Man Claims He Was Hogtied And Put In A Dungeon After Trespassing On Jeffrey Epstein’s Island
Despite Jeffrey Epstein no longer being alive his former private island Little St. James still leaves many people curious on on the secrets that remain there.
Recently one man attempted to travel to the island alongside a friend but after spending a few minutes exploring the island, personnel who do maintenance on Little St. James allegedly hog-tied the man and put him in a dungeon.
Police who responded to the incident, confirmed some parts of the the man’s claims and added the employees of the island also stripped the man before tying him up.
CBS News covered the man’s claims in an exclusive report and revealed his identity:
Benjamin Owen landed in the Virgin Islands on April 24 with two other men. Their mission, Owen and his associate Ryan Dalton said, was to go to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s former island, Little St. James.
The 44-year-old Memphis resident said that after arriving on the island the following day, he was hog-tied and thrown into a room he called a “dungeon,” and blindfolded, until Virgin Islands police arrived and arrested him hours later.
“I don’t believe I was supposed to leave that island alive,” Owen told CBS News.
In just six weeks, court documents show two episodes in which at least five people traveled there without permission. But it wasn’t just the accused trespassers who were arrested. Police also charged island personnel, including a staffer who managed the property for Epstein for decades and now works for its new owner.
The employees, police say, stripped and bound the trespassers they caught.
Owen claims his unauthorized expedition was in pursuit of justice — an attempt to shine a spotlight on the plight of sex trafficking survivors. He was profoundly unprepared for the ordeal that awaited him once he reached those rocky shores.
Owen and his associates in the first week of May, alleging they are “internet-fame seekers” and “conspiracy theorists” who acted with “wanton and reckless indifference.”
The lawsuit claims the defendants are part of “a rapidly growing subculture of so-called ‘urban explorers,’ social-media influencers, YouTubers, and internet publicity seekers who … capitalize financially on the island’s notoriety and association with Jeffrey Epstein.”
WREG interviewed Owen also:
So who owns Epstein’s island now?
Cap Radio provided details on the new owner and how much he paid for it:
The private islands that were a nexus in Jeffrey Epstein’s depraved abuse and trafficking of young women and underage girls will be turned into a resort destination by a U.S. billionaire. Great St. James and Little St. James have been in limbo since Epstein’s death in 2019.
Financier Stephen Deckoff paid $60 million for Great St. James and Little St. James through his SD Investments firm, a spokesperson told NPR. Deckoff is the founder of Black Diamond Capital Management.
The purchase price reflects a steep discount from the $110 million for which the two properties were recently listed.
Little St. James spans around 71.6 acres and includes “a helipad, private dock, gas station, high-capacity water filtration, 2 pools, the main compound, 4 guest villas, 3 private beaches, gym, tiki hut,” and other buildings, according to its real estate listing.
The pair of islands initially went on the market in March of 2022, with a $125 million asking price. The listing figure was later reduced after no buyers materialized.
The two islands, which lie just off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, figured prominently in the civil and criminal cases against Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. That’s especially true of Little St. James, where numerous young women have said in court papers that they were taken via private jet before being ordered to perform sexual acts with Epstein and other men.
Epstein bought Little St. James in 1998, roughly 18 years before purchasing its larger neighbor, which measures around 161 acres.
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