Jeffrey Epstein's private attracts tourists, report says

Jeffrey Epstein's private island has become a tourist attraction after he was charged with sex trafficking and found dead in his jail cell, according to a report from The Associated Press.

The wealthy financier bought the island in 1998 and locals reportedly dubbed it “Orgy Island” and “Pedophile Island.”

The owner of a charter boat company told the AP that “no one used to pay attention” to the island, but now “there's a ton more tourists.”

Witnesses said they saw Epstein bring teenage girls to and from the island, a woman claimed in a 2015 lawsuit that she was forced into “an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls” on the island.

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One of Jeffrey Epstein's private islands in the Caribbean has become a tourist draw in light of the sex traffic charges brought against the wealthy financier and his apparent suicide in prison on Saturday, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Little St. James, an island in the US Virgin Islands, has received new attention after the FBI raided it for evidence and witnesses said they saw teenage girls travelling to and from the island with Epstein.

The island is now attracting tourists who want to get a glimpse of Epstein's life and assets, the AP reports.

Jon Stewart, who owns a charter boat company, told the AP that: “No one used to pay attention to it.” He said that now “there's a ton more tourists.”

Read more: The FBI raided one of Jeffrey Epstein's private islands in the Caribbean, which locals call 'Orgy Island' and where airport workers say they saw him traveling with underage girls. Here's an inside look at the properties.

One traveller told the AP that he was craning his neck to try and see Epstein's island from a plane as he flew to another island. “I was just curious where it was,” Dean Bofenkamp said.

“Now everyone is wondering what really happened to him and what's going to happen to the island,” Yvonne Light, who is staying on a yacht near the island told the AP.

The island has been dubbed “Orgy Island” and “Pedophile Island,” and the names are used by locals, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Read more: 'Everybody called it “Pedophile Island”': Locals describe Jeffrey Epstein's shadowy presence in the US Virgin Islands

Epstein bought Little St. James for $ 7.95 million in 1998 and bought an adjacent island, Great St. James, in 2016, for a reported $18 million.

He had not yet built anything on Great St. James, The AP reported.

Federal authorities consider Little St. James Island to have been Epstein's primary residence in the US.

Little St. James includes a villa-style compound, cabanas, a library, a detached bathhouse, and a cinema in its 78 acres. It also includes a mysterious temple.

Read more: Why did Jeffrey Epstein build a temple on his private island？

Epstein was found unresponsive in his Manhattan jail cell on Saturday, in what Attorney General William Barr called an “apparent suicide.”

Barr has launched an investigation into the death, as reports suggest that guards tasked with watching Epstein violated protocol by not checking on him for hours before he was found dead and forged reports.

Epstein was being held on was being held on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. He had pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that an autopsy revealed broken bones in Epstein's neck after his death.

Read more about Jeffrey Epstein and his islands:

A wild drone video shows FBI agents raiding Jeffrey Epstein's private island home and offers a peek into his mysterious temple

A look inside multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein's real-estate portfolio, where sex trafficking reportedly took place and a $77 million Manhattan mansion may have been acquired for $0

The famous connections of Jeffrey Epstein, the elite wealth manager who died in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges

Airport workers say they saw teens traveling with Jeffrey Epstein to and from his private island in the Caribbean

Employees on Jeffrey Epstein's private island compound say they had to stay out of sight of the financier and were never allowed in his office