(New York Post)
Priscilla DeGregory and Kate Sheehy August 19, 2019 3:40pm
Jeffrey Epstein signed his will just two days before he hanged himself in his Manhattan jail cell — leaving behind a nearly $600 million fortune, according to court papers obtained on Monday.
The court document, filed in the US Virgin Islands, where the convicted sex molester owned two isles — including one that locals dubbed “Pedophile Island’’ — was filed Aug. 8.
The 66-year-old former hedge-fund manager was worth $577,672,654, or about $18 million more than he previously stated in court papers while futilely trying to land bail on federal sex-trafficking charges, the new documents show.
He put all of his holdings in a trust, called The 1953 Trust, after the year he was born.
“It’s done that way for privacy reasons,’’ a city estate lawyer told The Post. “It’s pretty boiler-plate. It’s what we call a ‘pour-over will,’ which means everything pours over to a trust.
“What is more unusual is the date, the fact that all of this was done just days before he died,’’ said the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
“He could have thought, ‘I need to get my ducks in a row.’ ”
The 21-page filing includes a copy of Epstein’s death certificate from Aug. 11, the day after his suicide — and lists “Immediate Cause: Pending Further Study.’’
The city Medical Examiner’s Office has since ruled that Epstein killed himself Aug. 10.
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