Epstein’s Infamous Private Islands Will Become Luxury Resort

Two private Caribbean islands once belonged to a notorious American sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein

SD Investments LLC, an investment firm led by a prominent billionaire private equity executive Stephen Deckoff, announced on its website the acquisition of the islands of Great St. James and Little St. James in the United States Virgin Islands.

Two private Caribbean islands once belonged to a notorious American sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein who allegedly used them to sexually abuse young women and traffic children for years.

Epstein died in a Manhattan federal prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. A decade earlier he was convicted for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender. According to the prosecution, among his victims were girls possibly as young as 11 years of age.

Great St. James and Little St. James were on the market for over a year. They were sold for a combined total of $60 million, less than half of the original asking price of $125 million. The property boasts a mansion, several guest villas, a helipad, and numerous pools.

The islands now have been purchased by a prominent entrepreneur and investor who is planning to develop them into a luxury resort.

Stephen Deckoff, a resident of the US Virgin Islands, is worth $3 billion. He is a co-founder of private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, which manages $9 billion in assets.

“Mr. Deckoff plans to develop a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort that will help bolster tourism, create jobs, and spur economic development in the region, while respecting and preserving the important environment of the islands.” SD Investments announced in a statement.

Apparently acknowledging the islands’ loathsome past, SD Investment’s statement adds that “a significant portion of the sale proceeds” were to be paid to the government of the Virgin Islands under a previous settlement agreement between the government and Epstein’s estate.