WORLD

Investor buys Caribbean isles once owned by Jeffrey Epstein

May 4, 2023, 6:57 AM

FILE - Jeffery Epstein's estate on Little Saint James Island in the U. S. Virgin Islands, July 9, 2...

FILE - Jeffery Epstein's estate on Little Saint James Island in the U. S. Virgin Islands, July 9, 2019. A U.S. investor has bought two Caribbean islands, Great St. James and Little St. James islands, that were once owned by the late Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman told The Associated Press on May 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione, File)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.S. investor has bought two Caribbean islands that were once owned by the late Jeffrey Epstein and where authorities allege many of the disgraced financier’s crimes took place.

Stephen Deckoff, with SD Investments LLC, bought Great St. James and Little St. James islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands for $60 million and plans to build an exclusive resort, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Thursday. The islands were on sale for a total of $110 million.

The investment firm said in a statement that a significant portion of the sale proceeds will go toward the U.S. Virgin Island’s government as part of a previous deal with Epstein’s estate.

Forbes first reported the purchase of the islands on Wednesday.

The 25-room resort is slated to open in 2025 and is expected to boost tourism and create jobs, the firm said.

The islands were originally for sale at $55 million each. Little St. James, which locals had nicknamed “Pedophile Island,” has three beaches, a helipad, a gas stations and more than 70 acres (28 hectares) of land. Meanwhile, Great St. James has more than 160 acres (65 hectares) with three beaches.

He had been accused of federal sex trafficking charges and pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually abusing dozens of girls, some as young as 14 years old. Authorities said some of the girls had been brought to his home in the Caribbean.

World

Associated Press

Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher after S&P 500 sets another record

BANGKOK (AP) — European shares opened higher after a mixed trading session in Asia on Thursday following another record close for the S&P 500. Germany’s DAX added 0.1% to 18,500.63. In Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.4% to 8,240.07. In London, the FTSE 100 was up 0.3% at 7,957.26. The future for the S&P 500 […]

12 hours ago

Associated Press

U.S. congressional delegation pledges continued defense support for Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation pledged continued support for Taiwan on Thursday, days after Congress approved $300 million in military aid for the self-governed island that’s claimed by China. Congress also approved $400 million on Saturday to counter the Chinese government’s influence in the region, as part of its Defense Appropriations […]

12 hours ago

Associated Press

Greek police clash with demonstrators protesting a concert by US military cadets

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Police in Greece clashed late Wednesday with Communist-backed demonstrators who tried to prevent a concert by U.S. military cadets. The violent protest occurred in the central Greek city of Larissa ahead of a concert by members of the West Point Glee Club, a musical group of the U.S. Military Academy which […]

20 hours ago

Associated Press

Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill 16, militant rockets kill 1 Israeli as cross-border violence soars

HEBBARIYE, Lebanon (AP) — A series of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 16 people and a barrage of rockets fired by the militant group Hezbollah killed one Israeli man, making Wednesday the deadliest day in more than five months of fighting along the border. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, concerns […]

1 day ago

Associated Press

Stock market today: World shares are mixed after Wall Street retreats from all-time highs

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed on Wednesday after Wall Street slipped a bit further from its record highs. Germany’s DAX added 0.5% to 18,467.35 and the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.2%, at 8,202.64. In London, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.3% to 7,907.24. The future for the S&P 500 gained 0.4% while […]

1 day ago

Associated Press

With its soldiers mired in Gaza, Israel fights a battle at home over drafting the ultra-Orthodox

JERUSALEM (AP) — As Israel battles a prolonged war in Gaza, broad exemptions from mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox men have reopened a deep divide in the country and rattled the government coalition, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fellow War Cabinet members staunchly opposed to his proposed new conscription law. By the end of the […]

2 days ago

Investor buys Caribbean isles once owned by Jeffrey Epstein