Epstein Acquires Great Saint James Island
Jeffrey Epstein purchases Great Saint James, a second island in the U.S. Virgin Islands adjacent to Little Saint James. The acquisition expands his territorial control and later becomes the subject of a lawsuit by the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands alleging it was used in furtherance of his trafficking operation.
People Involved
In approximately 1999, Jeffrey Epstein purchased Great Saint James island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the island immediately adjacent to his primary private island, Little Saint James (purchased in 1998).
Together, the two islands gave Epstein control over a significant stretch of U.S. Virgin Islands coastline and created an effectively private enclave accessible primarily by boat or private aircraft. The combined land mass of Little Saint James (~75 acres) and Great Saint James (~165 acres) provided unusual depth of isolation for a property in U.S. territorial waters.
Great Saint James was less developed than Little Saint James during Epstein’s lifetime, though construction was undertaken to install structures and infrastructure. Aerial photographs from later investigations showed cleared land and building foundations on Great Saint James.
After Epstein’s August 2019 death, the U.S. Virgin Islands government filed a sweeping civil lawsuit against his estate, alleging that the USVI properties — including both islands — had been used as integral nodes in a sex trafficking operation. The USVI suit alleged that Epstein had received favorable tax status and incentives from the territory while running a criminal enterprise there.
The USVI lawsuit resulted in a 2024 settlement in which Epstein’s estate contributed over $100 million. J.P. Morgan Chase separately settled claims related to banking Epstein’s USVI operations for $75 million in 2023.
Great Saint James was eventually listed for sale as part of estate asset liquidation proceedings.