By Yoojung Lee
Two private Caribbean islands that belonged to Jeffrey Epstein, the late paedophile financier who died by suicide while in jail, are on sale for $125 million (about R1.8bn).
The US Virgin Islands property, Great St. James and Little St. James, spans about 230 acres (93 hectares), according to the listing, termed the "Jameses".
The smaller of the islands has a main residence, guest villas, a helipad, two pools and three beaches. The larger one, across the bay from St. Thomas, is largely untouched with a marine preserve known as Christmas Cove.
Epstein, a resident of the Virgin Islands for more than two decades, was accused of trafficking and sexually abusing young women and underage girls on the properties, which locals dubbed Paedophile Island and Orgy Island.
New York-based Modlin Group, one of the agents marketing the sale, declined to comment. The proceeds will go toward resolving outstanding lawsuits against the Epstein estate and the regular costs of its operations, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the listing.
Epstein bought Little St. James in 1998 for $7.95m and nearby Great St. James in 2016 for $22.5m.
He also amassed properties in Paris, Palm Beach and New Mexico, flying between them on his private jets until he was arrested for sex trafficking of minors in 2019. Weeks later, he hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial.
Epstein's Manhattan mansion, a 15m-wide limestone property on the Upper East Side, sold last year for $51m, with the proceeds going to a compensation fund for victims.
Former Goldman Sachs Group banker Michael Daffey, who paid about 40% below its original listing target, has said he was planning a "complete makeover – physically and spiritually" before moving in.
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