Epstein's reported ties to US border officers close to his island trigger probe

ISTANBUL

Jeffrey Epstein had developed a rapport with some US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers who were based close to his private island, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

According to the report, Epstein had developed “chummy relationships” with some CBP personnel stationed in St. Thomas, close to “Little St. James” island in the US Virgin Islands, a US territory in the Caribbean region.

Epstein provided certain CBP personnel responsible for controlling entry and exit to the island with benefits such as food, helicopter rides, and financial advice, according to emails and other records recently released by the US Justice Department.

In return, Epstein reportedly enjoyed “concierge services” from some of the customs officers.

The officers “whisked him through inspections,” and “helped him troubleshoot when he encountered problems at airports on the mainland,” according to the report.

However, starting from 2019, these relationships became the subject of a criminal investigation.

Agents from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, federal prosecutors also spent over a year investigating whether CBP officers in St. Thomas permitted Epstein and his visitors to enter the nation without going through inspection.

The probe targeted at least four officers, including a supervisor, but its outcome remains unclear, and no related criminal charges are on record.

On Jan. 30, the US Justice Department released more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law last November.

Those materials include grand jury transcripts and investigative records, though many pages remain heavily redacted. Epstein survivors and victims’ relatives say the disclosure falls short of what the law requires and omits vital information.