Biden Doesn't Own Island Next to Epstein's
The Claim
An island located next to Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous Little St. James island is owned by Joe Biden and used by Ghislaine Maxwell as a submarine port for ferrying young children.
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Emerging story
The photo below first began to appear on Facebook as early as July 8th, 2020 with text alleging that there are secret submarine and military bases around the U.S. Virgin Islands, including at Epstein’s own private island, which used to be utilized by Ghislaine Maxwell and her submarine company. It then ends with the supposed revelation that the person who owns the island next to Epstein’s, which also has its own secret base and communications center in addition to currently having “Maxwell’s sub sitting in it,” is actually former Vice President Joe Biden.
The claim went viral in summer 2020.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation finds that the claim is false. There is zero evidence that Joe Biden owns, or has ever owned, property anywhere in the Virgin Islands. According to the U.S. Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds Database, the only Biden who owns any property in the area is Joe's younger brother, James, and his wife, Sara Biden, who own roughly an acre of property on Water Island.
While this island is located near the larger St. Thomas island like Epstein’s, Little St. James, it isn’t in the same area and especially not “next to" it. In fact, the only island adjacent to Epstein’s that isn’t the massive St. Thomas Island or the tiny, uninhabited Dog Island is the close-by Great St. James Island, which is also owned by Epstein as unveiled by a suit against him filed by the Government of the Virgin Islands after his death.
Many have noted the complicated history of the younger Biden brother’s property which was reported on by Politico in January. According to the report, James and Sara purchased a property inland on the island “with an excellent view” for $150,000. After purchasing they subdivided it into three lots and added an easement for accessing the property by road. Less than a year later they then sold one plot, for the same price they bought the whole property for originally and thereby recouping their investment, to a lobbyist and former staffer for the older Biden when he was in the Senate.
The report goes on to refer to this as a pattern of behaviour in which Joe Biden’s political life intersects with his brother’s business ventures. However, it does not go further than that in terms of the legality or ethicality of that financial behaviour and it absolutely does not indicate Joe Biden has any involvement in the Water Island property whatsoever. Nor does it suggest anything related to Jeffrey Epstein, pedophilia, or submarines/submarine businesses.
There is also much reporting on vacationing done by the former Vice President in the Virgin Islands area throughout the Obama administration and more recently. However, these vacations were done with his large family and without any mention whatsoever of Jeffrey Epstein or Little St. James Island or even James and Sara Biden’s water island property.
Lastly, while it was revealed in a Vanity Fair piece that Ghislaine Maxwell was supposedly able to pilot a small submarine on the yacht owned by billionaire Ted Waitt, there is no truth to the claim that she owns or ever owned a submarine company. While Water Island once housed an army base meant to protect a U.S. submarine base on nearby St. Thomas Island, again there is zero evidence indicated this has anything to do with Joe Biden nor Jeffrey Epstein and his island--which also has no known submarine base.
