KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – A Missouri priest was suspended last week after it was discovered that she worked for and managed late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island for nearly a year.
Bishop Robert Farr of the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church on Thursday placed the Rev. Stephanie L. Remington on leave pending a review by the bishop’s office.
Remington reportedly served as the administrative assistant and interim property manager of Epstein’s private island, Little St. James, from August 2018 to May 2019. Two months later, in July 2019, Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking crimes and then died in his cell in August of a suspected suicide.
Despite working closely with the disgraced financier, Remington told The United Methodist News she never saw Epstein or anyone committing abuse on the island. However, she admitted that when she took the job, she knew Epstein was a registered sex offender and was serving an 18-month sentence for his conviction.
“I didn’t see anything,” Remington told the publication. “I got to know him during the last nine months of his life, long after he served time for what he was accused of doing.”
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FILE – This Tuesday, July 9, 2019 photo shows a view of Little St. James Island, a property owned by Jeffrey Epstein, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Associated Press obtained more than 4,000 pages of documents from the federal Bureau of Prisons related to Jeffrey Epstein’s prison suicide under the Freedom of Information Act. (AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione, mFile)
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FILE – This July 9, 2019 photo shows Jeffery Epstein’s estate on Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Associated Press obtained more than 4,000 pages of documents from the federal Bureau of Prisons related to Jeffrey Epstein’s prison suicide under the Freedom of Information Act. (AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione, File)
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FILE – This July 9, 2019, file photo taken from video shows an aerial view of Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a property purchased by Jeffery Epstein more than two decades ago. Virgin Islands prosecutors filed an indictment on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, alleging that millionaire sex offender Jeffery Epstein used two private islands on the U.S. territory, including Little Saint James, to participate in a nearly two-year conspiracy to traffic and abuse girls. (AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione, File)
It was later discovered that her name appeared in approximately 1,800 Epstein files on the Department of Justice website. Many of the documents are emails discussing her “day-to-day” job operations, U-M News reported.
Currently, Remington has not been charged with any crime and her suspension is temporary (90 days).
Church leaders reported that they were unaware of Remington’s ties to Epstein until recently and were unaware of her previous employment history.
“The Missouri Conference is unaware of this individual’s relationship with Mr. Epstein. Clergy engaged in outreach ministries operate outside of local church ordination and report their ministry settings through annual filings with the Conference,” the Missouri Conference said.
“None of these reports disclosed information suggesting such a connection. No bishop or regional director was contacted regarding the individual’s interest in or acceptance of an Epstein-related position.”
Before working for Epstein, Remington served as pastor and associate pastor at several churches in Missouri from about 2001 to 2018.
Her experience includes two churches in the Kansas City metro: First United Methodist Church in North Kansas City and Summit United Methodist Church in Lee’s Summit.
However, Remington claimed in her annual filings that she engaged in outreach ministry through Wesley Theological Seminary’s Lewis Center for Church Leadership while working for Epstein and as recently as 2025, according to the Missouri Conference.
However, as part of the early review process, it was discovered that Remington did not work for Wesley Seminary in all of the years she claimed and that she was only appointed as a part-time contractor in 2017 and 2018.
The allegedly false document, consistent with Epstein’s ties, led the Missouri session to issue a moratorium.
“Clergy are called to uphold the highest standards of spiritual and moral leadership. Concerns of this nature are taken seriously and require careful review,” the Missouri Conference said. “We recognize the deep hurt caused by Mr. Epstein’s crimes and continue to pray for survivors who deserve healing and justice.”
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