SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Virgin Islands introduced Wednesday that it reached a settlement of greater than $105 million in a intercourse trafficking case towards the property of financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The settlement ends an almost three-year authorized saga for officers within the U.S. territory, which sought to carry Epstein accountable after he was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage ladies and of inflicting environmental harm on the 2 tiny islands he owned within the U.S. Virgin Islands. The islands will likely be bought as a part of the settlement.
“This settlement restores the religion of the folks of the Virgin Islands that its legal guidelines will likely be enforced, with out worry or favor, towards those that break them,” Legal professional Common Denise George stated.
Epstein’s property agreed to pay the territorial authorities $105 million in money and half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James island the place Epstein owned a house and authorities allege lots of his crimes came about.
The property additionally pays $450,000 to restore environmental harm on Nice St. James, one other island Epstein owned the place authorities say he eliminated the ruins of colonial-era historic constructions of slaves.
The cash from the sale of Little St. James island will likely be positioned in a authorities belief to finance initiatives, organizations, counseling and different actions to assist residents who’ve been sexually abused, officers stated.
“We owe it to those that had been so profoundly damage to make modifications that may assist keep away from the subsequent set of victims,” stated George, who added that she met with three alleged victims who had been trafficked and sexually exploited on Little St. James island.
An actual property firm is itemizing the island for $55 million, noting that its options embrace three seashores, a helipad, a fuel station and greater than 70 acres (28 hectares) of land that provide “an array of subdivision potentialities” and “a complete, discreetly situated, infrastructure assist system.”
The corporate is also providing Nice St. James for $55 million, an island of greater than 160 acres (65 hectares) with three seashores.
As well as, the property will return greater than $80 million in financial tax advantages that U.S. Virgin Islands officers say Epstein and his co-defendants “fraudulently obtained to gasoline his prison enterprise.”
The federal government beforehand accused an Epstein-owned enterprise referred to as Southern Belief Co. of creating fraudulent misrepresentations to qualify for the advantages.
Daniel Weiner, an Epstein property legal professional, despatched a press release to The Related Press saying that the settlement doesn’t embrace any admission or concession of legal responsibility or fault by the property or anybody else.
“The co-executors deny any allegations of wrongdoing on their half,” he wrote. “The co-executors finally concluded that the settlement is in the very best curiosity of the property.”
Weiner additionally famous that the property has paid greater than $121 million to 136 people through a victims’ compensation fund.
Epstein killed himself at a federal jail in New York in August 2019 whereas awaiting trial. He had pleaded not responsible to prices of sexually abusing dozens of ladies, some as younger as 14 years previous.
A number of had sued Epstein and accused him and his longtime companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, of pressuring them into sexual trysts with highly effective males.
Maxwell, who was convicted on intercourse trafficking and different prices, was sentenced to twenty years in jail in June.
