Jeffrey Epstein signed a revised will on August 8, 2019 — just two days before he was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019.
The will was witnessed by two signatories. Darren Indyke (Epstein’s longtime attorney) and Richard Kahn (his financial advisor) were named as co-executors of the estate.
The timing of the will sparked immediate controversy. Just before his death, Epstein transferred the bulk of his assets into the 1953 Alligator Trust — a move that victims’ attorneys argued was designed to shield the estate from future legal claims.
The last-minute timing raised several questions:
- Was Epstein planning his suicide and trying to protect assets first?
- Was someone pressuring him to restructure his estate?
- Could the rapid transfer to the trust be challenged as fraudulent conveyance?
The U.S. Virgin Islands government subsequently sued the estate, arguing that assets placed into the trust were unlawfully shielded from accountability for the trafficking enterprise Epstein ran from USVI properties. That lawsuit ultimately resulted in an $105 million settlement with the USVI in 2024.
Attorney General Denise George of the USVI — who filed that suit — was fired days later, raising additional questions about political pressure around the estate proceedings.