A YouTuber who sneaked onto Jeffrey Epstein's private island claims he was hogtied, blindfolded and thrown into a sweltering cliffside dungeon. Benjamin Owen, 44, from Memphis, travelled to Little St James in the Caribbean with two companions to raise awareness for his human trafficking non-profit and test his theory that Epstein is still alive.
Owen alleges that when security spotted them near the island's 'temple' structure, he was aggressively detained by staff, wrapped in duct tape and shoved into a concrete room. He told CBS News: 'I don't believe I was supposed to leave that island alive.' His friends escaped by swimming to their boat, but Owen, who suffers from asthma, was forced to surrender.
Inside the makeshift dungeon, guards secured him with duct tape around his ankles, knees and wrists. A woman later entered, screamed at guards to shove him into a corner and ordered him blindfolded before slamming the doors, leaving him to bake in the Caribbean heat. Eventually, Virgin Islands police arrived, arrested him for trespassing, and released him on a $500 (£400) bond.
At a hearing, Owen discovered the woman allegedly pulling the strings was Ann Rodriguez, a name that appears frequently in Department of Justice files regarding Epstein. Rodriguez still manages the property for new owner Stephen Deckoff, who bought the island for $60 million. Police now allege island staff have been taking justice into their own hands amid a surge of influencers and urban explorers.
One day after Owen's ordeal, Rodriguez was arrested in a separate incident involving another trespasser who was allegedly hogtied and stripped naked. She faces charges of false imprisonment, kidnapping, assault and destruction of property. Meanwhile, the island's holding company has filed a lawsuit against Owen and his associates, branding them 'internet-fame seekers' and 'conspiracy theorists' acting with 'wanton and reckless indifference'.
