Jeffrey Epstein tried to outfit 'pedophile' island mansion with spa, pool and theater amid plea deal talks with prosecutors
Multi-millionaire investor and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was reportedly seeking to triple the size of his estate on his private Caribbean island while his legal team was secretly trying to strike a plea with Florida federal prosecutors in the 2008 sex-abuse case.
Epstein was arrested by federal agents on July 6 in New Jersey after his return from a Paris trip and was charged with child sex trafficking in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591. He is suspected of sex trafficking minors in Florida and New York.
The new charges against Epstein suggest the Department of Justice's attempt to redeem its 2008 decision where then top federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta cut a questionable plea deal with the financier accused of engaging in sex with dozens of underage girls. Although the police found evidence suggesting he had regularly molested and trafficked dozens of underage girls, he was handed a sentence of just 13 months of part-time custody in county jail.
According to permit records in the US Virgin Islands, the Wall Street financier was pursuing a massive renovation on the 70-acre island near St. Thomas, dubbed Little St. James, in the fall of 2007, according to records viewed by NBC News. Epstein's lawyers, at the time, were in negotiations with feds in Miami who were probing him for preying on underage girls.
Alexander Acosta, who later became President Donald Trump's secretary of labor, had to resign in July amid controversy spurred from Epstein's recent arrest for having agreed on a sweetheart deal for the registered sex offender. Acosta reportedly said that Epstein's legal team pressured the prosecution into sketching the deal.
Epstein, in November 2007, submitted a proposal created by the Massachusetts-based design firm, Maguire Group, to transform his 8,124-square-foot island home into a mega-mansion, with the addition of 16,747-square-foot space, including an underground theater, a new pool, and a spa, the report stated.
"The alterations to the existing house will include a complete gutting of the kitchen, living room, office and guest rooms 1, 2 & 3, and installation of new roof structures and interiors,” according to the proposal seen by NBC News. “The terrace north of the living room will be completely demolished and a new pool constructed in its place." The records, however, did not specify whether Epstein was granted a permit for the work proposed.