Epstein Cultivated Ties to U.S. Customs Officers, Triggering Criminal Probe
Key Takeaways
- ▶ Jeffrey Epstein cultivated relationships with U.S. Customs officers in the Virgin Islands by providing food, advice, and musical performance opportunities.
- ▶ The relationships with customs officers prompted a criminal investigation, according to a New York Times report published February 19, 2026.
- ▶ Customs officers stationed in the USVI had jurisdiction over travelers entering and exiting the territory where Epstein maintained his private island.
- ▶ Epstein owned Little St. James Island in the USVI, which became central to federal and civil trafficking allegations.
Jeffrey Epstein cultivated friendly relationships with several U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing them with food, advice, and opportunities to perform at musical events, according to a report published by The New York Times on February 19, 2026.1
The relationships prompted a criminal investigation, the Times reported.1
The Times reported that Epstein developed the relationships with multiple customs officers stationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he maintained a private island and residence.1 Officers received food and advice from Epstein, and some were offered musical gigs, according to the report.1
Customs Officers’ Jurisdiction in USVI
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in the U.S. Virgin Islands have jurisdiction over travelers entering and exiting the territory by air or sea. Epstein frequently traveled between his properties in the U.S. Virgin Islands, New York, Florida, New Mexico, and Paris by private aircraft.1
Epstein owned Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, which he purchased in 1998 for approximately $8 million. The 70-acre island became a central location in federal and civil allegations against Epstein, with multiple accusers stating they were trafficked to the island and abused there.
The U.S. Virgin Islands government filed a civil lawsuit against Epstein’s estate in January 2020, alleging that Epstein ran a sex trafficking operation from Little St. James Island and his nearby Great St. James Island property between 2001 and his death in August 2019. That lawsuit was settled in 2022 for more than $105 million, with the funds directed to a victim compensation fund and the establishment of a grant program for organizations combating human trafficking in the territory.
Background
Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan federal jail cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had been arrested on July 6, 2019, after his return from Paris to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting a minor under a controversial plea agreement. That agreement allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution and serve 13 months in a county jail with work-release privileges.