The Wall Street Journal first reported the sale, citing the islands' listing agents. According to the New York Post, the stop-work order was ignored, and construction on the island continued. The floors appeared to be made of wood and were covered with a large Oriental rug. "I am very concerned that major development is occurring on Little St. James Island through the processing of a series of minor" permit applications," Jean-Pierre Oriol, the then-director of the Coastal Zone Management program, wrote in a March 2011 letter to Epstein's attorney. The bookcases were filled with hardcover bestsellers. In August 2019, Epstein died of an apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was being held on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. There is also a grass airstrip and hangar for when Epstein would fly in on his private plane. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Verdict: This is easily the most plausible and supported theory, but the available evidence is inconsistent. The bookcases went high enough to require a ladder. 10 Things You Dont Have to Pay Full Price for This Week. He pleaded not guilty and was found dead in his jail cell about a month later. While the purpose of the temple is unknown, one possibility is that it had served as a place for the classically trained Epstein to practice piano workers described it as a music room with acoustic walls and a grand piano inside, as the AP reports. Verdict: Almost certainly not true. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. I had other doubts too. The building, by contrast, is shaped like a rectangle and has no covered porch to speak of. Over the years, Epstein built Little St. James, which he referred to as Little St. Jeffs, to include a villa with a library, a Japanese bathhouse, and a movie theater. Friends and former co-workers have described Epstein, a wealthy financier now accused of trafficking and sexually abusing young girls, as a talented pianist. The second account was published by NBC News in early August. "The government prosecuted Ms. Maxwell as a proxy for Jeffrey Epstein" to She filed the lawsuit with the superior court in the US Virgin Islands. This was how I verified and contacted the first piano tuner, who said he never serviced Epstein's piano on Little St. James. Send an email to the author: ktrotter@insider.com. In 2021, Gates said in an interview that it was a "huge mistake" to spend time with Epstein and indicated he had only met with him in an attempt to raise money for global health issues. A small structure downhill from the building has led some to believe it serves as a second entrance and suggest that the space extends into an underground lair. Additionally, the former prime minister of Israel Ehud Barak told the Daily Beast that he had visited the island, though he explicitly said that he did not meet Epstein in the company of women or young girls.. They are, contrary to what people think, rarely apart, I almost always see them together., The duo was described as thick as thieves, with the file noting, they compliment each other really well.. But he denied tuning pianos outside of Florida and South Carolina, or ever visiting the US Virgin Islands. Epstein bought the 72-acre Little St. Jamesfor $7.95 million in 1998. I know there were many issues with roof leaking and had to go there and move piano and cover it because they were putting up scaffolding to repair the roof that was leaking on piano. In a 2015 defamation lawsuit filed against Maxwell, the house manager for one of Maxwells close friends testified that a distraught15-year-old Swedish girl told him that Maxwell had taken away her passport and tried to force her to have sex with Epstein while she was on the island. is quite dangerous technology, but Bill Gates says theres no threat, Police: Body found in rental vehicle at Hertz rental facility in Gates. She also said that they kept her passport so she couldnt leave a ruthless tactic they allegedly used in an attempt to hold more than one victim against their will. A Feb. 21 Instagram video ( direct link, archive link) shows a series of clips of former President Barack Obama awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to different celebrities. Baron is almost certainly not the only person who stepped inside the blue-and-white building. On its website, the foundation says it was established to "support cutting edge science and science education around the world." Web1.9M views 3 years ago #InsideEdition It's your first look at disgraced financier Jeffrey Epsteins private island. Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. A defiant gesture, like a raised middle finger, toward the rest of the world. There have been varying explanations for the blue-striped temple. Scully claimed that his client used the building for exercise. The Florida mansion in Palm Beach where prosecutors say Epstein sexually abused underage girls and women for many years was demolished in April after developer Todd Michael Glaser bought the site for $18.5 million in March. But as Schapiro acknowledged, the building substantially deviates from the blueprints, which describe an octagonal structure surrounded by a covered porch, with internal partitions for a bathroom, a closet, and a living room. From the report: "A colorful building that some news reports have called the 'temple' was actually a gym when Epstein worked out when he was on the island, Scully said, noting in an interview with ABC News that the gym had a memorable feature a massive framed photo of a topless woman.". Amid the lurid ongoing trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is charged with grooming many of late pedo-perv Jeffrey Epsteins victims, never-before-seen photos of the estates he shared with his lady of the house have come to light. The title refers to a private campground owned by the exclusive Bohemian Club in San Francisco, whose members conduct elaborate ceremonies involving a gigantic concrete bird known as the Owl of Bohemia. Yet here was a seemingly solvable mystery for which I could not find a solution. On his desk, in his office, in his bedroom.. Its gold dome flew off during the deadly 2017 hurricane season.". There is no clear evidence that Epstein constructed a special facility for abusing children or sacrificing them to Moloch or any other deity. I didnt even think about it it was just, get me away.. AG Denise Georges office had asked a judge to freeze his assets following an announcement that the administrator of the Epstein Victims Compensation Program would have to pause making claim offers since the estate couldnt currently replenish the fund. Another comment read (minor typos have been corrected): "Every time I was there it seemed some kind of repair was being done to structure. Epstein's Palm Beach estate, which he purchased in 1990, was estimated to be worth over $12 million in 2019. On the first excursion, he met a woman named Karen, who seemed to serve as the island's project manager. But every other detail seemed to match the temple. Epstein's flight logs became public as a result of lawsuits filed by women who accused him of sexual abuse and the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. The home is located at 9 E. 71st St., and Epsteins estate attorney, Bennet Moskowitz, revealed previously in court proceedings that the cash from the sale would be used to replenish the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund. A favorite among online conspiracists, this theory combines the more fantastical elements of the Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracy theories, including cryptic allusions to pagan deities and underground chambers for abusing and murdering children. Not a lot in there except an absolutely huge 1960s Baldwin Model D concert grand piano and some furniture.". One might think their job is about informing readers, or speaking truth to power, or helping people live better lives, or bringing about societal change, and so on. They scoured the site on golf carts over claims under-age girls were used as sex slaves and repeatedly abused inside the temple. Though much of what transpired on the island has remained the subject of rumor, its likely that more concrete details will soon emerge: On Monday, at least a dozen FBI agents raided Epsteins Little St. James residence, a bureau spokesman told NBC News. The proceeds from the sale are expected to be used for the estates regular administration, including its payment as necessary of taxes, creditors and claimants, Daniel H. Weiner, who represents Epsteins estate, told The Post. Search warrants reveal that police discovered a knife and a gun while investigating Bryan Kohbergers car and his family home. The blue-striped structure sits on a lookout point on the southeastern edge of Little St. James island, which Epstein purchased in 1998 for $7.95 million. subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Footage showed a large group of FBI officers arriving at the pier of Little St James and accessing the disgraced financiers property with golf buggies. July 20, 2019 Ever since billionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6 on charges of sex trafficking, the media have been scrambling to make sense of what The plans for the pavilion, top, called for a different design than what was completed, bottom. When I went back to the reader, they sent me a link to a YouTube video about Little St. James and claimed they had corresponded with the piano tuner via the comments underneath it. Not according to flight logs. During Hurricanes Irma and Maria, its golden dome blew off and was never replaced. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. Splash News; Backgrid; James Messerschmidt for NY Post, HANDOUT/US District Court for the Southe/AFP via Getty Images, Sotheby's International Realty Santa Fe, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Ghislaine Maxwell appeals sex-trafficking conviction over fatal errors, Ghislaine Maxwell to use divorce settlement to pay for appeal: report, Salacious allegations against Epstein associates to be unsealed: report, Ghislaine Maxwells claim that Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre pic is fake is ridiculous: report. And his property grew, in fact by 2008 Sign up for notifications from Insider! After the golf-cart driver dropped him off, Baron entered the building. Security guards lined the beaches. Workers told each other it was a music room fitted with a grand piano and acoustic walls. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Most notably, the men arrived at Epstein's temple, the purpose for which remains unclear, but has sparked a number of conspiracy theories. He didn't recognize the name of the reader who referred me to him. A death notice for Epstein's father, Seymour, appeared in The Palm Beach Post on December 16, 1991; a notice for his mother, Pauline (under her nickname, Paula), appeared on April 23, 2004. I was just too excited to be on this beautiful island with a day to myself and this amazing piano. The pair After all, if Epstein did indeed keep a piano in the blue-and-white building, there was a decent chance he needed someone to occasionally tune it. A monument to sexual predation. Horus was in control of the sun and the moon. Everything We Know About the University of Idaho Murders. Epstein usually boarded his private plane to fly to St. Thomas international airport, where he would then board a helicopter that whisked him to his private islands. Meanwhile, Givenchy and Chlo fell short. But when I called that piano tuner, he told me: "I've never been to Jeffrey Epstein's private island. After heightened allegations resurfaced against Epstein in 2019 concerning his involvement with underage girls, the state land commissioner ended the grazing deal with him. pic.twitter.com/98ha9YYd1l, Per Bloomberg, Les Wexner, chairman and CEO of the L Brands corporation (the parent company of Victorias Secret), also spent time on the island on at least occasion, an employee told the outlet. However, the New York City Department of Finance valued the home closer to $56 million earlier at another point that year. During this time, Epstein reportedly ordered the construction of a spa, a living room that would connect to a ground theater, a new kitchen, and two new guest rooms. According to court filings, Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was accused of trafficking underage girls to the island for sex. But the actual structure bears little resemblance to the plans that were submitted to agency officials. Maxwells trial is set to resume later this week. As bits and pieces of her past life are laid bare for the public, Maxwell continued to maintain her innocence and pleaded not guilty. Soon after Epstein's arrest, a YouTube user going by the name Rusty Shackleford began posting a series of remarkable videos captured by an aerial drone flown repeatedly over and around Little St. James. How Fashion Designer and Mom to a 2-Year-Old Mary Furtas Gets It Done, Im just much more adult, calmer, and more diplomatic with people. (Confusing matters further is the disappearance or destruction of some of the building's architectural elements. Epstein associates, including Prince Andrew, argue that the confidential settlement blocks Giuffre from taking legal action against them. In August, FBI agents travelling on speedboats visited the island, raiding the property as part of a probe into Epsteins sex trafficking continues, following his death in prison. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The front is flanked by statues painted in gold; one which appears to be Poseidon, Greek god of the sea, and another that looks like a pair of birds. Couple discovers seven-foot bees nest behind bathroom show J. "Every single one was on Epstein's flight logs," reads the on-screen text in A document discovered by the feds on a hard drive in Epsteins townhouse detailed his intimate relationship with Maxwell, FBI digital forensic examiner Stephen Flatley testified in Manhattan federal court last Tuesday. "When you say 'lair,' there is a connotation to that," he continued. Previously owned by Victorias Secret mogul and Epstein associate Les Wexner, the townhouse was built in 1930 for an heir to the Macys department store fortune. pic.twitter.com/njxfg2HahN. Up until his arrest in July 2019, the private island was considered his primary residence. After briefing Baron about the various projects she was managing, Karen handed him off to another employee, an older man who belonged to the island's maintenance staff. "Was there a few times to tune his piano," one read, referring to Epstein. Did it even matter what Epstein used the building for? The site further says the foundation gave $35 million to Harvard, kick-starting the university's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. Located at 358 El Brillo Way, the funds from the sale have been allocated to the victims compensation program to make payments to Epsteins victims. A woman who admitted having sex with a 13-year-old boy and becoming pregnant with his baby has avoided jail time. "It's just a flat wall," Berwick said. Terms of Service apply. A medieval-style lock on the front became a curious point of conversation for those working there, who suggested it could have been used to lock people inside with no escape. And it would be strange for a reader to use their real name to lie about what a local boat captain told them about a particular building on Epstein's private island. Epsteins New York townhouse where the late pedophile once kept nude photos of girls, creepy taxidermy and a bizarre painting of Bill Clinton in a blue dress was sold for a little under $50 million in March. Altogether, he sought to expand his residence by nearly 20,000 square feet a transformation that turned his main house into a mansion. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. "Every single one was on Epstein's flight logs," reads the on-screen text in the video. The color of the building perhaps the most distinctive quality of the temple was a "dull pewter." This account, including the framed photo, is believable, except for one key detail. Desperate Sarah Ransome claimed she made her dramatic escape bid after being raped multiple times on Little St James. The two said they eventually fled when one of them spotted people driving around the island in golf carts. The two Virgin Islands properties, Little St. James and Great St. James, were at the center of Epstein's sexual abuse lawsuit: Days after Epstein's death, the FBI raided Little St. Jamesto search for evidence pertaining to the case against him. A growing TikTok food trend is the equivalent of goblin mode for your midday hunger pangs. The New York City Medical Examiners Office ruled the death a suicide. I almost want to say it was the direction of where the parents lived." I began to question the whole point of the exercise. There were theater drapes in the room, and furniture. But there was no ladder. A piano tuner who lives in the Virgin Islands told Insider that he visited the building twice in 2012 and described its interior in detail. The interior had two levels, with the first four to six feet at ground level and the rest on a slightly raised platform accessed by a single step. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. Reportedly, Epstein would pay staffers anywhere between $100 and $1,000 if they discovered and gave to him old rum bottles, plates, and other dishware. That portion of the island already housed a gym, tiki hut, nature observation cabana and dive pavilion, according to the documents. The men briefly rifled through a number of dumpsters on the island, capturing footage of items like crates, suitcases, picture frames, and buckets. 2. The episode with the piano tuner gave me one last idea. When Baron mentioned this, my heart sank. Read more: A look inside Jeffrey Epstein's real-estate portfolio, from the Florida and NYC mansions where sex trafficking reportedly took place to the private island in the Caribbean that was raided by the FBI. I wasn't able to reach Scully either. Oriol called on Hodge to provide a detailed inventory on "all existing structures on Little St. James" and a status report of all permits issued to Epstein's company "for which the scope of work is not completed.". The video then reveals that two doors on the temple were actually fake and painted on, and that Epstein has his initials daubed on the structure. President Clinton knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York, Angel Urena said in a statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google So did the story of Bill Barr swooping in to Epstein Island with cleaners, likely to get rid of the Trump evidence before it was found out. When federal authorities raided the home, they found creepy artwork in the lair, including a painting that depicted Clinton wearing a blue dress and high heels while kicking his feet up in a chair. The woman had a stillbirth in 2021 in South Carolina, which explicitly criminalizes self-managed abortion. But he is the only visitor to offer a plausible and chronologically sound account of the building's interior. The building, shaped like a giant box and initially topped with a gold dome, has fueled rampant speculation and online conspiracy theories. Now, he says, in light of Epstein's media attention, there are a lot more tourists. A dermatologist weighs in on at-home devices. Have a tip about Epstein or his island? Based only on its furnishings, Epstein likely used the building to play piano, read books, work, and maybe relax. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. In one scene they entered one of Epsteins offices which features a small sign that reads Keep Calm and Carry On. Jeffrey Epstein pal Ghislaine Maxwell appeals sex trafficking conviction over jury members lie inside courtroom Love Island's Tom in furious clash with islander In any case, these theories assert that Epstein built a designated structure to conceal his criminal activities and that he incorporated a series of obvious clues about those activities into the structure's design. Baron didn't recall much about the boat's captain. I asked Baron what he thought the building was used for. The estate of Jeffrey Epstein the convicted sex offender who died in 2019 awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges still owns Epsteins islands, at last report. But the ownership of the two U.S. Virgin Island properties, the islands of Little St. James and Great St, James, could change soon. The royal has denied the claim. She appears to have broken off her engagement and is spending a lot of time with Tyga. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. He drove Baron in a golf cart to the building where the piano was. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Conspiracy theorists have suggested that the temple was either a secluded setting for Epsteins abuse or that it concealed a hidden underground location for the same purpose. become of Epsteins sprawling properties. Modlin Group and Bespoke Real Estate declined Insider's requests for comment. The building was supposed to be a music pavilion. The purchase consisted of private and leased federal lands. They also got footage of a number of parked tractors and an ambulance, though it's unclear what they were being used for. The 28,000-square-foot neoclassical townhouse first hit the market in July for nearly $90 million, but the price was cut shortly thereafter. You grow., Im Sick of Being the Bad Guy in Relationships. A shocking video filmed on Jeffrey Epsteins infamous Paedo Island reveals secret underground lairs and a bizarre sex temple with fake doors. Still, no theory has convincingly explained why Epstein erected the building or what may have happened inside. Above the piano hung a portrait of Epstein and the pope. On January 15, 2020, Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise George filed a lawsuit alleging that, as recently as 2018, Epstein and his associates took girls and young women to Little St. James and forced them into sexual servitude and forced labor. Why would Epstein, who had access to seemingly unlimited amounts of capital, choose a mural of an elaborate door over the real thing? The pair claimed to have made it to Little Saint James, in the US Virgin Islands - bought by Epstein 20 years ago and which became known as 'paedophile island' or 'orgy island'. The leak was ruining the top of the piano, and the flooring. Footage Of Abused Children Captured On Jeffrey Epsteins .. Three days later, my phone rang. Epstein reportedly had plans to turn the compound into a baby-making factory where he would inseminate victims. took girls and young women to Little St. James and forced them into sexual servitude and forced labor. Hodge, Epstein's lawyer, did not return a request for comment. In the two months since Insider highlighted the structure, I've received dozens of tips about its true purpose. But it also points to yet another mystery, one that may never be answered: What was Jeffrey Epstein doing on the rest of his island, and with whom? The island has been abandoned since Epstein's death in 2019. Baron described the structure as a "relatively small building" near the island's coast, far away from the other structures on the island. Atop the roof were statues that resembled "gargoyles." A shocking video filmed on Jeffrey Epsteins infamous Paedo Island reveals secret underground lairs and a bizarre sex temple with fake doors. (He would eventually plead guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution from a minor, thus dodging federal sex-trafficking charges, and serve just 13 months in jail.) Fact check: Gates is on Epstein's flight logs, nobody else in video, Thailand's 'most beautiful transgender woman' and husband wear $580K in attire at extravagant wedding, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; 'We are coming,' sheriff says, U.S. court won't require FAA to make airplane seat size, spacing rules, Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh's new mugshot revealed after double life sentence, Rebel Wilson says she was banned from Disneyland for 30 days for taking a bathroom selfie, The ex-ballerina exposing a world of shame, abuse and sexual assault, Bill Gates says some people provoke AI and make it look stupid but it poses no threat, Elon Musk says A.I. That's the right shape.". This theory is based on three separate accounts. The reader explained that "this particular knowledge is from the boat captains that frequent the area.". Not according to flight logs. The White House, accessed Feb. 27, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, Business Insider, Aug. 9, 2019, Unsealed flight logs show that Trump was on Epstein's private jet in 1997, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, June 28, 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Conspiring With Jeffrey Epstein To Sexually Abuse Minors, USA TODAY, July 6, 2019, Financier Jeffrey Epstein reportedly arrested in NY on sex charges, USA TODAY, July 8, 2019, Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein pleads not guilty to sex-trafficking claims that 'shock the conscience', USA TODAY, Aug. 10, 2019, Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, awaiting sex trafficking charges, dead of apparent suicide, Scribd, accessed Feb. 27, Epstein Flight Logs, Factcheck.org, Aug. 15, 2019, The Epstein Connections Fueling Conspiracy Theories, The New York Times, Oct. 12, 2019, Bill Gates Met With Jeffrey Epstein Many Times, Despite His Past, CNN, Aug. 5, 2021, Bill Gates says he regrets the time spent with Jeffrey Epstein: It was a huge mistake, PolitiFact, Feb. 23, Did these Medal of Freedom recipients fly on Jeffrey Epsteins plane? Hes not spoken to Epstein in well over a decade, and has never been to Little St. James Island, Epsteins ranch in New Mexico, or his residence in Florida., Statement on Jeffrey Epstein. But the YouTube user said he visited the building in the "early 2000s," long before it appeared in satellite imagery of Little St. James. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. The cache of evidence, released as part of Maxwells federal sex-trafficking trial, reveals what FBI agents discovered, which included a trove of discs that give a glimpse into their jet-setting lives together.