(LifeSiteNews) — Jeffrey Epstein financially backed the Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands, a press release published in the Epstein files revealed this past weekend.
“The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation has just donated critical funds to the Catholic Charities of the U.S. Virgin Islands,” states the undated release, adding that Catholic Charities is the largest Catholic organization in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“We are honored to support the CCVI,” Jeffrey Epstein said at the time. “They are one of the most effective organizations in the Caribbean eradicating poverty today.”
The Lepanto Institute published the finding Monday, highlighting its concerning nature, considering that Epstein was a sex trafficker and rapist, as well as Catholic Charities’ own checkered history.
Someone needs to explain why Jeffrey Epstein was making donations to Catholic Charities of the Virgin Islands, specifically mentioning youth programs. pic.twitter.com/diZbqZHYRz
— Lepanto Institute (@LepantoInst) February 2, 2026
Epstein was arrested in 2019 for sexually abusing underage girls and operating an international sex trafficking ring. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman declared at the time that the well-connected financier had “created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit, often on a daily basis.”
While awaiting trial in a New York jail cell, he was found dead, allegedly after hanging himself. Epstein’s brother later claimed that Jeffrey was murdered in prison with the knowledge of the U.S. government.
Catholic Charities have directly managed in the U.S. the day-to-day care for many unaccompanied immigrant children and has received intense scrutiny for placing children with unvetted sponsors, even after reports emerged that some of these children ended up in forced labor, sex trafficking, or other forms of abuse.
The organization does, as noted by the press release, provide food, immediate shelter, clothing, and long-term support like legal aid and health services to families and individuals, including “the homeless, mentally ill, the substance abuser and homebound elderly.”
The Lepanto Institute highlighted the fact that Catholic Charities provides several youth programs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including Camp Shriver and Kids Learn and Emergency Help, which reportedly both “offer intensive multi-week learning and sports camps to underprivileged children and continue to stay involved in the children’s lives.”
The press release announcing Epstein’s contributions to Catholic Charities of the U.S. Virgin Islands notes that he was a former member of the Council of Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission, both powerful international assemblies that gather together government and business leaders, as well as academics and media representatives, to help coordinate global policy on both a public and private level.
Epstein was also a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and a former board member of Rockefeller University, the release noted.
