Financier Michael Daffey is erasing Jeffrey Epstein from his former Upper East Side townhouse.
The former Goldman Sachs executive-turned-crypto investor completed a $925,000 renovation of the mansion at 9 East 71st Street, which appears to have included knocking down a portion of a room one of Epstein’s accusers dubbed “The Dungeon,” the New York Post reported.
Daffey, the Australian-born chairman of cryptocurrency platform Galaxy Digital, wrapped his revamp of the 20,000-square-foot home last year, according to city records. He bought the home for $51 million in 2021, and at the time, said he planned to do “a complete makeover, physically and spiritually,” sources told the Post.
The changes included demolishing the wall of a bedroom in the rear of the house, which is likely the room where Virginia Giuffre claimed she was repeatedly raped by Epstein between 2000 and 2002, according to her memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” published earlier this week.
In her memoir, Giuffre described the room as “gloomy” and “garish,” including decor such as “black-lacquered cabinetry, bloodred carpets, a huge taxidermied tiger and a custom-made chess set whose pieces were scantily clad women.” She also wrote that the room had an intercom that Epstein would allegedly use to call her for sex.
Giuffre, one of the most vocal alleged survivors of Epstein’s sexual abuse, died by suicide in April.
Daffey’s renovation involved significant alterations spread across five floors, including removing large portions of its gilded ceilings, light fixtures, molding and tiling. He removed walls separating the study from the kitchen, breakfast room and bathroom and combined them into one open space. He also removed a brass “JE” from its facade.
Daffey purchased the historic mansion two years after Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail while awaiting his trial on sex trafficking charges. The home hit the market in 2020 asking a whopping $88 million, though the asking price was slashed to $65 million eight months later.
The townhouse was at one time the largest private home in New York City, though its affiliation with Epstein likely tarnished its ability to fetch a deal as lofty as $88 million. The Post interviewed several New Yorkers who said they wouldn’t be able to live in the home knowing the allegations of Epstein’s abuse.
“It’s a dark, dark, weird place,” Henry Francois, a 26-year-old nearby resident, told the outlet. “Not that I believe in ghosts, it’s just terrible. It’s like when you walk around at night and have a weird feeling. You constantly feel on edge.”
Epstein purchased the home in 1998 for $20 million from his longtime friend, Les Wexner. In 2019, the New York Times chronicled the close relationship between Wexner, the founder of Victoria’s Secret’s parent company, L Brands, and Epstein, including his role in helping Epstein build his wealth.
In August, the Times also published photos of the inside of Epstein’s home, where he often hosted parties for celebrities, politicians and businessmen. One of the most disturbing details was a sculpture of a bride holding on to a rope dangling from the atrium ceiling.
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