WASHINGTON — In a dramatic escalation of congressional scrutiny, Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee released on Wednesday a large collection of previously unseen photographs and videos from Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious private island, Little St. James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The materials, obtained from the territory’s Department of Justice, provide the most detailed public look yet at the secluded 72-acre compound where the convicted sex offender is alleged to have trafficked and abused dozens of underage girls over more than two decades.
The release includes more than 150 still images and over a dozen video clips recorded by Virgin Islands authorities in 2020 during civil litigation against Epstein’s estate. The visuals paint a chilling picture of extreme wealth intertwined with depravity: sweeping aerial views of pristine beaches and manicured tropical grounds give way to bizarre and unsettling interior details.
One video offers a silent, handheld walkthrough of the property. It begins at a cliff-edge helicopter pad perched high above the Caribbean Sea, then proceeds past an infinity pool surrounded by small cabanas, a large stone statue, and a network of pathways leading to guest quarters. Inside the main residence, the footage and photos reveal a marble-clad bathhouse with gold fixtures, a personal dental office lined with plaster busts of male faces, a lavish library filled with leather-bound books and a grand piano, and numerous guest bedrooms featuring king-sized beds, ocean-view balconies, and opulent bathrooms. In one bedroom, a landline phone displays speed-dial buttons labeled with male first names — “Darren,” “Rich,” “Mike,” “Patrick,” and “Larry” — some partially redacted. Another image shows a lounge-area blackboard covered with handwritten words such as “power,” “deception,” “appears,” “music,” and “time,” with other phrases blacked out for privacy.
“These new images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein and his island,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the committee. “We are releasing these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation and to help piece together the full picture of Epstein’s horrific crimes. We won’t stop fighting until we deliver justice for the survivors.”
Garcia directly called on President Donald Trump to honor a recently enacted law requiring full public release of all federal Epstein records, declaring, “It’s time for President Trump to release all the files, now.”
The materials were turned over to the committee following a November 18 request to U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea for all documents and evidence related to investigations of Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Democrats also announced they have received roughly 5,000 pages of banking records from J.P. Morgan Chase and Deutsche Bank — institutions that previously paid multimillion-dollar settlements over their roles in handling Epstein’s accounts despite clear signs of suspicious activity — and plan to make those documents public in the coming days after review.
The release lands at a pivotal moment. On November 19, President Trump signed the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, mandating that the Justice Department disclose all unclassified Epstein-related records — including flight logs, victim statements, internal communications, and details surrounding his 2019 death — within 30 days, setting a deadline of December 19. Although Trump initially resisted the legislation, he ultimately signed it and claimed credit for its passage.
Epstein, a financier with extensive ties to political, business, and entertainment elites, purchased Little St. James in 1998 and used it as the centerpiece of what prosecutors described as an international sex-trafficking operation. In 2008 he pleaded guilty in Florida to procuring a minor for prostitution under a controversial non-prosecution agreement that allowed him to serve just 13 months with generous work-release privileges. Federal charges filed in 2019 accused him of running a vast trafficking network involving dozens of underage victims. He died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial, an event that sparked widespread conspiracy theories due to reported lapses in prison protocol and malfunctioning surveillance cameras.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, was convicted in 2021 on five counts related to sex trafficking and is currently serving a 20-year sentence.
Survivors and advocates have long demanded full transparency, arguing that powerful individuals across the political spectrum were shielded by Epstein’s influence and the secrecy that surrounded his activities. With banking records forthcoming and the December 19 federal deadline approaching, pressure is mounting on the Trump administration to comply completely with the new law — or risk accusations of protecting those who enabled one of the most infamous criminal enterprises in modern American history.
