Charles Turnbull
Snapshot
| Name | Charles W. Turnbull, former governor of the United States Virgin Islands. |
|---|---|
| Public role | Governor for two consecutive terms, 1999 to 2007. |
| Documented official act | Approval dated February 18, 2000 on a Little St. James dock permit issued to L.S.J., LLC. |
| Contact record | An entry headed “Turnbull, Governor Charles” identifies him as governor of the USVI. |
| Important distinction | The December 2017 library correspondence concerns a public library carrying his name. It does not record a donation to him personally. |
| Evidentiary limits | The cited permit and contact entry do not establish a private meeting, an island visit, knowledge of abuse or participation in a crime. |
Key Takeaways
- The dock permit required the governor’s signature and legislative ratification. Turnbull’s signed approval is a documented governmental act within that process.
- The contact-book entry records a name and office. It does not show whether a call was made or a meeting took place.
- The Charles Wesley Turnbull Library mention should be read as a reference to the institution, not evidence of Turnbull’s participation in the email exchange.
Background
The British Virgin Islands government’s July 3, 2022 statement identifies Charles W. Turnbull as the former U.S. Virgin Islands governor who served two terms from 1999 to 2007. Governor Albert Bryan Jr.’s memorial statement also describes him as an educator and historian and the territory’s sixth elected governor.
The signed Little St. James permit and the contact-book entry identify Turnbull by his gubernatorial office. These records supply the specific connection examined here. Holding office in the territory where Epstein owned property is not, by itself, evidence of a personal relationship.
Little St. James Dock Permit
Major Coastal Zone Management Permit No. CZT-5-99W was issued by the St. Thomas Committee of the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Commission to L.S.J., LLC. Its scope approved renovation and expansion of an existing dock on Little St. James, including an additional platform and a floating swim platform. The permit assigned administration and monitoring to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
The permit’s signature page carries separate approvals and dates: the CZM committee chairman signed on December 7, 1999; attorney Paul Hoffman signed for L.S.J., LLC on December 15, 1999; Turnbull signed as governor on February 18, 2000; and the Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection ratified the permit on March 30, 2000. The governor’s handwritten name and date are visible on the scan, although the machine-readable text does not reproduce them reliably.
The permit’s term clause made effectiveness dependent on the committee chairman’s signature, the governor’s signature and legislative ratification. It defined the effective date by ratification and specified a twenty-year term. Turnbull’s signature therefore documents an approval step specified in the instrument. The permit does not describe a personal meeting with Epstein or explain Turnbull’s knowledge of Epstein’s conduct.
The permit’s general conditions retained inspection and compliance duties and required operation that assured public shoreline access. Its special conditions prohibited dredging, prop-wash maintenance dredging and pouring concrete underwater. The fee provision specified $2,500 per year, with later adjustments. These are the instrument’s terms, not evidence that fees were paid, conditions were met, or separate later development was authorized.
A separate authorization in the same released packet identifies Jeffrey E. Epstein as L.S.J., LLC’s sole member and the company as the record owner of Little St. James. That company record connects the permittee to Epstein; it is separate from Turnbull’s approval and should not be mistaken for a statement by Turnbull.
Contact-Book Entry
The reproduced contact-book scan contains the heading “Turnbull, Governor Charles” with “Governor of USVI” beneath it. The Epstein’s Black Book index identifies this as its page 55. That is the archive’s page designation, not a date for when the entry was made.
The entry itself is a contact listing. It contains no account of a conversation, visit, transaction or relationship. It cannot establish whether Epstein used the listed contact information, how it was obtained or what Turnbull knew about Epstein. No telephone numbers are reproduced here.
The Public Library Mention
The December 27, 2017 email chain records Dawn Henry suggesting the Charles Wesley Turnbull Library on St. Thomas or the Sprauve Library on St. John as possible destinations for a library donation. Epstein replied that he would make it $25,000 to DPNR with a covering letter for a public library. The record is correspondence about a proposed institutional donation, not a receipt or proof of delivery.
Cecile de Jongh’s message in the same chain asked whether the donation should be directed to a particular program or area and listed facilities at the Charles Wesley Turnbull Library. Epstein answered that it was for a public library generally. The visible text does not identify Turnbull as a sender or recipient. The library’s name does not turn the proposed donation into a payment to the former governor.
Evidence Appearances
| Record | Date or location | What it establishes | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| CZT-5-99W permit scope and term | EFTA01222235, PDF page 63; stamped EFTA01222297 | L.S.J., LLC dock works and the approval process required by the permit. | Describes permitted work, not a criminal finding. |
| Signed permit approval | February 18, 2000; PDF page 68; stamped EFTA01222302 | Turnbull signed the governor’s approval line. Committee ratification is dated March 30, 2000. | Does not establish a private meeting, preferential treatment or knowledge of abuse. |
| Contact-book scan | Undated entry; archive page 55 | Names Governor Charles Turnbull and the USVI office. | No evidence in the entry of a call, meeting, flight or island visit. |
| Library email chain | December 27, 2017; EFTA00933704, PDF pages 1 and 2 | A namesake public library was discussed as a possible donation destination. | No Turnbull participation or personal receipt of funds is shown. |
| Permit conditions and fees | PDF pages 64–67; stamped EFTA01222298–EFTA01222301 | Inspection, shoreline access, work restrictions and annual fee with adjustments. | Terms of approval; not proof of compliance or payment. |
What the Records Establish
The signed approval establishes Turnbull’s official role in this particular permitting decision. The contact entry establishes that the directory listed him. Neither record supplies evidence of a crime by Turnbull, and neither should be converted into a claim about his private conduct.
The library emails illustrate a different kind of appearance: a person’s name can enter the files through the name of a public institution. The documents cited here support these specific descriptions. They do not establish the full history of any contact between Turnbull and Epstein.
Sources
- British Virgin Islands Premier’s Office: statement on the passing of Charles W. Turnbull. July 3, 2022. Confirms office and the 1999 to 2007 terms.
- U.S. Virgin Islands Government: Governor Bryan’s memorial statement. Identifies Turnbull as the sixth elected governor, educator and historian.
- EFTA01222235: Little St. James permit packet. PDF pages 63–68 contain the dock permit’s scope, term, conditions, fees and signed approvals; page 15 identifies Epstein as sole member of L.S.J., LLC. Page 68 is stamped EFTA01222302.
- Epstein’s Black Book: reproduced contact-book page. Archive image 55, entry headed “Turnbull, Governor Charles.”
- EFTA00933704: December 27, 2017 library correspondence. PDF pages 1 and 2. The library name is legible in the scan; the proposed amount is not proof of payment.
- Epstein Data: Paul Hoffman. Research page locating the dock-permit signature and scope records.
- Epstein Data: Dawn L. Henry. Research page locating the library correspondence. Its analytical text is AI-generated; the underlying documents are cited separately above.