Jeffrey Epstein estate reaches settlement with U.S. Virgin Islands

Jeffrey Epstein's estate has reached a nine-figure settlement with the U.S. Virgin Islands to settle claims the late financier used the territory as a base for his decades-long sex-trafficking operation.

Denise George, the territory's attorney general, on Wednesday said the estate will pay $105 million in cash plus half the proceeds from the sale of Little St. James, a private island where Epstein had a home and allegedly conducted many crimes. The settlement includes the return of more than $80 million in tax benefits that one of Epstein's companies obtained fraudulently, to fuel his criminal activity, George said.

Daniel Weiner, a lawyer for the estate, in a statement said there was no admission of liability, and the estate's executors denied wrongdoing. "The settlement is consistent with the co-executors' stated intent and practice since their appointments to those roles--to resolve claims related to any misconduct by Jeffrey Epstein in a manner sensitive to those who suffered harm," Weiner said.

George first sued the estate for civil penalties and asset forfeitures in January 2020. Epstein, a registered sex offender, had killed himself five months earlier in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)