The News and the Naples Daily News are reviewing Epstein’s files on the U.S. Department of Justice website for information related to Southwest Florida. We will report our findings regularly.
Bonita Springs, Cape Coral and Estero are mentioned multiple times in Epstein’s dossier.
The names appeared on yellow notebook paper from interviews conducted with the victims in 2024. Portions of the paper have been edited with thick black lines.
The Epstein Library (as it is called on the U.S. Department of Justice website) contains millions of documents online.
The Justice Department said Epstein’s victims included more than 1,000 women and children. Many of them referred to “Epstein Island,” Little St. James, the 70-acre private island Epstein owned in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Here’s what we found.
“Epstein organized a massive human trafficking operation”
In an interview titled “Jeffrey Epstein” conducted on August 1, 2024 in Abilene, Texas, the names of the interviewer and interviewee are blacked out. The interview appears to have been conducted by a U.S. official, as documents in Epstein’s dossier include the “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure” and “Federal Taxpayer Information.”
According to a review of redacted notes, the person interviewed may live and work in Southwest Florida and have family here.
The note on the yellow legal document begins with the person being interviewed saying she “would be at her mother’s house or taken to the house by her mother and would be escorted to the bedroom by an adult.”
The notes also mention the Zorro Ranch, Epstein’s property in New Mexico.
“Mom got paid – one time (ed.) Stonehouse (ed.) brought her a ton of money. (ed.) got the money + stayed out during the incident. Jeffrey Epstein organized a lot of (ed.) human trafficking.”
A map of Zorro Ranch from New Mexico Land Trust documents and photos of a Santa Fe County home once owned by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Data from the ranch, Santa Fe and New Mexico were mentioned multiple times in emails released this month by U.S. House members.
“Mom didn’t stay at home – just put it down/pick it up. (Editor) The family has known about Japanese encephalitis for as long as they can remember.”
After some editing, it said: “Mom would receive checks in the mail because she was part of a Native American tribe. Mom told (editor) she worked, but (editor) never saw her work or knew what she did.”
“Mom is currently in Florida – last heard from (editor) was Cape Coral.”
An interview titled “Epstein, Jeffrey” conducted on August 1, 2024 in Abilene, Texas, includes blacked out names. The person interviewed may have lived and worked in Southwest Florida, according to a review of redacted notes.
“The Red Room, Enya’s Song”
Further down, the note read: “Ask mom about memories of abuse – mom confirmed this in 2022.”
“Originally was supposed to move from Estero/Cape Coral to Tampa to get away from family, but ended up going to Miami.”
At the end of the note, it says, “(redacted) is a firefighter/paramedic @ Bonita Springs.” It then mentions that the respondent had applied to the Fire Department in Abilene, Texas, “noting in the application that they wanted to get background information with the family and (redacted) did not want the family to know her location, so she withdrew.”
The woman interviewed said she had vivid memories of “the house on the hill,” referring to a house on Zorro Ranch.
Jeffrey Epstein appears in this image from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Epstein dossier, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 18, 2025. House Oversight Committee Democrats/Handout via Reuters
“When (Editor) asks, Mom will never answer/talk about it. (Editor) will ask Mom about memories – Mom will ignore them. Siblings will talk about childhood memories/vacations and (Editor) won’t remember.”
The note ends: “(Revised) Memories of Abuse Recovered in 2022 – The Red Room, The Song of Enya.”
“No medication/psychiatrist/diagnosis.”
Southwest Florida Other Routes with Epstein
In mid-February, The Courant and the Naples Daily News reported another link between the Epstein dossier and Southwest Florida.
Documents in Epstein’s file show that Jaeger’s company in the Virgin Islands wrote more than a dozen checks to pay Fort Myers pilot Christopher Higgins and one to his business. Most of the checks were drawn from Deutsche Bank Trust Co. Americas in New York City.
Jege Inc. is a Virgin Islands corporation with operations throughout the United States, including Florida. In a lawsuit filed by one of his victims against Epstein’s estate, a 2020 court filing described Jege as one of Epstein’s companies.
Jege (sometimes shown as JEGE) was the owner of Epstein’s Boeing 727-100 aircraft, nicknamed the “Lolita Express.”
Epstein died in August 2019 and sold Jackie to a Georgia businessman in June 2019 – about a month before he was charged with running a sex trafficking ring and abusing dozens of underage girls.
A LinkedIn search shows that Christopher Higgins has been a chief pilot/flight instructor at Fly Rite Aviation, 607 Danley Drive, Suite 106, Fort Myers, since August 2014. Higgins founded the air transportation business in 2012, the website said.
When a reporter called on February 12, Higgins identified himself. When a reporter mentioned Higgins’ presence in Epstein’s dossier, Higgins said, “Sorry, I’m not interested” and hung up.
Higgins declined additional requests for comment from The Courant and the Daily News.
Between 2012 and 2014, Higgins received approximately $23,000 in checks from Jege Inc. The information in the Epstein file does not indicate whether Higgins held any jobs, flew airplanes and, if so, who, if any, his passengers were.
This document is from the Epstein dossier on the U.S. Department of Justice website. It shows Fine’s Gallery in Fort Myers, Florida, spending more than $20,000 on a marble “Zorro” fountain for Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein Marble Fountain Purchase in Fort Myers
An invoice was sent to Jeffrey Epstein from Fine’s Gallery, 11400 S. Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, Madison Avenue, New York City.
The bill showed Zorro Marble Fountain had a balance of $20,224.32 as of May 2, 2007, The News reported in mid-February.
The original fountain cost was $23,750, with a customer deposit of $50 and $7,125. Shipping cost was $3,649.32 and the invoice showed zero 6% Florida sales tax.
Fine Gallery is now located at 24971 S. Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs. When asked for comment on February 12, no one answered the call at the current store, and no one from Fine Gallery responded to a follow-up request for comment.
Dave Osborn is regional features editor for the Naples Daily News and The Courant. Contact him at dosborn@usatodayco.com and follow him at Bluesky @maddadhatter.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared in the Fort Myers News-Press: Southwest Florida ties to Epstein files include Bonita, Cape, Estero
