Exclusive new pictures of Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious private island taken by The Post show major changes as it undergoes transformation into a luxury resort.
The images of Little St. James in the US Virgin Islands — where Epstein is said to have sex trafficked scores of women and which was raided by the FBI in 2019 — reveal a complete remodel of the late financier’s unique waterfront ‘temple’, with its distinctive blue stripes erased and a new coat of white paint applied.
The cryptic patterns which adorned the front and sides of the structure have also been whitewashed into memory, the shots show.
The temple was previously painted to make it look like it had a pair of forbidding wooden front doors with a medieval-style lock, but has now been remodeled as an outdoor patio and fire pit, and appears ready for a DJ set.
The emerging makeover is part of billionaire Stephen Deckoff’s plan to repurpose Epstein’s playground of perversion — formerly known as “Pedophile Island,” as it was used for sex parties, orgies and other debachery — into a glitzy resort.
Deckoff purchased both Little St. James and the larger nearby island Great St. James for $60 million last May after several price drops from their initial $125 million asking price.
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The new images also reveal some subtle additions to the property’s oversized pool area ahead of the launch — a pair of inflatable swans and some waterside seating.
Deckoff has chosen to remodel the island where Epstein is said to have entertained dignitaries, scientists, celebrities and others from around the world as well as absued young girls he had coerced into travelling there rather than demolish its existing structures.
Shutterstock for NY Post
Shutterstock for NY Post
The roofs of several structures on the compound — including Epstein’s former residence — have either faded over the years or been painted gray from their original blue.
Deckoff, who has also developed other islands nearby, is said to be planning a hotel, luxury resort and related attractions on the site.
Epstein originally bought Little St. James for $7.95 million in 1998. He later bought Great St. James in 2016 for $20 million, but it still remains largely undeveloped.
During Epstein’s reign, the property featured the main villa, a library, movie theater and bathhouse, a helipad, private dock, gas station, gym, tiki hut and guest accommodations.
Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, told The Post Thursday he recalled visiting Little St. James before his sibling had fully developed it at the turn of the millenium.
“It was a s—-y island,” he said of the plot, which would soon vault to global infamy. “He hired a crew and said make it look like the Polynesian island. So they put palm trees in – he put in a fortune of money, but he didn’t care.
“This is what he wanted, and he turned the island into what he wanted it to be.”
He also revealed that his brother bought Great St. James primarily because he feared someone else would buy it up and subject him and his guests to unwelcome eyesores.
“He told me he bought the other island,” Epstein said of the 2016 transaction. “I said, ‘What do you need two islands for?’ He said if somebody else bought it, in a short period of time he’d been looking at McDonald’s arches [from the smaller] island.”
Deckoff, the co-founder of Black Diamond Capital Management, hopes to unveil his hotly anticipated project sometime in 2025.
Epstein — who was ruled to have hung himslef in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 shortly after being arrested for sex trafficking — hosted a parade of prominent figures whom he had brought into his orbit at the site over many years.
Hundreds of women from around the globe have come forward since his death, telling authorities they were trafficked to the glittering island while underaged then sexually abused.
Many of them were promised modeling contracts by Epstein or his accomplices — including notorioius hench woman Ghislaine Maxwell.
Source: https://nypost.com/2024/01/04/news/jeffrey-epsteins-private-island-shows-major-changes/
