Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What exactly happened on Little Saint James?
Situated between the larger St. Thomas and St. John islands is the beautiful Little St. James island, also known as “orgy island” – but we’ll get to that part later. Little St. James island was sold in 1998 for $7.95 million to the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. How does one even purchase a private island?
Fortunately, Mr. Epstein was an investor with tons of experience and had many connections with the rich & famous granting him the money & contacts to buy little Little St. James. This island evolved to be the site of one of the biggest sex-trafficking hotspots in the hemisphere.
Given Little St. James’s remote location, Epstein thought he could get away with everything there. This idea may have been true for a while; however, all eyes have gravitated towards the horror that occurred on Little St. James.
Island of Sin
Epstein was known for the outrageous & crazy parties thrown for his social circle, which sometimes included Victoria’s Secret models. Many of Epstein’s friends referred to Little St. James as the “Island of Sin” for the wild parties – even if some guests weren’t aware of the trafficking going on behind (barely) closed doors.
Little St. James Island was known by other nicknames including Orgy Island, Pedophile Island, and Little St. Jeff’s. Due to his enormous wealth (and likely intelligence connections), Epstein felt powerful & anonymous on the island; he was able to get away with numerous crimes for a long time.
With power & money comes loyalty
Epstein created a dedicated team of workers on Little St. James due to the powerful connections he created throughout his life. These dedicated workers helped traffic girls to the island as young as twelve. Epstein flew the girls to St. Thomas and had them ferried over to Little St. James on his private boat, Lady Ghislaine, one former employee stated.
The transportation of minors to Little St. James was well-known to airport workers on St. Thomas; however, Epstein tipped generously, for a time preventing those with knowledge from coming forward. Locals reported seeing girls not older than sixteen topless and partying with Epstein.
Rape & coercion
Women & underage girls invited to little St. James by Epstein reported being coerced into sexual encounters and sometimes even held hostage. Sarah Ransome, twenty at the time, stated that Epstein had invited her to the island and instructed her to have sex with lawyer Alan Dershowitz – who denies ever seeing her.
Afraid & shocked, Ransome tried to swim off of the island – but was found by a search party that included Epstein and the infamous Ghislaine Maxwell. As punishment, Ransome’s passport was taken away so she would not try to escape again, a tactic claimed to have been used on others.
The Aftermath
A defamation lawsuit was filed against Maxwell in 2015 in which a distraught fifteen-year-old Swedish girl stated her passport was taken away and she was forced to have sex with Epstein. These claims, like many others, were denied by Maxwell, who called them lies.
As the mysterious case and allegations against Epstein’s crimes continue to unfold, stories from victims on Little St. James are being heard. Sadly, these aren’t the classic paradise island stories; for the girls trafficked on Little St. James, it was a nightmare.
