They were also forbidden to enter either of Epstein’s two offices in the main manor, one of which housed a closely guarded steel safe.Īccording to The LA Times, Epstein also had an enthusiasm for “pirate treasure”, his name for old rum bottles and crockery found about the island. They wore black or white polo shirts and were sworn to strict secrecy, with instructions to stay out of Epstein’s sight when doing their work. The island had a staff of about 70, from groundskeepers and gardeners through laundry ladies to on-call boat captains. There were always women, of course: frequently attractive, sometimes suspiciously young, on the arms of Epstein or one of his many guests or, sometimes, ferried over in groups aboard a 38-foot boat called the Lady Ghislaine, reportedly after Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. One former employee described it as “a Zen-like retreat” where the financier would stroll around in flip-flops, with “meditative music” playing from speakers and the women often sunbathing topless. In the days before his 2008 conviction, Epstein would visit Little St James two or three times a month, staying several days at a time. It previously had a golden dome and two gold statues on its roof, which were reportedly torn off in Hurricane Maria. Stunning drone footage posted on YouTube offers a closer look, with a huge sundial at the centre of the island big enough to walk around on and two tall American flags posted at opposite ends of the island.Īt the other end from Epstein’s manor is a squat, boxy blue and white striped structure often referred to as a “temple”, surrounded by a terrace with a red labyrinth motif. Satellite photos show a sprawling network of terraces, cottages, beach houses, swimming pools, docks, utility buildings, a helipad, a tennis court, slipways, some kind of enclosed lake or lagoon, and various huts of unknown purpose, all connected by palm-lined roads where golf buggies ferried guests from place to place (a journey across the island reportedly took about five minutes). His main compound nearly doubled in size, sprouting into a plush mansion with an outside terrace connecting the master bedroom and the swimming pool, along with a desalination system. Starting in 2007, Epstein began a massive programme of building and remodelling that drew suspicion from local officials. The new owner quickly scoured away all the native vegetation and replaced it with 40-foot palm trees. In 1998, he bought Little St James from venture capitalist Arch Cummin via a shell company, reportedly paying just under $8 million (£6 million). He also based his shell companies in a small unmarked office in a seaside strip mall on St Thomas, alongside a Sam’s Mini-Mart and a salon called Happy Nails.

It was in the Virgins that Epstein registered as a sex offender in 2010, following his first conviction for child prostitution in 2008.

Helipad drone shop