Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean islands listed for US$125 million

FILE - This Tuesday, July 9, 2019 photo shows a view of Little St. James Island, in the U. S. Virgin Islands, a property owned by Jeffrey Epstein. (AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione)

The executors of the estate of convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein have listed for sale his two private islands located off the east coast of St. Thomas in the Caribbean.

An attorney for the estate confirmed to CTVNews.ca on Thursday the properties in the U.S. Virgin Islands, knowns as Little St. James and Great Saint James, have been listed for US$125 million.

Daniel Weiner, a partner at New York law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed, said in an emailed statement proceeds from any sale of the properties would be used to settle outstanding lawsuits, as well as "the regular costs of the Estate's operations."

He added that funds from any sale will be subject to "potential claims by tax authorities, creditors, and other parties."

Epstein purchased Little St. James, which spans over 28 hectares, in 1998 for $8 million and established his permanent residence there in 2010, following his release from his first jail sentence in Palm Beach, Fla.

In 2016 he acquired the larger of the two islands, Great St. James, which stretches over 65 hectares, for almost $20 million, and was in the process of building a new estate there at the time of his arrest in 2019.

Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

According to Bespoke Real Estate, which is marketing the sale of the islands with The Modlin Group, Little St. James features a helipad, private dock, two pools, four guest villas and a main residence, in addition to having three private beaches, a gym and its own gas station.

The private Caribbean islands played a major role in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, according to court documents. In 2020, prosecutors alleged that Epstein would bring women and girls as young as 11 to the islands so he and his associates could assault them.

Testimony during the 2021 trial of Epstein's former girlfriend and now-convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell revealed that he liked to refer to Little St. James "Little St. Jeff's," while locals often called it "Pedophile Island."

The islands are currently under criminal activity liens placed by U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George, who filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against Epstein's estate in 2020.

Weiner said the sale is taking place with the support of George. and the proceeds will be held in liened accounts, pending the resolution of the government's lawsuit.

Epstein reportedly welcomed a number of high-profile guests to the islands over the years, and one of his alleged victims, Virginia Giuffre, claimed in a civil lawsuit that Prince Andrew had abused her on the island.

Prince Andrew has denied the claims and gone as far as to say he never remembers meeting Giuffre, despite there being photos of the two together. He agreed to settle the suit with Giuffre last month by making a substantial donation to her charity and declaring he never meant to malign her character.

Epstein's estate previously sold two of his other properties in 2021, including his Upper East Side mansion in Manhattan for $51 million and a home in Palm Beach, Calif. for $18.5 million. Two other properties belonging to Epstein -- Zorro Ranch in New Mexico and an apartment in Paris -- are also up for sale.