little St. James Islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands for $60 million and build luxury resorts, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Thursday. . The islands were put up for sale for a total of $110 million.
In a statement, the investment firm said a significant portion of the proceeds from the sale would go to the U.S. Virgin Islands government as part of a previous deal with Epstein’s real estate.
Forbes first reported the island’s purchase on Wednesday.
The 25-room resort is scheduled to open in 2025 and is expected to attract more tourists and create jobs, the company said.
The islands were originally listed for $55 million each. Little St. James, dubbed ‘the pedophile island’ by locals, has three beaches, a helipad, a gas station and more than 70 acres (28 hectares). Great St. James, on the other hand, has three beaches on more than 160 acres (65 hectares).
Epstein committed suicide while awaiting trial in 2019. He faces federal sex trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty to charges of molesting dozens of girls, including a 14-year-old. Authorities say some of the girls were brought to his home in the Caribbean.
