Denise George and the USVI Lawsuit
Denise George was appointed as Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2019. She quickly moved to make the Epstein case a centerpiece of her tenure. In November 2019, just months after Epstein’s death, George filed a comprehensive civil lawsuit against the Epstein estate in the USVI Superior Court.
The lawsuit was notable for its boldness and scope. It alleged that Epstein had operated a sex trafficking enterprise from Little Saint James for approximately twenty years and accused the estate of liability for the harm caused to victims. The complaint also alleged labor violations, EDC benefit fraud, and violations of USVI civil law. George’s office worked with victim attorneys across jurisdictions to build the factual record.
The Legislative Inquiry and the Firing
The USVI government’s relationship with the Epstein lawsuit took a dramatic turn in January 2022. On January 13, 2022, the USVI Legislature announced an inquiry into the Epstein-USVI connection — including questions about government officials’ prior interactions with Epstein and the history of his EDC arrangements. The following day, January 14, 2022, Governor Albert Bryan fired Denise George without public explanation.
The timing was immediately noted by journalists, legal observers, and advocacy groups. The firing of the AG prosecuting the Epstein case — one day after the legislature announced an investigation that would examine the Executive Branch’s prior Epstein connections — raised serious questions about whether George was dismissed to impede the lawsuit or the legislative inquiry.
Governor Bryan issued a brief statement saying only that he was “moving in a different direction” in the AG’s office but gave no substantive explanation. George herself told reporters she had received no explanation from the Governor.
Congressional Attention and Federal Investigation Requests
The firing prompted bipartisan congressional interest. Several members of Congress wrote to the DOJ requesting an investigation into whether George’s dismissal constituted obstruction of the civil proceedings. The Senate Judiciary Committee placed the matter on its Epstein oversight agenda.
The USVI Legislature’s own inquiry continued despite George’s removal, producing testimony from current and former USVI officials about the history of Epstein’s presence in the territory.
George’s Successor
Governor Bryan appointed Ariel Smith as acting Attorney General following George’s dismissal. Smith’s office continued to manage the Epstein civil lawsuit, which was by then well advanced in the litigation process. The change in leadership did not derail the case, and settlement negotiations continued.
Observers noted that George’s successor had no personal investment in the case and might approach settlement differently — a concern of victim advocates who worried that the aggressive pursuit George had brought would be moderated.
The Federal Settlement
In June 2022, a settlement between the USVI and the Epstein estate was announced. The settlement included financial compensation, provisions addressing the EDC benefit fraud claims, and cooperation undertakings. The precise total settlement amount was not fully publicly disclosed.
The settlement was assessed as a meaningful but incomplete resolution. Victim advocates acknowledged that the USVI had secured a real financial outcome and official acknowledgment of the trafficking enterprise’s operation in USVI waters. Critics noted that the settlement did not produce a full factual record through trial and that some questions about USVI official connections to Epstein remained inadequately examined.
Legacy of the USVI Prosecution
The USVI case stands as one of the most significant government civil claims arising from the Epstein enterprise. The George firing and its contested circumstances added a local dimension to the broader Epstein institutional failure narrative, reflecting how the case’s reach extended even into the politics of the small territory where Epstein had most directly operated his trafficking enterprise.