This investigation peels back the tropical veneer of the U.S. Virgin Islands to reveal a grim reality: a local government that didn't just fail to stop a sex trafficking ring, but actively facilitated it for political gain. Lee Fang's reporting exposes how settlement money, promised to victims of abuse, is being diverted to fund the very administration that shielded the abuser. The story is not merely about a dead financier; it is about a living system of corruption where impunity was purchased and accountability was sold off for $75 million.
The Architecture of Impunity
Lee Fang begins by dismantling the myth that Jeffrey Epstein was merely an oddity in the Caribbean. Instead, the author argues he was a strategic investor in local power. "When Jeffrey Epstein purchased Little Saint James... he also appears to have purchased impunity," Fang writes. This framing is crucial because it shifts the narrative from a series of isolated crimes to a calculated political operation. The evidence presented suggests that customs agents saw girls as young as eleven leaving Epstein's plane, yet no safety checks were ever conducted. This wasn't negligence; it was a deliberate blind eye turned by officials who benefited from the arrangement.
The coverage details how Albert Bryan Jr., the current governor, oversaw the agency that granted nearly $300 million in illicit tax credits to Epstein's company. Fang notes that Bryan later pushed for a waiver to exempt Epstein from sex offender laws. "Not every sexual offender or any person, you know, are in the position to have the governor make the request to the attorney general," former Attorney General Denise George testified, highlighting the extraordinary nature of the favor. This testimony lands with significant weight because it comes from a former insider who was eventually fired for pursuing the very cases the governor wanted buried.
"The money was secured from Epstein's estate and his associates... and the proceeds were promised to assist victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and child sexual abuse."
Yet, the administration has quietly repurposed these funds. Fang reports that Bryan used the settlement money to pay retroactive wages to government workers and fund a $25 million makeover for the Justice Building. "This is real money – money in the bank," Bryan boasted, completely omitting the source. This omission is the core of the ethical failure: the administration is profiting from the very scandal they helped create, while the victims remain uncompensated. Critics might argue that the territory faces a budget crisis and needs the funds for essential services, but the lack of legislative approval and the specific promise to victims makes this diversion deeply problematic.
The Bank's Counterattack and the Cover-Up
The investigation takes a dramatic turn by examining the legal battle between the territory and J.P. Morgan Chase. Initially, the U.S. Virgin Islands sued the bank for $190 million, alleging it facilitated Epstein's crimes. However, Fang reveals that the administration abruptly settled for a fraction of that amount, effectively silencing the discovery process. "The abrupt settlement with J.P. Morgan Chase prevented the release of more disclosures about the nature of Epstein's network," Fang writes. This move suggests the local government feared the documents would expose their own complicity more than the bank's.
The documents that did surface paint a picture of a "decades-long quid pro quo." J.P. Morgan's lawyers alleged that Epstein placed the former first lady, Cecile de Jongh, on his payroll to secure political loyalty. "These records show that Epstein placed the former first lady of the island, Cecile de Jongh, on his payroll," Fang notes. The records also show Epstein buying influence with free turkeys for customs agents and campaign donations to secure electoral victories. The most chilling detail involves the election of Stacey Plaskett, the territory's representative in Congress. De Jongh wrote to Epstein, "Shawn is the one who came after you in the senate hearing last week. He is nasty and needs to be defeated and we have a friend in Stacey."
"The sudden end to the case closed the rare window of disclosure into Epstein's private power structure and the ways in which he carried out his political operation."
This section of the reporting is particularly effective because it moves beyond the governor to implicate the entire political elite, including the current congressional representative. The argument is that the settlement wasn't a victory for justice, but a strategic retreat to protect the status quo. A counterargument worth considering is that the settlement provided immediate, albeit limited, funds for the territory, but the long-term cost of burying the truth about how the system was rigged seems far higher.
The Unresolved Files
The piece concludes by contrasting the local cover-up with the federal government's stalled efforts to release files. While the Trump administration's release of documents was widely criticized as a disappointment, Fang points out that the real secrets remain in the Virgin Islands. "The tropical territory remains one of the last redoubts of intrigue related to the scandal," the author states. The FBI holds hundreds of thousands of records, but the local settlement with J.P. Morgan has already ensured that key testimony and documents regarding the island's specific role in the trafficking network will likely never see the light of day.
The human cost of this opacity is emphasized through the words of a retiree who wrote, "This money was promised to be used to protect vulnerable young women, among other things. But for reasons that nobody can explain, the money is nowhere to be found." This quote underscores the betrayal felt by the community and the victims. The administration's silence and the lack of transparency from the Department of Justice leave the victims in limbo, their abusers' enablers still in power, and the full scope of the tragedy hidden in government vaults.
Bottom Line
Lee Fang's investigation delivers a damning verdict: the U.S. Virgin Islands government is not a victim of Epstein's crimes, but a co-conspirator that has successfully monetized the cover-up. The strongest part of the argument is the forensic tracing of how settlement funds, intended for victims, were diverted to the governor's political agenda. The biggest vulnerability for the administration is the growing legal pressure from victims' groups, who are now suing under RICO statutes. Readers should watch for the outcome of these federal lawsuits, as they may be the only remaining mechanism to force the release of the documents the local government is desperate to keep hidden.