In July 2019, months before his arrest, the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was locked in a dispute with authorities in the US Virgin Islands over construction work on his private Caribbean islands. As regulators investigated alleged permitting violations and considered fines, he turned directly to Governor Albert Bryan Jr. for help, according to text messages and emails revealed in the file dump by the US Justice Department.
The exchanges show the Governor assuring Epstein that he had spoken with senior environmental officials and sought to pause enforcement while the matter was discussed. In one text, after Epstein complained about potential penalties and negative media coverage, the Governor wrote that he had asked the commissioner overseeing the case to step aside and fix permit issues. “We got u,” Bryan wrote.
In the US Virgin Islands, Epstein owned Little St. James and Great St. James, neighbouring private islands he developed into a secluded compound used for illegal activities. Facing scrutiny over alleged unauthorised construction, Epstein framed the dispute as a threat to investment in his territory. He also warned that enforcement would “kill all interest and send investors to Puerto Rico instead !!”.
According to the exchanges, Epstein and Bryan arranged a private meeting as the conflict escalated. “Can you spare 15 minutes?” Epstein wrote in April 2019. Bryan replied, “For u absolutely.” When the Governor suggested meeting at the office of Epstein’s local attorney, Epstein responded, “You choose I’m there.”
GOVERNOR ASKED OFFICIALS TO ‘HOLD EVERYTHING’
Bryan is identified as “Albert” in the texts but is addressed as the Governor, and references to his public schedule, including a luncheon with the League of Women Voters, match official records from that period. Emails from 2018 and early 2019 further indicate repeated contact involving Epstein, the Governor and senior advisers as Bryan campaigned for governor and later took office.
At the time of the exchanges, the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources had issued a stop-work order on Epstein’s islands, citing unauthorised development, reported CNN. Permit filings showed plans for extensive infrastructure, including docks, roads and buildings, and officials said work had continued despite restrictions.
In April 2019, Epstein texted Bryan that Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol, was “going to issue fines against me”. Bryan replied that the Commissioner had mentioned only violations notices, adding: “I asked him to hold everything until he and the attorney spoke to me.”
After the media reported the alleged violations, Epstein complained that regulators were targeting him publicly. “JP going after me in the press!!” he wrote. Bryan responded: “I asked him to recuse himself.” After meeting officials, the Governor later told Epstein: “I asked him to recuse himself and concede on all previous permit requests.”
TEXTS SHOW EPSTEIN KEPT ACCESS TO TOP LEADERSHIP
The messages run from January to May 2019, a period when Epstein, who had pleaded guilty in 2008 in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor, was again under targeted. Despite this, the correspondence suggests Epstein retained direct access to the territory’s leadership while regulatory action was under consideration.
In a 2023 deposition linked to civil litigation, Bryan said his understanding of Epstein’s earlier case was that he had “copped a plea to having sex with a hooker who was under age” and said he had not been interested in the new charges in 2019. Asked repeatedly whether he gave Epstein special treatment, Bryan answered “No”. He later apologised.
The exchanges ended in May 2019. Two months later, Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges. He died in a Manhattan jail cell in August while awaiting trial.
In 2020, the adminstraion of the US Virgin Islands filed a sweeping lawsuit against Epstein’s estate, alleging he used the territory as the basis of a long-running trafficking operation and citing violations tied to his activities on the islands, including environmental and permitting issues.
With inputs from agencies
