Who legally owns Little Saint James as of November 2025 and how has its title changed since Epstein's death?
Executive summary
As of the most recent reporting in the provided sources, Little Saint James was sold by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate in May 2023 to financier Stephen Deckoff’s SD Investments (sale reported as part of a $60 million transaction for both Little St. James and neighboring Great St. James) and remained private property through 2025 as Deckoff announced resort plans [1] [2] [3]. Epstein had owned Little St. James from 1998 until his death in 2019; his estate put the islands on the market to help settle lawsuits and reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2022 tied to trafficking claims [4] [5] [2].
1. Sale to a financier: the headline transfer
Reporting from multiple outlets says the two Epstein-owned islands—Little Saint James and Great Saint James—were bought in May 2023 by billionaire Stephen Deckoff (through SD Investments or related firm) for roughly $60 million, a sale described as intended to fund settlements and move the properties out of Epstein’s estate control; Deckoff publicly stated plans to develop a luxury resort and had begun hiring design teams as of 2023 [1] [6] [2] [3].
2. Title history since Epstein’s death: estate, litigation and sale
Jeffrey Epstein purchased Little Saint James in 1998 and owned it until his death in 2019; after his death the island remained part of his estate while plaintiffs and the U.S. Virgin Islands pursued claims. By 2022 the U.S. Virgin Islands reached a settlement with Epstein’s estate reportedly totaling more than $100 million, a deal tied to proceeds from island sales; in 2023 the estate sold the islands, transferring title out of estate control to Deckoff’s interests [4] [5] [2].
3. Ongoing public interest and legal context
The transfer did not end scrutiny: the islands figured in lawsuits and investigations alleging trafficking and abuse that the U.S. Virgin Islands said occurred there; prosecutors and civil litigants have sought files and images linked to the island, and in late 2025 House investigators publicly released photos and videos from Little St. James that originated with U.S. Virgin Islands authorities—demonstrating that property sale and private ownership do not erase the site’s evidentiary or symbolic importance [2] [7] [8] [9].
4. What the buyer has said and what local permitting shows
Deckoff told reporters he intended to redevelop the islands into a resort and had retained architects and engineers, with initial projections (reported in 2023) expecting operations as early as 2025; local filings and reporting in late 2025 note cleanup and planning permit activity with Virgin Islands authorities but also show mixed local sentiment—some residents favor investment, others view the locales as sites of trauma better left undisturbed [1] [10].
5. Conflicting details and limits of available reporting
Sources broadly agree on the 2023 sale to Deckoff and on Epstein’s prior ownership [4] [1] [6]. Available sources do not mention whether Deckoff completed redevelopment, exactly which legal documents transferred title (deed names, corporate entities), or the current day-to-day operational control on the island as of November 2025; several outlets simply describe the buyer and his intent rather than ongoing title paperwork [1] [2] [3].
6. Why this matters: victims, transparency and property law
Transfer of title shifted economic control from Epstein’s estate to a private developer but did not settle the islands’ role in ongoing public accountability efforts. The U.S. Virgin Islands’ 2022 settlement with Epstein’s estate and subsequent releases of law-enforcement files (including photos and video released by House Democrats in December 2025) show that ownership changes do not erase investigative records or the public’s demand for transparency about alleged crimes that occurred there [2] [8] [9].
7. Bottom line and areas to watch
Based on the cited reporting, Stephen Deckoff bought Little Saint James in 2023 and the island remained private property with announced resort plans through 2025 [1] [2] [3]. Watch for local permitting updates, deed recordings in the U.S. Virgin Islands land registry, and reporting from Virgin Islands authorities and congressional releases for any further legal shifts or confirmations of operational control—those specifics are not detailed in the current sources (available sources do not mention deed-level transfer documents or post-2023 completion of redevelopment).