Are epstein’s islands being used for private residence, redevelopment, or sale and who manages them now?
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Executive summary
Little Saint James and Great Saint James were sold in May 2023 to investor Stephen Deckoff, who paid roughly $60 million for both islands and publicly announced plans to redevelop them as a luxury resort; news reports through 2025 describe ongoing redevelopment efforts and that the 2022 sale listing had initially sought $125 million [1] [2] [3]. The U.S. Virgin Islands secured a settlement with Epstein’s estate in 2022 that included $105 million plus a share of sale proceeds and tax repayments, and oversight releases in December 2025 of images and video from Little St. James came from U.S. Virgin Islands authorities and the House Oversight Committee [4] [5] [6].
1. What happened to Epstein’s islands after his death — the sale and the buyer
Jeffrey Epstein’s two private islands, Little Saint James and Great Saint James, were placed on the market in 2022 for a combined listing price of about $125 million; a year later both islands were purchased in May 2023 by Stephen Deckoff (SD Investments/Black Diamond affiliations) for roughly $60 million, a transaction widely reported by national outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, CNBC and AP [3] [1] [7] [8]. Deckoff told reporters he planned a 25-room, high-end resort and framed the purchase as an economic opportunity for the U.S. Virgin Islands [9] [1].
2. Current stated plans — private residence, redevelopment or sale?
Available reporting consistently describes a redevelopment plan rather than conversion to a private residence or immediate resale: Deckoff and his representatives have publicly pitched transforming the properties into a “world-class” luxury resort with a multi-room complex and related infrastructure, with varying projected opening windows (initially as early as 2025 in some statements) and ongoing construction or refit activity reported in 2024–2025 [9] [10] [11]. Local and national accounts describe renovation work and “facelift” photography, indicating active redevelopment rather than the islands being used as private homes for the owner or sitting on the market again [11] [12].
3. Who manages the islands now — ownership and oversight
Stephen Deckoff (through SD Investments/related entities) is the reported owner and the party publicly describing redevelopment plans; multiple outlets identify him as the buyer and project lead [1] [7] [8]. Oversight and legal involvement continue: the U.S. Virgin Islands government secured a settlement with Epstein’s estate in 2022 that entitles the territory to a substantial portion of proceeds and to enforcement actions tied to past tax benefits, and the islands’ files have been produced to congressional and local authorities [4] [5] [13]. The House Oversight Committee received and released images and video provided by the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice [6] [14].
4. What the images released in December 2025 add — transparency and politics
In December 2025, House Democrats released more than 150 images and videos from Little St. James supplied by U.S. Virgin Islands authorities; the materials show interiors, a dental chair, masks on a wall, bedrooms and security monitors — items framed by Democrats as a “disturbing look” into Epstein’s world and released to press political pressure for fuller document disclosure [6] [14] [15]. Republicans on the committee criticized the selection as partial, and the releases are part of a broader congressional push and newly enacted law compelling Justice Department disclosures by a December 19 deadline [14] [16].
5. Competing viewpoints and limits of current reporting
Most mainstream outlets report the same ownership and redevelopment narrative (Deckoff purchase, resort plans); proponents emphasize economic development and removing the islands’ toxic legacy through a commercial project [1] [9]. Critics and survivors’ advocates have raised concerns about whether redevelopment sufficiently acknowledges victims and whether sale proceeds and settlements adequately compensate survivors — reporting notes the 2022 settlement directing funds to the U.S. Virgin Islands and services for victims but does not settle all disputes about justice or memory [4] [13]. Available sources do not mention whether the islands are being used as private residences by third parties, nor do they provide a definitive, independently audited timeline of construction milestones or an updated opening date beyond statements from the buyer (not found in current reporting).
6. Why this matters — legacy, accountability and local control
The islands are both a crime scene of alleged trafficking and a financial asset whose disposal has legal and moral dimensions: the territory’s settlement with Epstein’s estate, congressional investigations and continued public releases of documents and images keep oversight alive while private investment seeks to remake the physical site for tourism and profit [4] [17] [13]. Reporting shows the transaction and redevelopment are real and active, but survivors’ groups, local authorities and congressional figures remain stakeholders who have pressed for transparency and reparative measures tied to the islands’ sale and future use [4] [17].
Limitations: this summary relies on public reporting and statements through 2025; available sources do not include independent construction audits, contemporary on-the-ground management logs, or private contracts between the buyer and the U.S. Virgin Islands beyond referenced settlement terms (not found in current reporting).