Jeffrey Epstein’s former private island, Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is now owned by billionaire investor Stephen Deckoff, through his firm SD Investments, which also owns the neighboring Great St. James.

Current owner and basic facts

  • In 1998, Epstein (via L.S.J. LLC) bought Little St. James; he later bought Great St. James as well.
  • In May 2023, both islands were sold together for about 60 million dollars to Stephen Deckoff, founder of Black Diamond Capital Management, via SD Investments.
  • As of early 2026, sources still identify Deckoff as the current owner, with no reports of a subsequent sale.

What the new owner plans to do

  • Deckoff has publicly said he intends to turn the islands into a high‑end, 25‑room style luxury resort or “world‑class destination,” focused on tourism and local economic benefits.
  • Statements linked to the sale emphasize creating jobs, boosting the U.S. Virgin Islands economy, and protecting the local environment.
  • A 2026 update notes that despite these plans, no major construction had been reported on either island yet.

Legal and settlement context

  • The islands were central to civil and criminal cases involving Epstein’s sexual abuse and trafficking of young women and underage girls.
  • Under a roughly 105 million dollar settlement, the U.S. Virgin Islands government is due to receive about half of the Little St. James sale proceeds to fund services for victims of sexual abuse and trafficking.

Recent public and forum discussion

  • The question “who currently owns Epstein Island” remains a trending topic in news explainers and Q&A‑style articles, which consistently point to Deckoff as the owner.
  • Online forums discussing “who bought Epstein Island and what is their plan” often repeat the publicly reported resort plans, while also speculating or debating whether development will actually move forward and what access/security on the island is like; these discussions add opinion but not new verified owners.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.