This is a tricky theory to parse. NBC News reported Tuesday that Epstein was seeking to expand his island estate during the same period that his lawyers were secretly negotiating a lenient deal with federal prosecutors in Miami investigating similar allegations against him. Plans for Jeffrey Epstein's music pavilion on Little St. James island. Glaser had announced from the onset of his purchase his plans to demolish the property. 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. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. Fact check: No link between Bill Gates and chicken and egg shortage, experts say. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Both also pointed out the temples questionable wooden door, which features a reinforcing lock bar. After the golf-cart driver dropped him off, Baron entered the building. The bookcases went high enough to require a ladder. All rights reserved. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. See our favorite looks from outside the shows. Jeffrey and Ghislaine have been together as a couple for the last 11 years, the note started. Still, the boat captains are mistaken. "The government prosecuted Ms. Maxwell as a proxy for Jeffrey Epstein" to We are officially canceling the leases with Zorro Ranch and Cypress Inc., state Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard told local KRQE station at the time. 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. There is also a grass airstrip and hangar for when Epstein would fly in on his private plane. Including some places where the pills are still legal. Previous videos shot by drones before the windows were boarded up also showed a stack of mattresses in the building, and an easel. "Every single one was on Epstein's flight logs," reads the on-screen text in the video. The royal has denied the claim. 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. An email address found via public records no longer works, and a phone number associated with one of his companies was disconnected. 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. Keep reading for a closer look at "Orgy Island. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. 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. Berwick and Rudkowski 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. The island, which is near St. Thomas in the Caribbean, is only In 1998, for $7.95 million, Epstein purchased Little St. James Island, which is situated between the larger St. Thomas and St. John islands. Now the spotlight is on three other deaths that are linked to the case. A representative for the facility, now called the IJ Morris at Star of David Cemetery, confirmed that Seymour and Pauline Epstein are interred in a mausoleum there. 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. 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. She faces six criminal counts at trial, including enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. That's the right shape.". 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. subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. To get there, Epstein would fly the underage girls into St. Thomas, and then he would ferry them over to his private island via a boat named Lady Ghislaine, one former employee toldBloomberg. On his desk, in his office, in his bedroom.. In July, ABC News spoke with an IT contractor named Steve Scully, who said he worked for Epstein and visited Little St. James more than 100 times. Verdict: Plausible, but the supporting testimony is inconsistent with the chronology of the building's construction. In March 2021, the Manhattan townhouse sold for $51 million, far below its listing price of $88 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. 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. (Baron said he didn't notice "anything scholarly."). As for the statue, or statues, of Horus: The available evidence is inconclusive. It's believed to have been Epstein's primary residence. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Meanwhile, Givenchy and Chlo fell short. The pair And his property grew, in fact by 2008 "I'll admit it's effed up, but I want to see where Satan lived," one St. Thomas visitor told Fox News. The episode with the piano tuner gave me one last idea. Thank you for supporting our journalism. A woman who admitted having sex with a 13-year-old boy and becoming pregnant with his baby has avoided jail time. Baron is almost certainly not the only person who stepped inside the blue-and-white building. On the second excursion, he spoke with a woman named Monique who filled a similar role, though she never actually greeted him in person while he was on the island. The comedian and Chase Sui Wonders are kissing in Hawaii again. Insider's J.K. Trotter, who spoke to a piano tuner who actually entered the temple, reported last month that the building was most likely used as a music room for Epstein to play piano, read books, or work. This was how I verified and contacted the first piano tuner, who said he never serviced Epstein's piano on Little St. James. ", Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. It was Baron, and yes, he had tuned Epstein's piano. These transformations, according to the Associated Press, happened when the island was bought by accused child-sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead by apparent suicide in his prison cell on August 10. The outlandish temple, with no clear history or purpose, provided the perfect detail: an otherwise minor plot element that promised to illuminate the whole story. But questions remain over whether it was built according to the plans that were submitted to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. 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. Baron described the structure as a "relatively small building" near the island's coast, far away from the other structures on the island. Rudkowski then explores a few of the islands underground rooms and Epsteins gold-tipped temple, where young girls were said to have been abused. Now, he says, in light of Epstein's media attention, there are a lot more tourists. 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? A dermatologist weighs in on at-home devices. Locals say the structure's gold dome was blown away during Hurricane Maria in 2017. An entrance to an underground lair. They confirmed earlier reports that the exterior of the building is comprised of flat walls but painted in such a way to give the appearance of dimension. No stairs, no elevator. 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. They scoured the site on golf carts over claims under-age girls were used as sex slaves and repeatedly abused inside the temple. Its been reported Epstein hid young girls he allegedly enslaved in underground rooms below the temple and other parts of the island. A former IT contractor who worked for Epstein from 1999 through 2005 also shed light on what was to be found inside Epsteins residence: countless photos of nude women. My own theory is that journalism is about solving mysteries identifying the unknown and finding a way to know it. It wouldn't fit the first time they tried (it was 1200 lbs). took girls and young women to Little St. James and forced them into sexual servitude and forced labor. 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. 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. Baron recounted his experience visiting Little St. James over several interviews with Insider. We now have a much clearer picture of the building's ostensible purpose. 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. A shocking video filmed on Jeffrey Epsteins infamous Paedo Island reveals secret underground lairs and a bizarre sex temple with fake doors. The ride took about five minutes, along a path lined with palm trees. "Even in the condition that I described it in it was sort of a temple," he said. In 2016, shortly before his arrest, he bought the larger Great St. James islands for $17.5 million. "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. "It is true that I am a piano tuner with the Piano Technicians Guild," the piano tuner said. Did it even matter what Epstein used the building for? However, the New York City Department of Finance valued the home closer to $56 million earlier at another point that year. 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. Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife and son. 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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Or maybe he visited the island and entered the building sometime after he stopped working for Epstein. The footage gives the impression of a makeshift storage locker, a discreet place to stash seasonal implements, but wouldn't Epstein have had other places to keep extra mattresses? Epstein ultimately struck a 2008 deal that spared him the prospect of a long federal prison sentence. He never met Epstein, and he didn't recall how his staff originally contacted him maybe through another client, or maybe through the online directory. The compound was supposed to include an amphitheater and an underwater office and pool, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported in 2019. The building has inspired countless conspiracy theories, but none has adequately explained what was inside the building or what Epstein did there. The first two numbers appear to have been disconnected, while the third, for Monique, went to a voicemail greeting for Southern Trust, a company that belonged to Epstein. Right? Stay up to date with what you want to know. "Absolutely. That said, it's possible Epstein designed the building as a future burial ground for his parents but never got around to having their remains shipped to the island. It had previously been sold to a developer who had chose to demolish the existing house. The building was supposed to be a music pavilion. 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. There's also a "flamingo-stocked lagoon" on the island, New York Magazinereported in 2019. The video shows Obama awarding eight people, including Gates, the nation's highest civilian honor during his presidency. IE 11 is not supported. "And after doing the job and talking to some of my other clients on St. Thomas, and they filled me in on the scandal, my perception of that room changed from a study to a lair.". I was not able to make sense of this discrepancy. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks. Walgreens Wont Distribute Abortion Pills in 20 States. Have You Tried Eating an Orange in the Shower? This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Those 2010 plans, which were part of a permit application that raised concerns inside the agency, included drawings of a building that looks almost nothing like the structure that was built. says the topless young man standing inside a bare electrical shed on Jeffrey Epsteins private island, more than a year after the disgraced billionaire That would explain your question about the door lock," which curiously appears designed to prevent people inside from leaving. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. But he is the only visitor to offer a plausible and chronologically sound account of the building's interior. But it's not quite the same color scheme, and it would be difficult to prove, in the absence of Epstein's own admission, whether the resemblance is intentional. According to permit records obtained by NBC News, while Epsteins legal team was busy negotiating a notoriously lenient plea deal for their client in the fall of 2007, Epstein was preoccupied with orchestrating major renovations on the island. Shortly after my original post about the building was published, a reader in St. John emailed: "I have it on good authority his parents are buried there. The piano-tuning industry is quite small, and while the piano tuner has a somewhat common name, I was unable to find a second piano tuner with the same name. 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. By mid-August, after speaking to the piano tuner who never tuned Epstein's piano, I was blocked and bewildered. Epstein's real-estate portfolioplayed a major role in the sexual-abuse allegations against him. The bizarre blue-striped building on Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island was supposed to be a music pavilion with a strikingly different design, according to Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, told the New York Times that Gates was unaware that it was Epstein's plane. The video was liked more than 2,000 times in three days. He also owned an apartment in Paris on the famous Avenue Foch. The Best Street Style From Paris Fashion Week. These are just a handful of the various theories sprouting from the discovery of a strange blue-and-white structure on Little St. James, the private Caribbean island once owned and inhabited by the financier Jeffrey Epstein. 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.". Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. This year, he had begun construction on a compound there despite a stop-work order that had been in place since December. "No tunnels!" 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. Known as Zorro Ranch, it went up for sale in July for $27.5 million, two years after Epsteins death. According to Fox News, Epstein had a dedicated team of workers on the island who trafficked girls as young as 12 to his clients. 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. But Vox reported in 2020 that a source close to the contribution said the donation sum was actually much smaller $6.5 million. "The colors, design, and direction of the stripes are strikingly similar to the design in Tutankhamun's Nemes headdress. The 'owl' is Moloch, a satanic entity that demands child sacrifice. 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. 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. Directly ahead was a desk, about 10 feet long, made of dark wood. She appears to have broken off her engagement and is spending a lot of time with Tyga. Footage appears to show the them at the huge sundial, as well as the blue and white 'temple' that sits atop a hill. 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.. An "urban explorer" has shared clips on TikTok from when he infiltrated Jeffrey Epstein 's abandoned island in August 2020. John Stewart, the owner of a boat-tour agency on St. Thomas, also told reporters that, over the past few weeks, he has seen a large increase in the number of catamarans sailing by Epstein's island. The probe came after Epstein who was awaiting trial on child sex abuse charges died in his New York City jail cell. She was arrested this week. Two independent filmmakers snuck onto Jeffrey Epstein's infamous private island in the US Virgin Islands and caught a rushed glimpse of some of the most mysterious and intriguing parts of the property. Jeffrey Epstein pal Ghislaine Maxwell appeals sex trafficking conviction over jury members lie inside courtroom Love Island's Tom in furious clash with islander after mass dumping. The video shows that the temple's walls and doors are flat, but painted in a way that gives them an illusion of dimension. He drove Baron in a golf cart to the building where the piano was. 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. Based only on its furnishings, Epstein likely used the building to play piano, read books, work, and maybe relax. "It's styled like what you might see on a castle, with what appears to be a reinforcing lock bar across the face," he said. 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. Privacy Policy and There have been varying explanations for the blue-striped temple. I know this because my friend has been in that room several times to tune the piano.". Nor is he the only person who has publicly claimed to have done so. Remember That Spray-on Dress? Not a lot in there except an absolutely huge 1960s Baldwin Model D concert grand piano and some furniture.". I almost want to say it was the direction of where the parents lived." On top of being partners [sic] they are also best of friends, it said. Scully claimed that his client used the building for exercise. ", I asked if he was sure. I found myself ashamed to discuss my progress with my editor and colleagues, as each additional clue turned out to be a false start. The building is surrounded by an expansive terrace painted bright white with red shapes. The others are Ellen DeGeneres, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. They said they wanted to visit the island to determine what exactly was on there, and if by chance former President Bill Clinton or Epstein himself (who is dead) were there. Its gold dome flew off during the deadly 2017 hurricane season.". *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. WebIo Dodds writes. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 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. New look at Jeffrey Epstein's private island. While the two sides were still hashing out the agreement, Epstein was moving forward with plans to triple the size of his 8,124-square-foot island residence and add a new pool, spa and underground theater, according to permit records viewed by NBC News. When Baron mentioned this, my heart sank. According to Scully, though, the building is simply a gym. Baron didn't recall much about the boat's captain. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. How much more time and energy was I willing to spend on a story with so many dead ends? (Confusing matters further is the disappearance or destruction of some of the building's architectural elements. As bits and pieces of her past life are laid bare for the public, Maxwell continued to maintain her innocence and pleaded not guilty. "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. WebEpstein's seven-story mansion in Manhattan also hit the market in July for $88 million, according to the Journal. pic.twitter.com/njxfg2HahN. Most notorious is Epsteins island, commonly referred to as pedo island, where victims have described in detail trying to swim off the shore in shark-infested water, almost drowning to escape the abuse they faced at the hands of Epstein and his colleagues. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Prince Andrew. The Sun reported in 2019 that Prince Andrew flew on a private jet with Epstein and his alleged 17-year-old sex slave Virginia Roberts, the pilot claimed.Ghislaine Maxwell. Bill Clinton. Kevin Spacey. Naomi Campbell. Chris Tucker. Alan Dershowitz. A monument to sexual predation. ", Source: Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Read more:10 of the most bizarre details people have reported finding in Jeffrey Epstein's NYC mansion, from a painting of Bill Clinton in a dress to prosthetic breasts mounted on a bathroom wall, Source: The New York Times, New York Magazine, Curbed, Read more:A wild drone video shows FBI agents raiding Jeffrey Epstein's private island home and offers a peek into his mysterious temple. Plants were cleared. Gates' name is listed in the documents for a flight on March 1, 2013, from Teterboro, New Jersey, to Palm Beach, Florida, according to flight logs published by FactCheck.org. 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. Why did Jeffrey Epstein's private jet fly to Riyadh on the eve of the 2016 election? However, the pair claimed they were forced to flee the secluded setting when they were chased away by staff, who they discovered are still working on the island after just 30 minutes. The woman had a stillbirth in 2021 in South Carolina, which explicitly criminalizes self-managed abortion. 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. Sign up for notifications from Insider! A shocking video filmed on Jeffrey Epsteins infamous Paedo Island reveals secret underground lairs and a bizarre sex temple with fake doors. (He claims, however, that the gym allegedly features an especially large framed photo of a topless woman.). Epstein reportedly had plans to turn the compound into a baby-making factory where he would inseminate victims. The file was created on a desktop by someone logged in as the user GMax on Oct. 14, 2002. After a trial that began on November 29, Maxwell was found guilty of five charges, including sex trafficking of a minor. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Workers told each other it was a music room fitted with a grand piano and acoustic walls. 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? According to court filings, Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was accused of trafficking underage girls to the island for sex. Jones refers to the owl statue as "Moloch" throughout the film but never explains why. "When you say 'study' or 'retreat,' there is a different connotation. The island was later dubbed "Pedophile Island" and "Orgy Island" by locals, per the Los Angeles Times. The claim: Obama's Medal of Freedom recipients appear on Epstein's flight logs.