Data broker Near Intelligence has allegedly gathered detailed coordinates of nearly 200 mobile devices belonging to visitors to Little St. James, sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island. The data, uncovered by WIRED, reveals the visitors’ respective residences and places of work, shedding light on the possible identities of high-profile figures undeterred by Epstein’s criminal status. Many of these visitors traveled to the Island well after allegations against Epstein emerged. The data was collected from July 2016 until July 6, 2019 — the day of Epstein’s arrest.
TRACKING EPSTEIN’S FRIENDS.
The data collected is apparently so precise that Near Intelligence could pinpoint individuals’ locations within centimeters. For example, the data broker was able to track visitors’ movements from the Ritz-Carlton on St. Thomas to a specific dock at the American Yacht Harbor, which then ferried them to Little St. James. While the visitors have not yet been named, the data obtained by Near Intelligence offers clues. Over 11,000 coordinates harvested point to 166 locations throughout the U.S. where Epstein’s guests lived and worked, as well as in Australia and the Cayman Islands.
Near Intelligence identified devices traveling to Little St. James from U.S. locations in 80 cities across 26 states. The top states of origin of Epstein’s guests were Florida, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, and New York. The data broker identified mansions in gated communities in Michigan and Florida, homes in Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and even a nightclub in Miami.
TRACKING EPSTEIN’S VICTIMS.
The data also points to the routes taken by Epstein’s victims. Coordinates identified other properties belonging to Epstein, including his 8,000-acre ranch in New Mexico and a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida — both of which were identified by prosecutors as locations from where Epstein trafficked minors for abuse.
Near Intelligence’s report on visitors’ movements to Epstein’s island included five maps. One revealed locations of devices present on the island more than three years before Epstein’s arrest. Two maps identified “Common Evening Locations” and “Common Daytime Locations” for each visitor, respectively. A fourth map displays the “general geographic areas from which a location generates the majority of its visits,” while the fifth map shows visitors’ locations 30 minutes before and after arriving on Little St. James.
WIRED CONCEALING IDENTITIES.
While it appears that the data accessed by WIRED would enable the publication to identify the influential individuals who frequented Epstein’s Island, they have so far refused to do so.
“For this story, we reproduced some of the maps created by Near, while excluding any precise location data that could be used to identify properties or individuals, to protect the privacy of anyone uninvolved in Epstein’s crimes,” the publication said.