Who is the current owner of Little Saint James Island?
Executive summary
Little Saint James — the 70‑plus acre island long associated with Jeffrey Epstein — was sold by Epstein’s estate in 2023 and is now held by financier Stephen Deckoff through his investment vehicle, SD Investments (also linked in reporting to his Black Diamond Capital firm), which paid about $60 million for Little St. James and neighboring Great St. James [1] [2] [3]. Contemporary reporting frames Deckoff as the public owner and prospective developer planning a resort, while local memory and litigation stemming from Epstein’s alleged crimes continue to shape the island’s public identity [1] [4] [5].
1. Sale and the named buyer: Stephen Deckoff and SD Investments
Multiple major outlets reported that the islands were purchased in early May 2023 by Stephen Deckoff — described as a financier and founder of Black Diamond Capital Management — and that the transaction was made through SD Investments, with a combined price reported at roughly $60 million for Great St. James and Little St. James [1] [2] [3]. NPR names SD Investments as the purchasing entity and quotes a spokesperson linking Deckoff to the acquisition; Forbes and Fortune provide consistent reporting identifying Deckoff as the buyer and describing his stated plans for redevelopment [1] [2] [3].
2. From Epstein’s ownership to an estate sale: how the islands left the previous owner
Jeffrey Epstein owned Little Saint James from the late 1990s until his death in 2019, and the properties were managed and marketed by his estate in the years after, with the islands placed on the market and subject to legal scrutiny tied to allegations and lawsuits that followed Epstein’s death [6] [5]. Reporting around the listing and subsequent sale notes that the islands had been offered for as much as $125 million in 2022 before the eventual $60 million sale, indicating the estate’s role in disposing of the assets [7] [3].
3. What the buyer says and what reporters corroborated about plans
Deckoff publicly expressed intent to develop the islands into a luxury resort and to recruit architects and engineers for that project, with timelines reported in 2023 that suggested an opening in a couple of years; outlets conveyed Deckoff’s stated unfamiliarity with Epstein personally and his assertion that he had not visited the islands until they were listed for sale [2] [1]. Some accounts record Deckoff offering few detailed comments in interviews, and at least one outlet reported a terse “no comment” when pressed, so concrete operational plans and timelines remained contingent and subject to further development [8] [2].
4. The persistent shadow of Epstein: victims, litigation, and local context
Even after the sale, reporting and official records emphasize that the islands’ notoriety derives from allegations that Little St. James was used in sex‑trafficking and abuse schemes tied to Epstein — allegations central to lawsuits and investigations by the U.S. Virgin Islands and others — and those legal and moral legacies have framed public reaction to any new ownership or redevelopment [5] [4]. Coverage of released images and committee material as late as 2025 underscores ongoing scrutiny and the political context surrounding the island’s past [9] [4].
5. Caveats, alternative framings, and limits of available reporting
Reporting consistently names Stephen Deckoff and SD Investments as the purchaser, but public accounts vary in emphasis — some emphasize Deckoff’s business credentials and development plans, others foreground survivors’ accounts and legal claims tied to Epstein’s era [3] [5]. The assembled sources confirm who publicly bought the islands in 2023, yet they offer limited visibility into current on‑island operations, the precise legal status of any remaining estate claims, or post‑sale permitting and regulatory steps in the U.S. Virgin Islands; those details are not fully covered in the provided reporting [1] [2] [4].