London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Spotlight on Jeffrey E. Epstein's interactions with influential in USVI

Spotlight on Jeffrey E. Epstein's interactions with influential in USVI

The [US] Virgin Islands Department of Justice's civil claims against the half-billion dollar estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein is casting an unwanted spotlight on the dead pedophile’s interactions with the Virgin Islands’ rich and powerful.

Attorney General Denise George stepped up the pressure on Epstein’s estate by amending a civil enforcement action brought in January to include the names of the estate executors, lawyers Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, as co-defendants.

In court documents filed this week, Ms George also added Epstein’s Red Hook-based Southern Trust Co. as a co-defendant for allegedly being used to conceal Epstein’s years of alleged trafficking and sexual abuse of young women and underage girls. Naming Southern Trust as a co-defendant in the civil litigation potentially opens company records and activities to public scrutiny - a move that may cast a chill across some of the territory’s prominent social and political quarters.

While Epstein, personally, was in the background, Southern Trust Co. was well known in political circles. And the territory, according to the Department of Justice, is a place where Epstein got his way.

Under former Governor John P. de Jongh, Southern Trust obtained lucrative tax breaks. At the time, de Jongh's wife, Cecile, on paper, managed Southern Trust operation.

Southern Trust gave thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to Virgin Islands politicians, including current members of the Legislature and the territory’s delegate to Congress. When the largesse came to light last year, politicians were quick to distance themselves from Epstein by returning the money or donating equal amounts to charity.

Through Southern Trust, Epstein became a friend of the well-heeled in the territory. Virgin Islands nonprofits – such as the exclusive Antilles School on St Thomas – turned to Southern Trust again and again for money. The company donated thousands of dollars to Antilles’ “Annual Fund,” which helps cover tuition for low-income students. Epstein handed out 100 Microsoft tablet computers when the USVI Department of Education sought support for a science, technology, engineering and math program.


A $300 Million Shell Company

According to the Amending Complaint filed by the VIDOJ, Southern Trust was incorporated as Financial Informatics Inc. 2011 but changed its name a year later. It was housed in 3,200-square-feet of office-space in American Yacht Harbor (AYH), the commercial heart of Red Hook on St Thomas. Epstein was a passive investor in AYH, owning 50% of the East End marina.

Epstein is listed in V.I. Economic Development Authority (VIEDA) records as President/Director and sole owner of Southern Trust. The records show that in 2018, Southern Trust assets reached $391 million – and it also held a precious 10-year EDC tax break, guaranteeing 100 reductions of business property taxes, gross receipts, excises taxes, as well as other sweetheart incentives.

The government granted Southern Trust EDC status because the firm was, ostensibly, developing sophisticated algorithms to mine DNA databases. It remains unclear through public records what type of data mining - if any - actually occurred.

In court documents, Ms George alleged Southern Trust was a shell that helped hide Epstein's perversions. In a January civil complaint, the VIDOJ alleged that Epstein used a web of shell companies, charitable organisations and other corporate entities to conceal years of rape, human trafficking and other abuses of women and young females on Little St James and Great St James off the east coast of St Thomas.

That 49-page complaint alleged that Epstein lured his young victims to Little St James with promises of modeling jobs, contracts and help paying for their education. Once ferried to the island on Epstein’s private helicopter or boat, his victims were trapped and held in sexual servitude, abuse and forced labor.


New Filing

In the latest court filings, Ms George alleged that the co-executors of the Epstein estate, Mr Indyke and Mr Kahn, had conflicts of interest because of their role in Epstein companies named as defendants in the case. The USVI government has also placed liens on assets worth more than $577 million left behind after Epstein's death in a New York jail last summer.

Lawyers for the estate argued that the Virgin Islands' liens against the estate cash and properties were delaying settlements with Epstein's alleged victims.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×