They conceded their actions likely broke the law, but that they tried to "make sure we weren't doing too many illegal things all at once.". Plans for Jeffrey Epstein's private island, Little St. James. The New York City Medical Examiners Office ruled the death a suicide. 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 major difference seems to be in the shape of the building itself," Marlon Hibbert said in response to an email request for comment, in which NBC News had provided a link to a photo of the odd-looking structure. In New Mexico, Epstein owned a 7,500-acre ranch that was appraised at over $18 million in 2013. 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 scoured the site on golf carts over claims under-age girls were used as sex slaves and repeatedly abused inside the temple. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our. It was Shackleford who captured the jaw-dropping scene of FBI agents executing a search warrant throughout the island: But my doubts stemmed from two earlier, less-noticed videos that featured close-ups of the blue-and-white building. By mid-August, after speaking to the piano tuner who never tuned Epstein's piano, I was blocked and bewildered. Ghislaine Maxwell to ask appeals court to throw out sex trafficking Baron is almost certainly not the only person who stepped inside the blue-and-white building. The men noted that the island likely wasn't empty the grass and pool looked cared for even though the FBI raided the island in August. That would explain your question about the door lock," which curiously appears designed to prevent people inside from leaving. Previous videos shot by drones before the windows were boarded up also showed a stack of mattresses in the building, and an easel. (2020) - 60 Minutes examines graphic images from inside his cell and during his autopsy. Drawings supplied by Epstein's architects to the U.S. Virgin Islands agency that oversees coastal development show that it was designed to be a haven for music: an octagonal 3,500-square-foot pavilion housing a grand piano. Three days later, my phone rang. Not according to flight logs. The building has inspired countless conspiracy theories, but none has adequately explained what was inside the building or what Epstein did there. After a trial that began on November 29, Maxwell was found guilty of five charges, including sex trafficking of a minor. Urban explorers captured rare footage of Jeffrey Epstein's private island after sneaking onto the sex offender's remote getaway location, they claim. Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, told the New York Times that Gates was unaware that it was Epstein's plane. Whats on Jeffrey Epsteins Private Island? - YouTube The island remains in contention between the courts and Epsteins estate today but it is expected to go on sale in the coming year, sources told The Post. Some of these similarities are debatable, and some are absurd, but it is difficult to ignore the sense that the building resembles something. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. An email address found via public records no longer works, and a phone number associated with one of his companies was disconnected. 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. 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.". 10 Things You Dont Have to Pay Full Price for This Week. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks. Underground lairs discovered at Jeffrey Epstein All times AEDT (GMT +11). Plants were cleared. Maxwell was seeking to get funds from the estate for the legal fees she racked up while defending herself against claims that she helped recruit girls and young women to be forced into sexual servitude on Epstein's islands. Here's what he remembers about the interior: On both visits, after Baron finished tuning the piano, the same golf-cart driver took him back to the island's dock, where the same boat captain returned him to St. Thomas. Right? Search warrants reveal that police discovered a knife and a gun while investigating Bryan Kohbergers car and his family home. The two sides did get together after the letter was sent, according to an agency official. Investigators also found a taxidermied tiger and poodle in the house. The available photos of the statues, by contrast, show distinctly avian heads. Rich Schapiro is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Special Agent Kelly Maguire testified Monday that her team forced entry into the home on July 6, 2019, after no one answered the door, and swept through all 40 rooms. Regarding the second: The mythological harpy possesses the body of a bird and the head of a human. It had previously been sold to a developer who had chose to demolish the existing house. In recent years, the pinnacle of motorsports has gained an unlikely audience of new enthusiasts. It was Baron, and yes, he had tuned Epstein's piano. The accusers who have all spoken out have detailed the locations where they claim to have been subjected to rape and sexual torture. In December 2021, a venture capitalist bought the vacant lot for $25.845 million, a source close to the deal told The Wall Street Journal. Prosecutors say he preyed on girls as young as 14 and paid some of them to become recruiters who provided him with a steady supply of victims in the early 2000s. A second reason for doubt is yet another comment left by the same user: "I didn't have any idea what was happening there at the time, it was early 2000s, so I really didn't pay attention to little details. More than two decades ago, Little St. James Island, a small part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, began to change in ways that the locals on neighboring islands regarded with suspicion. 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. (Dershowitz claims that he has never met Ransome). When I called back a day later, I spoke with a woman who denied any knowledge of Southern Trust or anyone named Karen or Monique. 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. According to the reporter Rich Schapiro, an unnamed architectural firm submitted blueprints for a domed, single-story building on Epstein's behalf to the Department of Public Works of the US Virgin Islands. When I emailed Baron several photographs of the building, taken from different angles and elevations, he called me a few minutes later: "That is definitely the building. 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. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. But even if the building's motif alludes to the sexual culture of a society that ended more than 1,400 years ago, Greek pederasty was a male phenomenon. Up until his arrest in July 2019, the private island was considered his primary residence. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. Remember, the building was erected between 2009 and 2013. Footage appears to shows Prince Andrew inside Jeffrey Epstein's New York residence in 2010. At Paris Fashion Week, Different Takes on Glamour. In 1998, for $7.95 million, Epstein purchased Little St. James Island, which is situated between the larger St. Thomas and St. John islands. It's believed to have been Epstein's primary residence. The building undeniably resembles the blue-and-gold fabric headdress worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt. The 'owl' is Moloch, a satanic entity that demands child sacrifice. What makes it peculiar is that if you wanted to keep people out, the bar would be placed inside the building, [but the] locking bar appears to be placed on the outside as if it were intended to lock people in, he said. A wealthy lawyer who killed his wife and son at close range has been sentenced in one of the most troubling cases the judge said he had seen. It is surrounded by palm trees and a terrace with a labyrinth motif. The footage also showed Epstein's eclectic taste in art and home dcor, revealing odd statues of apes, gargoyle-like sculptures, a massive sundial, and an armchair that appeared to be made of animal horns and hide. How much more time and energy was I willing to spend on a story with so many dead ends? Regarding the first: I was unable to find a historical example of Moloch being depicted as an owl, an idea that some authors have traced to "Dark Secrets Inside Bohemian Grove," a 2000 documentary filmed and produced by the radio fabulist Alex Jones. 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. The GOP has introduced more than 20 bills targeting drag shows this year alone. become of Epsteins sprawling properties. (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.) Jeffrey Epstein Initially the island had the main house, three guest cottages, a caretakers cottage, a private desalination system, a helipad and a dock. In one scene they entered one of Epsteins offices which features a small sign that reads Keep Calm and Carry On. Not according to flight logs. Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. The video shows Obama awarding eight people, including Gates, the nation's highest civilian honor during his presidency. The plans for the pavilion, top, called for a different design than what was completed, bottom. The reader did not want to be named, but I was able to verify their longtime residence in the US Virgin Islands. A Feb. 21 Instagram video ( direct link, archive link) shows a series of clips of former This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission. (Confusing matters further is the disappearance or destruction of some of the building's architectural elements. It suddenly occurred to me that he could have tuned a piano in one of the other buildings on Little St. James. WebBefore his death behind bars in August, Epstein was accused of forcing young women, including some who were underage, into participating in sex orgies at the US Virgin Privacy Policy and The video was liked more than 2,000 times in three days. WebJeffrey had purchased Little St. James which was a roughly 75-acre private island in the Virgin Islands in 1998 for $7.95 million dollars. I know this because my friend has been in that room several times to tune the piano.". Most had no basis in fact or reason. 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. Thank you for supporting our journalism. Epstein died by suicide in August, not long after being arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy. 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? The video was posted to YouTube this week by the organization We Are Change, which bills itself as a nonpartisan, independent media outlet "working to expose corruption worldwide," though Berwick noted that he was not a journalist. But even from that distant vantage point, there is a lot to be seen including a temple-like structure and life-size plastic cows. In 2016, shortly before his arrest, he bought the larger Great St. James islands for $17.5 million. The men briefly rifled through a number of dumpsters on the island, capturing footage of items like crates, suitcases, picture frames, and buckets. But every other detail seemed to match the temple. In 1998, wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein purchased a 75-acre island in the U.S. Virgin Islands for $7.95 million, according to the New York Times. The island, called Little St. James, would become the site of some of his most notorious crimesand Filthy Rich, a new documentary series on Netflix, catalogues many of them. The video opens with Berwick saying, Well hello from Jeffrey Epsteins island walking around the whole island. Indeed, someone had left several comments about entering the temple, using the piano tuner's name. He would allegedly host a slew of powerful men, including Prince Andrew, there. 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. Did it even matter what Epstein used the building for? Virginia Roberts, who claims to have been trafficked by Epstein, told her lawyers in 2011 interview that she saw Clinton with two young girls on the island. 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. is quite dangerous technology, but Bill Gates says theres no threat, Police: Body found in rental vehicle at Hertz rental facility in Gates. Before his death behind bars in August, Epstein was accused of forcing young women, including some who were underage, into participating in sex orgies at the US Virgin Islands property. Since Epsteins death in 2019, dozens of alleged victims have come forward with sexual assault claims, forcing the executors of his estate Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn to set up a victims compensation fund to dole out damages. The color of the building perhaps the most distinctive quality of the temple was a "dull pewter." Keep reading for a closer look at "Orgy Island. The bookcases went high enough to require a ladder. Theres no one here. This doesn't quite compute. 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. Jeffrey Epstein's Island Temple Had a Piano and a Picture of the girls and young women to be forced into sexual servitude on Epstein's islands, Two private islands owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been listed for $125 million, The Wall Street Journal first. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. In the two months since Insider highlighted the structure, I've received dozens of tips about its true purpose. Baron recounted his experience visiting Little St. James over several interviews with Insider. The Best Street Style From Paris Fashion Week. That might sound exceedingly mundane the most boring answer to a tantalizing puzzle. Epstein's real-estate portfolioplayed a major role in the sexual-abuse allegations against him. According to the New York Post, the stop-work order was ignored, and construction on the island continued. Property records show Epstein purchased the ranch in 1993 from Gary King, who served as New Mexicos 30th attorney general at the time. I wasn't able to reach Scully either.
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