Texts Reveal US Virgin Islands Governor Offered Assistance to Jeffrey Epstein Months Before Arrest
Months before financier Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges in July 2019, newly reviewed text messages show that he sought — and appeared to receive — direct assistance from the highest elected official in the United States Virgin Islands over a growing regulatory dispute involving his private islands.
The messages, dating from January to May 2019 and reviewed by CNN, indicate that Epstein contacted then-Governor Albert Bryan Jr. as territorial authorities investigated alleged unauthorized construction on Epstein’s islands, Little St. James and Great St. James.
Environmental regulators had issued stop-work orders and were considering potential fines. As scrutiny increased — along with media attention — Epstein turned directly to the governor for intervention.
“We got u”: Messages show direct assurances
In one exchange, Bryan told Epstein that he had spoken with the territory’s top environmental official and requested that enforcement actions be paused until the matter could be discussed further. As Epstein complained about possible fines and negative press, Bryan later wrote that he had asked the commissioner overseeing the case to step aside and concede on earlier permit requests.
“We got u,” Bryan wrote in a later text.
While it is unclear whether regulators ultimately altered their enforcement actions as a result, the messages show Bryan repeatedly reassuring Epstein that he was engaging with officials on his behalf.
Epstein framed enforcement as an economic threat
In his communications, Epstein portrayed the dispute as a danger to the Virgin Islands’ economic prospects. He warned that aggressive enforcement would deter investors and drive capital to competing jurisdictions such as Puerto Rico.
In one message, Epstein argued that regulatory pressure would “kill all interest” in development tied to federally designated opportunity zones — tax-advantaged areas he claimed could bring billions of dollars to the territory.
“I spoke to Albert,” Epstein wrote in an email. “No one will develop things in the USVI if they have to worry about moving trees.”
Planned private meetings and campaign-era contact
The correspondence also shows Epstein and Bryan arranging private meetings as the dispute unfolded. In April 2019, Epstein asked if the governor could spare 15 minutes. Bryan replied, “For u absolutely.”
Records indicate that meetings between Epstein, Bryan, and Bryan’s campaign team were also discussed during Bryan’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign, when Epstein was already a major landowner and business figure in the territory.
Epstein’s financial operations in the Virgin Islands included Southern Trust Company, one of his primary investment vehicles, which maintained offices at American Yacht Harbor in St. Thomas.
Stop-work orders and alleged violations
At the time of the exchanges, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources had cited Epstein for unauthorized development, including road work, docks, and a roll-on, roll-off ramp. Officials said construction continued despite stop-work orders.
Epstein complained directly to Bryan about the department’s commissioner, Jean-Pierre Oriol, accusing him of targeting Epstein in the press.
Bryan replied that he had asked Oriol to “hold everything” while legal discussions took place. In a later message, Bryan said he had met with Oriol and another official to discuss the alleged violations.
Later testimony and fallout
Epstein was arrested two months after the messages ended and died in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial.
In 2023, Bryan was questioned under oath during a civil lawsuit related to Epstein’s activities. He denied providing Epstein with special treatment. He also drew criticism for his description of Epstein’s 2008 Florida conviction, later issuing an apology through a spokesperson for what he called “a terrible use of language.”
Neither Bryan nor his office responded to multiple media requests for comment regarding the text messages.
In 2020, the government of the United States Virgin Islands filed a sweeping civil lawsuit against Epstein’s estate, alleging the territory had been used as a base for a long-running sex-trafficking operation and citing numerous regulatory and environmental violations.
The lawsuit was later settled. The agreement included the sale of Epstein’s islands and tens of millions of dollars in payments to the territory.
A rare glimpse into Epstein’s influence
The messages provide an unusually direct view of how Epstein leveraged wealth, investment promises, and political access in the Virgin Islands — even as renewed scrutiny of his past crimes intensified.
They also raise enduring questions about the relationship between powerful private interests and public officials in a territory that later acknowledged widespread regulatory failures tied to Epstein’s activities.