Virgin Islands Gets Hefty Payday From Epstein's Estate

$105M, plus half the proceeds from sale of one of his private islands
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 1, 2022 12:22 AM CST
Updated Dec 1, 2022 6:22 AM CST
Jeffrey Epstein's Estate Settles With Virgin Islands
This July 25, 2013, file image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein.   (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP, File)

Jeffrey Epstein's estate will pay more than $105 million to settle the lawsuit the Virgin Islands brought against Epstein nearly three years ago. The attorney general of the US territory accused the billionaire financier of using the islands as the base of his sex trafficking activities, for which he was awaiting trial when he died by suicide in 2019. The co-executors of the estate continue to deny wrongdoing, and the settlement does not include an admission of fault, NBC News reports. Two co-defendants and 10 Epstein-created entities are also taking part in the settlement, CNN reports.

In addition to $105 million in cash, the estate will pay the Virgin Islands half the proceeds from the sale of one of Epstein's private islands, plus $450,000 to fix environmental damage around his other private island, which is also being sold. "This settlement restores the faith of the people of the Virgin Islands that its laws will be enforced, without fear or favor, against those who break them," the AG, Denise George, said in a statement Wednesday. "We are sending a clear message that the Virgin Islands will not serve as a haven for human trafficking." Says a lawyer for the estate, "The settlement is consistent with the co-executors’ stated intent and practice since their appointments to those roles—to resolve claims related to any misconduct by Jeffrey Epstein in a manner sensitive to those who suffered harm." (More Jeffrey Epstein stories.)

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