Kenneth Glad
Repeated unauthorized visits to a Caribbean property have developed into several court cases. The disputes involve online creators, island employees and allegations arising from encounters on the privately owned site.
A holding company connected to investor Stephen Deckoff has taken legal action against nine people accused of entering Little St. James and neighboring Great St. James without permission.
The lawsuits were filed by LSJVI, LLC, an entity associated with Deckoff, according to Business Insider and court records reviewed by TV 2. Deckoff is the founder and managing principal of Black Diamond Capital Management.
The civil complaints target YouTubers, content creators and others who filmed visits to the islands once owned by Jeffrey Epstein. The lawsuits also seek to recover revenue allegedly earned from videos connected with those trips.
One lawsuit involving Benjamin Owen and Ryan Dalton accuses them of trespassing while pursuing claims that Epstein could still be alive. The characterization comes from Deckoff’s lawyers and remains an allegation in ongoing litigation.
Other defendants include brothers Eloi and Marcel Gil Sancho and Andrew Petersen, according to Business Insider. Petersen told Business Insider that his group entered the property without permission during a 2025 visit and understood that legal consequences could follow.
Deckoff’s representatives have argued that unauthorized visitors create risks for people who live and work on Little St. James. A spokesperson told Business Insider that legal remedies would continue to be pursued against people who film themselves trespassing and profit from the resulting content.
Criminal proceedings have also arisen from confrontations on the island.
Criminal allegations followed confrontations
According to a sworn police affidavit, Eloi and Marcel Gil Sancho approached Little St. James on March 1, 2026, while collecting footage for a documentary. Their drone came down on the island, prompting Marcel to swim ashore to retrieve it.
Eloi told investigators that property manager Ann Rodriquez later approached by boat and pointed what appeared to be a handgun at Marcel. He also alleged that Rodriquez repeatedly threatened to kill them during the encounter.
The affidavit says investigators later identified the weapon as a BB gun designed to resemble a Glock 19-style handgun. It also states that Rodriquez acknowledged disposing of memory cards containing drone footage in the ocean.
Authorities later found Eloi naked aboard a boat with his hands and feet restrained, according to the affidavit. Rodriquez has maintained that she was carrying out a citizen’s arrest. Prosecutors charged her with false imprisonment, assault and destruction of property. She has denied wrongdoing.
An April confrontation involving Owen and Dalton also produced criminal charges. Owen was charged with trespassing, while prosecutors charged island employee Paul J. Arnold III with assault over an allegation that he struck Owen.
Resort plans remain unrealized
Deckoff acquired Little St. James and Great St. James from Epstein’s estate in 2023 after the two properties had previously been listed for $125 million. Business Insider reported that he ultimately bought the islands for $60 million, less than half the original asking price.
An announcement from SD Investments said the new ownership intended to transform the islands into a 25-room, five-star resort. The company presented the project as a luxury destination, but the proposed development has still not been completed.
The US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources told Business Insider that the only construction permit requested under Deckoff’s ownership had been for a warehouse, indicating that the larger resort project has yet to advance to that stage.
The office of US Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea declined to comment on the prosecutions, writes Business Insider.
Sources: Business Insider, TV 2
