Kenneth Mapp

Kenneth E. Mapp (born November 2, 1955, in New York) is a U.S. Virgin Islands politician who was governor of the territory from January 5, 2015 to January 7, 2019, between John de Jongh and Albert Bryan. He governed while Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender in the territory, bought and built on Great St. James, and Justice Department releases in 2026 showed years of direct correspondence between the two, including a 2016 request that Epstein lend the territorial government 275 million dollars and a 2018 request for 50,000 dollars for his political action committee. Deposed in 2023 in the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase, Mapp, like the other officials deposed, said he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. A federal trafficking suit naming him was dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction in 2025.¹²³⁴

Career

Mapp began as a police officer in New York and in the Virgin Islands. He was elected to three terms as a senator in the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, and served as assistant director of the Industrial Development Commission, the body that preceded the Economic Development Commission as the territory's tax-incentive board and that granted Epstein's Financial Trust Company its first certificate in 1999, and as director of the Consumer Services Administration. He was lieutenant governor from 1995 to 1999, under Governor Roy Schneider. In 2002 he was appointed director of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority, the territory's borrowing agency.¹⁵ He holds a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. The National Governors Association lists him as an independent.¹

De Jongh defeated Mapp in the 2010 gubernatorial election, and Mapp won the governorship in 2014. In August 2015 his administration's acting Attorney General, Claude Walker, had de Jongh arrested on embezzlement charges over roughly 490,000 dollars in public highway funds spent on security at de Jongh's private house; de Jongh's lawyers called the case "a politically-driven, poorly conceived vendetta initiated by the current governor," and the charges were dismissed with prejudice in January 2016 after de Jongh paid 380,000 dollars. Bryan defeated Mapp in a November 2018 runoff.³⁶⁷⁸

Arrangements Through Cecile de Jongh

Epstein's contacts with Mapp were first arranged by Cecile de Jongh, the wife of Governor de Jongh and the office manager of Epstein's territorial companies. On October 16, 2014 she wrote to Epstein that "Kenn Mapp and Celestino White would like to see you," referring to the former senator and police chief Celestino White, who had signed a contractor's and confidentiality agreement with Epstein in August 2013 for 10,000 dollars. After the election she wrote, "Mapp won in a landslide. Congrats," and White offered to obtain tickets for Epstein to the inaugural events. In December 2014 she asked Epstein "to confirm that you want to donate $10,000 to the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee and that it should come from Southern Trust," a payment the consultant Carlyn Irwin, retained by JPMorgan Chase, later reported as made through Southern Trust Company.³⁹¹⁰

In March 2015 Cecile de Jongh prepared Epstein for a meeting with White and Mapp: "I understand that Mapp has about $60K in campaign debt to retire and it would be illegal for him to discuss anything having to do at GH," meaning Government House. "I don't think he will or at least I hope not but I just wanted you to know." She added: "When you get to Government House, there is a sign in book for visitors at the entrance. I have asked Celestino to arrange to have you not sign in and he said that he would take care of it." The same month she informed Epstein that Mapp was interested in repurposing the former HOVENSA refinery on St. Croix, writing that the Department of Defense was "sending a team to St. Croix within the month to make a full assessment of the HOVENSA facility for use as a replacement for the prison at Guantanamo, or other military use in light of the proposed closing of GTMO."³

Money and Advice

In his May 2023 deposition in the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase, Mapp testified that he had lunch on Epstein's island between 2015 and 2019, likely in 2016, to seek his advice on the territory's effort to raise more than 200 million dollars in municipal bonds amid uncertainty over Puerto Rico's debt crisis and the federal PROMESA legislation, and that he sought similar advice from other financial contacts. Released emails schedule lunches and brunches at Epstein's properties and at Government House, one of them for "Gov Mapp for brunch."²

In July 2016 Mapp emailed Epstein: "Good afternoon; question. Would you be open to/interested in lending the GVI $275M at 4.75-5.25%, pledged revenues as security over a 20 year term?" Epstein answered, "I may be back in territory next week. Let's discuss. How taxed? Sinking funds? Other collateral, ? Land, ? Use of funds?" After further texts Mapp wrote: "Coffee, maybe subject to your EDC certificate. If we did a pvt placement bond, a greater portion would be triple tax exempt." A month later Epstein's assistant sent him a reminder to "Buy coffee set for Gov. Mapp." On September 1, 2016 Epstein told Cecile de Jongh to "prepare a check for mapps super pac. For 75k." The day before his 2017 State of the Territory address Mapp sought Epstein's advice on the speech, and Epstein replied that he had "made some general edits to give you a flavor . not to be your speechwriter :)." Released texts also show Mapp fundraising from Epstein for the Queen Louise Home for Children on St. Croix, thanking him for donations, reporting a public presentation totaling 140,500 dollars, and later acknowledging an additional 20,000 dollar contribution.²³⁹

In October 2018, facing a runoff, Mapp asked Epstein "to help me with one last push to stay ahead" and wrote, "Can u donate 50k to the PAC? I need to bring more expertise on messaging." He told Epstein he had hired "a political mercenary." It is not shown in the released material whether Epstein paid. After Bryan's victory Epstein wrote, "Let's talk about what you do next. Shame," and Mapp thanked him "for your tremendous help and support" and "our work on a number of issues." In his deposition Mapp said he believed Epstein had donated to his inaugural committee and had no reason to dispute records showing 10,000 dollars, though he had not known the amount at the time.²³

Great St. James and the Planning Department

Epstein bought Great St. James in January 2016 and pressed Mapp and the Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources, Dawn Henry, over permit delays and fines for unpermitted construction. In October 2016 three inspectors of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, among them the Coastal Zone Management director Jean-Pierre Oriol, visited the island, and the department issued a cease-and-desist order on October 28, 2016. In the text exchange that followed, Epstein told Mapp that the election of Donald Trump "means many opportunities" and that he was "Seeing trump (sic) people today," that he had "left you out of the dpnr issues as you requested," and that he would "prefer not to go to court to enforce reasonableness."³¹¹

On November 14, 2016 Mapp wrote that he was "a bit disappointed" to learn that Epstein had poured concrete for a helipad and made other unpermitted changes after "you solicited my help to move DPNR along," and accused him of attempting "an end run around the VI code." Epstein answered that "there is another side to the story" and "I will not disappoint you." Mapp replied, "I do want to work with you. Being open and honest on both sides will make this very productive," and later that he would "convene a meeting with all concerned to bring this matter to finality. I certainly can't regulate the territory's environmental issues by text." He added: "Frankly, I can't do this over and over and over again. I really wanna work on some more pressing issues during my tenure. The economy, health care, public safety finding a strategy to work with the new president. I'm sure you understand." Epstein wrote back, "Me too," and that "with regard Donald" they would "talk face to face," and on November 16, 2016 asked whether Mapp wanted to discuss "trump (sic) priorities? I think he would like your guantamo (sic) proposal."³

Pressed again for a meeting date, Mapp wrote: "What is wrong with you? I told you I would do that and in your mind you expect that to happen in 24 hours? Maybe my efforts to assist and resolve this matter is for naught. Or maybe my duties only require me to attend to your issues. I cannot understand your impatience or unreasonable expectations. WOW!" Epstein replied that it was "not urgent at all," and the correspondence continued. In March 2017 Epstein's attorney Erika Kellerhals drafted a lawsuit against the government alleging "unauthorized entry," and the dispute was settled with the original 280,000 dollar fine reduced to 160,000 dollars. The Coastal Zone Management program issued a stop-work order on the island on December 21, 2018, in the final weeks of Mapp's term.³¹²

Litigation

On November 22, 2023 six women identified as Jane Does sued the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, John and Cecile de Jongh, Mapp, the former Attorney General Vincent Frazer, White, the former senator Carlton Dowe, and Delegate Stacey Plaskett in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and New York law that the defendants made the territory a "safe haven" for Epstein. The second amended complaint alleged, among other things, that defendants had labeled Epstein a Tier 1 sex offender when he should have been Tier 2, modified sex-trafficking laws, and received rewards including "a $50 million loan, payment of financial obligations, campaign donations, and monthly retainer fees." On March 21, 2025 Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed all claims against Mapp and every other defendant except Plaskett, holding that receiving money from Epstein's New York bank accounts and communicating with him about it did not amount to transacting business in New York. The claims against Plaskett were dismissed with prejudice by stipulation on September 23, 2025, and final judgment was entered on May 5, 2026.⁴¹³

Mapp was among the officials deposed in the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase, with Bryan, John and Cecile de Jongh, Frazer, Carol Thomas-Jacobs and Plaskett, who each said they had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes.³