Who is Stephen Deckoff? Networth and more about Epstein Island’s new owner as he renovates notorious estate

Little St. James, an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, became infamously known as the “Epstein Island” due to its association with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted for the s*xual abuse of underage girls. Alongside the neighbouring Great St. James, Epstein owned the two islands, which became the location where multiple girls were abused.

Stephen Deckoff is a private equity professional who bought the Epstein Island, Little St. James, alongside Great St. James in May 2023, as per Distractify. Deckoff bought the islands for $60 million.

Deckoff’s net worth is $2.8 billion, according to Forbes. He co-founded Black Diamond Capital Management, which is an asset management company, in 1995. The firm handles about $10 billion, notes Forbes.

The 60-year-old Deckoff resides in the U.S. Virgin Islands at St. John, and also owns real estate in New York City, Beverly Hills and Colorado.

NEW: Epstein island sold in $60m deal to billionaire Stephen Deckoff 🤔 pic.twitter.com/z813vwDTmP

— CryptoWarhol ² (@CryptoWarhol) May 4, 2023

All about Stephen Deckoff’s plans for Epstein Island

The Little St. James and the Great St. James are located in the Caribbean. The Little St. James, which is most well-known as Epstein Island, was sold to a firm named LSJ, the sole property of which was Jeffrey Epstein, in 1998 for $7.95 million at the time, as per ABC News. The Great St. James was purchased for an amount of $22.5 million by the financier in 2016.

Stephen Deckoff bought both the islands through Bespoke Real Estate, which had listed them. As per Bloomberg, Deckoff planned to convert the island into a luxury resort with 25 rooms.

According to Distractify, Bloomberg reported that Deckoff wanted to help “bring the area a world-class destination benefiting its natural grace and beauty.” While noting that he never met Epstein himself and never visited the islands before they were put up for sale, Deckoff also stated at the time,

“I very much look forward to working with the U.S. Virgin Islands to make this dream a reality.”

Distractify also reported that Deckoff intends to renovate the property on Epstein Island and does not plan to demolish it.

Last year, The New York Post reported that it viewed images that showed the Island’s transformation. Notably, a blue striped temple had been painted white, and a fire pit and patio were added to the structure.

The House Oversight Committee recently released images, providing a look inside the property on Epstein Island

The Democrats in the House Oversight Committee released photographs and videos that offered the public a look into the Epstein property. The photographs were made public after a bill was signed by President Donald Trump, allowing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, collectively referred to as ‘Epstein files,’ to be released, as per the BBC. The news outlet noted that Robert Garcia, who is the Committee’s Democratic head, wrote on X,

“These images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein. We have released these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation. It’s hard to imagine the horrors that happened in these rooms.”

These images are a disturbing look into the world of Jeffrey Epstein. We have released these photos and videos to ensure public transparency in our investigation.

It’s hard to imagine the horrors that happened in these rooms.https://t.co/5jHerybhDY

— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) December 3, 2025

The images show multiple bedrooms on the property, and also show a room with a blackboard with words such as “power” and “deception” written on it alongside some other words which were blacked out, as per the BBC. A room, which contained what appeared to be a dental chair could also be seen, which had various masks on the walls.