(ThePatriotWire)- The US Virgin Islands and the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, along with two co-defendants and ten related organizations, have reached a $105 million settlement, the islands’ attorney general declared on December 1.
According to the settlement’s conditions, the US Virgin Islands (USVI) government would receive $105 million and half of the money from the sale of the private island Little St. James, according to a press release from the territory’s attorney general’s office. According to the attorney general, many of Epstein’s alleged crimes took place on the island, and as part of the settlement, his estate will pay $450,000 for environmental harm to the island.
According to the settlement terms, Epstein’s estate will also market the island of Greater St. James. The press release guarantees that Epstein’s friends won’t utilize the islands for allegedly illegal activities in the future. According to the press announcement, the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James will go toward a USVI trust that will aid assault victims.
The Epstein estate will also repay more than $80 million in tax benefits that Epstein and his co-defendants unlawfully received and used to finance their alleged criminal operation. According to the press release, Epstein-owned business reportedly misled USVI authorities regarding its eligibility for tax credits for economic development.
According to the news release, Epstein’s co-defendants reportedly planned to carry out a criminal business “through which dozens of young women and children were trafficked, raped, sexually assaulted, and held hostage in the Virgin Islands at Epstein’s remote private island, Little St. James. According to the USVI press statement, members of the Epstein Enterprise “used deception, fraud, and coercion to allure and recruit vulnerable girls and young women into human trafficking.”
Denise George, the attorney general for the US Virgin Islands, said in a statement that “this settlement restores the faith of the Virgin Islands People that its laws will be implemented, without fear or favor, against those who break them. The Virgin Islands will not act as a sanctuary for human trafficking. We are making that very clear.
The Criminally Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (CICO), the US Virgin Islands’ equivalent of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) for alleged criminal organizations, was used by the attorney general to file civil enforcement claims against the Epstein estate, according to a press release. According to the press release, it is reportedly the most significant monetary settlement in the territory’s history.
