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Home / World

Pokemon Go removes Jeffrey Epstein’s island from game after surge in visitors

NZ Herald
11 Feb, 2026 11:06 PM2 mins to read

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Jeffrey Epstein's private island, Little St James, in the US Virgin Islands was the site of much of his offending.

Jeffrey Epstein's private island, Little St James, in the US Virgin Islands was the site of much of his offending.

Players of the augmented reality game Pokemon Go were left stunned after discovering a PokeStop location at Epstein Island.

The digital landmark at Little Saint James, a private island once owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has since been removed by game developer Niantic, the Toronto Sun reported.

Released in 2016, Pokemon Go overlays a virtual Pokemon world over the real world, allowing players to battle and capture Pokemon creatures using an app on their phones.

PokeStops - locations where players can collect vital in-game items - are usually scattered across urban spaces like parks and libraries that are easy to access.

However, the game also allows users to manually submit PokeStop locations.

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Epstein Island has a Pokémon GO PokéStop. pic.twitter.com/4HpgRznFzO

— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) February 7, 2026

Players who spoofed the game, tricking it into simulating their presence in another location, reported finding a PokeStop dubbed “Sun Clock”, at the secluded Caribbean island where Epstein allegedly trafficked underage girls and women for sex with high-profile associates.

While it is unclear when the “Sun Clock” PokeStop was created, reports indicated an uptick in visitors to the site in the past week.

The Toronto Sun reported the PokeStop breached game rules requiring locations to have “safe pedestrian access” and that it has since been removed.

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Savvy Pokémon GO players created a Pokéstop on Epstein's island. Photo / Michael Craig
Savvy Pokémon GO players created a Pokéstop on Epstein's island. Photo / Michael Craig

Epstein was apparently aware of the game’s existence according to Pokemon Go players who searched through a tranche of his emails released by the US Department of Justice.

“Check out pokemon [sic] go if you have not already the first of augmented games,” Epstein recommended to Sheikh Fahad Bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the second son of the former Emir of Qatar, shortly after the game’s 2016 release.

In a message to new-age guru Deepak Chopra, Epstein described Pokemon Go as “the first of many augmented reality [games],” suggesting Chopra should create an app that would allow users to “[look] at their phone and detect an aura about each other”.

Geographical plans for Epstein’s private island have been released.
Geographical plans for Epstein’s private island have been released.

Earlier this month, the Herald reported New Zealand couple Brice and Karen Gordon may be subpoenaed to appear before a proposed “truth commission” examining Epstein’s activities at his ranch in New Mexico.

The couple also managed his island property, though US Department of Justice documents do not allege they were involved in any offending.

Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.

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