Did Disney Buy Epstein Island For $3B To Create A New Disneyland? Rumors Debunked
Disney did not purchase Jeffrey Epstein's private island.
USA Today and Gizmodo debunked the claims circulating on various social media platforms that The Walt Disney Company bought the late convicted sex offender's private island Little St. James, also known as Epstein Island, in the U.S. Virgin Islands for $3 billion.
The rumor stemmed from an article and TikTok video posted last month by Mouse Trap News, which is described as a "satire and parody site" on its About page.
"The Walt Disney Company Officially Buys Epstein Island!" claimed its TikTok video, which has gotten thousands of likes and shares.
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It also falsely claimed that Disney plans to build a new Disneyland park there and make it a stop for its cruise ships.
(Photo : Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Mouse Trap News also claimed in its article that "Disney sees an opportunity to turn Epstein's island into a beacon of innocence and wonder."
Despite the lack of confirmation from Disney, the rumor gained traction on TikTok, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, with many sharing the unfounded claims.
One Facebook post about the rumor was shared more than 10,000 times within days. The user did not indicate that the information came from a satire website.
Several X and TikTok users also spread the false information.
Epstein's two Caribbean islands, Little St. James and neighboring Great St. James, were purchased by billionaire Stephen Deckoff last year. There has been no announcement that the financier sold the islands to another party.
According to a press release, Deckoff plans to build a "five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort" there to "help bolster tourism, create jobs and spur economic development in the region."
Located near the island of St. Thomas, Little St. James was dubbed "Pedophile Island" by locals, according to CBS News.
Epstein was accused of trafficking underage girls to the island to be sexually assaulted by him and his associates.
In a 2020 lawsuit from the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Little St. James was described as "the perfect hideaway and haven for trafficking young women and underage girls for sexual servitude, child abuse, and sexual assault," The Independent reported.
While on the island, "Epstein and his associates could avoid detection of their illegal activity from Virgin Islands and federal law enforcement, and prevent these young women and underage girls from leaving freely and escaping the abuse," the complaint alleged.
Jeffrey Epstein's private island Little St. James is the site of a number of alleged crimes. https://t.co/X4o3EQE6N0
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 9, 2024
The disgraced financier died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 at age 66 while he awaited trial on charges of sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy.
While it did not buy Epstein's island, Disney does own a different private island in the Caribbean. The company purchased a 99-year land lease for Castaway Cay from the Bahamas government in 1997, and many Disney Cruise Line ships have docked there since.
