About

“The Epstein enforcement action brought accountability. Settlement funds can now be applied to assist victims of sexual assault, trafficking, child abuse and exploitation and to serve the health and safety of the people.” – Denise George

George also sought to recover over 80 million dollars in tax benefits that Epstein fraudulently acquired from the Virgin Islands through the shell company he created that funded the sex trafficking activities on his secluded private island, Little St. James. In her relentless pursuit of justice for the victimized women and children, George intervened in the Estate’s compensation program to secure fair and just terms for individual trafficking victims, and by early 2022, all 150 victims’ claims against Epstein were satisfied in separate private settlements with the Epstein Estate. On November 29, 2022, George reached a hard-fought government settlement with the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein and co-defendants for over 105 million dollars in civil penalties and forfeitures and 50% of the sale proceeds of Little St. James. The settlement designates the proceeds to support public services including law enforcement, prosecutions, crime prevention, victim advocacy, and support of human trafficking and sexual assault victims in the Virgin Islands. Continuing her efforts to hold Epstein’s accomplices accountable, several months of investigation revealed substantial evidence that led George to file a civil enforcement lawsuit against Epstein’s primary bank, JP Morgan Chase, alleging that the bank facilitated and profited from Epstein’s criminal sex trafficking enterprise. Days after the JP Morgan lawsuit was filed, George was abruptly dismissed from office on December 31, 2022, by Governor Albert Bryan, Jr. who appointed her and later expressed his dismay over the J.P. Morgan lawsuit.

George stands firm in her belief that an attorney general’s job in pursuit of justice on behalf of the people must be fair, without political influence or interference, and that no institution, organization, or person should be off-limits when enforcing our laws, no matter how wealthy or powerful. The Epstein settlement, which is considered to be the largest government lawsuit settlement in Virgin Islands history, enables the Virgin Islands to turn millions of settlement dollars towards programs that provide direct and much-needed help to adult and child victims of sexual abuse and to support the public good, health, and safety well into our future.

George is a native Virgin Islander, born and raised in St. Thomas as the only daughter of two siblings by parents, Albert and Beatrice George – a civil engineer and real estate broker, respectively. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before enrolling in law school, George worked as a television news reporter and desk anchor for a St. Thomas television station. She then attended Howard University Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1984.

After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as a Virgin Islands Territorial Court judicial law clerk. George devoted most of her career to public service. Following her clerkships, she joined the Department of Justice as an Assistant Attorney General representing the VI Government in criminal, civil, juvenile, and child abuse cases—eventually being promoted to the position of Special Counsel to the Attorney General. It was during this time that she co-authored the Virgin Islands’ first criminal child abuse and neglect statute. With a few years under her belt, she ventured into private practice as a solo practitioner in general civil litigation and family law in her private law firm. After a few years, the call to public service came once again and she rejoined the Department of Justice with a renewed vigor. During this time, she prosecuted a wide array of significant and complex civil and criminal cases including murder, manslaughter, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, and represented the V.I. government in civil lawsuits filed against, and on behalf of the government.

George also served for over ten years as the lead prosecutor and Director of the White-Collar Crime and Public Corruption Division. During that time, she successfully prosecuted complex white-collar crimes including embezzlement, forgery, fraud, racketeering, and public corruption involving public officials. Her accomplishments included fraud and embezzlement convictions of top government officials such as a former CFO of the Government Employee Retirement System; a former Director of the Bureau of Internal Revenue; a former Office of the Governor executive; and a former head of the Human Services Child Care Block Grant program. In 2016 George left the Attorney General’s office to accept a position as Senior Staff Attorney at the Virgin Islands Port Authority, where she handled legal and regulatory matters involving the airports and seaports until her nomination as Attorney General.

George is proud of many accomplishments under her leadership as attorney general including:
● ● Secured a $105 Million Settlement in Epstein Case, the largest settlement in USVI history
● Implemented reorganization plan and professional development training for DOJ staff;
● Began the re-establishment of the DOJ White-Collar Crime Corruption Division;
● Increased sex offender registry enforcement/prosecutions to protect public safety;
● Filed US Supreme Court amicus brief against discrimination to VI residents in federal SSI disability benefits – Insular Cases;
● Secured settlement of over $8M in lawsuit against opioid manufacturers for VI substance abuse treatment programs;
● Won federal tax case restoring over 40 million in excise tax revenues for the VI;
● Brought consumer protection action against manufacturers of generic drugs for illegal price fixing;
● Establishment, design and construction of the first St. Croix morgue under the authority and control of the DOJ medical examiner ,set to open in 2023;
● Produced and hosted television and radio public information talk show series – “Justice Matters”.
● Established partnerships with non-profit victim advocate agencies servicing adult and child victims of violent crimes.
● Approved the groundbreaking Public Private Partnership ((P3) project) to modernize the Virgin Islands airports, as member of VI Port Authority board.

George’s public speaking engagements include:
● Keynote speaker- University of Ohio Black Law Student Association – “Lift as We Climb“ ;
● Presenter – “Human Trafficking in VI” webinar -Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council (DVSAC);
● Presenter – Attorney General Alliance-Africa summit, “Combatting Transnational Crimes” – Accra, Ghana;
● 2020 Keynote speaker – Virgin Islands Moot Court competition, – “Federalism and the VI – the Insular Cases”;
● Keynote address – John Jay College of Criminal Justice – “AGs Powers, Duties, Career Opportunities” for Women’s History Month”.
● Moderator for panel on how state attorneys general can work with community partners to address hate crimes – National Association of Attorneys General

Married and a mother of two adult children, Attorney George stays well-rounded and grounded on the tennis courts with friends and enjoys being a world traveler. Her passions remain in public service and media. As an advocate for justice, she encourages public empowerment and community engagement.