Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D.), now running for governor of the Virgin Islands, again distanced herself from Jeffrey Epstein at a debate this week, and called the saga over her former friend and constituent 'a very difficult chapter in Virgin Islands history.' But Plaskett's continued ties to Epstein's longtime legal fixer and other Epstein associates suggest she's yet to close the book on the dead pedophile.
Erika Kellerhals, a former Epstein lawyer who oversaw his network of shell companies and allegedly pressured Virgin Island officials to waive Epstein's sex offender registration requirements, contributed $3,500, the federal maximum, to Plaskett's gubernatorial campaign on April 13, records show. Kellerhals's husband, her law firm partner, Greg Ferguson, his wife, and Sebastiano Cassinelli, a Virgin Islands businessman who solicited political donations from Epstein, also gave maximum amounts to Plaskett's congressional campaign.
Epstein Connection Raises Questions
Those donations, which made up roughly one-third of Plaskett's fundraising haul last quarter, could renew questions for the former Trump impeachment manager as she runs for governor of the U.S. territory. Plaskett, who, despite being a nonvoting delegate in Congress, was a Trump impeachment manager in 2021 and sits on the powerful House Ways & Means committee, where she can vote, transferred nearly all of her congressional war chest to her gubernatorial campaign on April 16 and has faced scrutiny for soliciting campaign contributions from Epstein and for misrepresenting the nature of their relationship.
The Virgin Islands has a history of struggling with corruption and transparency, and Plaskett's ties to Kellerhals and other Epstein associates have raised concerns about her ability to lead the territory. As Plaskett navigates her campaign, she will likely face increased scrutiny over her connections to Epstein and his associates.
Kellerhals was central to the Plaskett-Epstein relationship. Kellerhals introduced Plaskett, her former law firm employee, to Epstein in 2014 as a 'potential donor' to her campaign, and arranged several meetings between the duo, the last occurring on May 14, 2019, just weeks before Epstein was arrested in New Jersey for trafficking underage girls to his Virgin Islands home.