Epstein's Little St. James Island sold to financier, not Clinton Foundation | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: The Clinton Foundation purchased ‘Epstein Island’

A March 14 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) makes a claim about the island at the center of sex trafficking allegations against late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

“JUST IN: Clinton Foundation purchases Little Saint James Island to house Haitian children displaced by Haiti's unrest,” reads a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, shared in the Facebook post.

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Our rating: False

A Clinton spokesperson said there is no truth to the claim. It originated from an X account that is labeled as satire.

Claim originated as satire

Epstein owned the Caribbean island, and investigators said that for more than two decades he trafficked underage girls and women there to be sexually abused. The financier, who died by suicide in a Manhattan prison in 2019 while awaiting trial, was linked in court records to numerous high-profile figures in politics, finance and entertainment, including former president Bill Clinton.

No wrongdoing is alleged about Clinton in the records and, like several others named in the documents, he has denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s criminal activities. USA TODAY has debunked multiple claims around Epstein’s connections.

The island sits more than 400 miles from Haiti, where gang violence has thrown the nation into chaos. But the claim that Little St. James was bought by the Clinton Foundation originated with a satirical account on X. It has no basis in reality, according to Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for Clinton.

“Stupid stunts like these hinder good works and progress,” Ureña told USA TODAY in an email.

The Facebook post uses a screenshot of a March 14 post on X by U.S. Ministry of Truth. The post is not labeled as satire, but the account is designated as such in its profile.

The Facebook post is an example of “stolen satire,” where content posted as satire and presented that way originally is captured and reposted in a way that makes it appear to be legitimate news. As a result, viewers of those subsequent posts are misled.

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Financier Stephen Deckoff announced in May 2023 that his firm, SD Investments, had acquired Little St. James and Great St. James Island, also owned by Epstein, for $60 million. Deckoff said he planned to turn the islands into a luxury resort and aimed to open it in 2025.

A settlement agreement between the Virgin Islands and Epstein’s estate requires a large portion of the proceeds from the sale to be used to provide services for sexual abuse victims, NPR reported.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Reuters also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clinton Foundation did not buy 'Epstein Island' | Fact check