The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released never-before-seen photos and videos of Little St. James, Jeffrey Epstein’s island off the coast of St. Thomas, on Wednesday, which it received from the V.I. Justice Department.

The committee also received records from J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Bank, which Oversight Democrats intend to release to the public after review in the days ahead, according to a press release from Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California).

“These new images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein and his island. We are releasing these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein’s horrific crimes. We won’t stop fighting until we deliver justice for the survivors,” Garcia said.

 
Epstein, a convicted sex offender who maintained properties in multiple jurisdictions — including Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where many of his crimes are alleged to have occurred — operated a trafficking network over several decades. His death in August 2019 by apparent suicide while in custody in New York on sex trafficking charges left significant gaps in the public record and intensified longstanding calls for greater transparency.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform sent a request to V.I. Attorney General Gordon Rhea on Nov. 18 for documents, communications, and information pertaining to investigations or potential criminal investigations of Epstein or his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in the scheme, according to the release.

The photos and four videos were reportedly taken by USVI authorities in 2020.

Their public distribution comes as calls grow for the Trump administration’s Justice Department to release its files on Epstein after Congress voted 427-1 Nov. 19 to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act compelling Attorney General Pam Bondi to do so.

The vote came the same day the House introduced a resolution to censure V.I. Delegate Stacey Plaskett following a batch of materials released by the House Oversight Committee.

The Washington Post reported that some of the documents included text messages sent by Epstein that appear to align with Plaskett’s sequence of questioning at a 2019 congressional hearing in which Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, testified.

In a statement sent to the Source and other local media, her team acknowledged that she received messages from multiple people during the hearing — including Epstein.

“During the hearing, Congresswoman Plaskett received texts from staff, constituents and the public at large offering advice, support and in some cases partisan vitriol, including from Epstein,” the statement said. “As a former prosecutor she welcomes information that helps her get at the truth … The congresswoman has previously made clear her long record combating sexual assault and human trafficking, her disgust over Epstein’s deviant behavior and her support for his victims.”
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The Oversight Committee has not alleged wrongdoing by Plaskett or any other lawmaker.
https://youtu.be/gLCWdpjMNMk
Plaskett was also among several Virgin Islands officials named in a 2023 lawsuit filed by Epstein accusers. She denied the allegations, and the suit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice earlier this year. In seeking dismissal, her attorney wrote that Plaskett “learned of Epstein’s crimes simultaneously with the rest of the country” and had no involvement in his conduct.
https://youtu.be/mAgv8zeAWIQ
That legal action followed the Virgin Islands’ lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, for allegedly facilitating Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme, which was settled for $75 million in September 2023. Prior to that, the V.I. government settled a suit against Epstein’s estate for $105 million in November 2022.
https://youtu.be/1J04xgrJRLE

To view more photos, click here.