Documents disclosed by the US Department of Justice as part of the "Epstein Files" show that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's aircraft company bought a helicopter from Irish property developer Bovale Developments and its principal Michael Bailey.
The transaction happened in 2012. Legal documents included in the three million documents released by the US Department of Justice include a sales agreement between Bovale Developments and associated companies in Gurnsey and Delaware, and the company’s founder Michael Bailey of Batterstown Co Meath.
A Bell 430 Helicopter was sold by Bovale for $1.58 million to Hyperion Air Inc, a Delaware registered company headed by Darren K Indyck. The following year it was sold to Hyperion Air LLC By Mr Indyck. Hyperion owned and operated a fleet of aircraft for the private use of Jeffrey Epstein.
The sales agreement describes the helicopter as having a "Flag blue exterior with Gold accent stripes. Cream leather upholstery in a 5 seat configuration with cabinet bar (Edwards & Associates interior)."
The handover of the aircraft was to have taken place at Blackbushe Airport, Camberly, Surrey, UK, with the money paid through an aircraft finance company in Oklahoma City, USA.
An email from the Federal Aviation Authority to the FBI (agent names redacted) on 14 February 2020 added details of the aircraft associated with Epstein. At the time the FBI was investigating links between Ghislaine Maxwell – who had a pilots licence and was known to fly helicopters – and the aircraft owned or associated with Jeffrey Epstein
The e-mail from the Federal Aviation Authority to the FBI had the following information on the former Bovale helicopter (which had been based in the UK at the time of its sale to Epstein):
"N331JE Helicopter Bell 430 Aircraft Serial Number: 49078 Date Current Registration issued: 19 November 2019 Current Registered Owner: Hyperion Air, LLC Current Registration Signed By: Aircraft Purchased from: Hyperion Air, Inc. Date of Purchase: 12 August 2013 Seller Signature: Darren K. Indyke Special Registration Number Placed on Aircraft: 25 June 2012 Requested Special Registration Number: N331JE EFTA00010704 Special Registration Number Issued on: 04 June 2012 Date Requested Special Registration Number: 22 May 2012 Aircraft Purchased from: Bovale Developments, Inc. Date of Purchase: 06 March 2012 Seller Signature: William P. Merriam Jr Aircraft Registration Number: N901RL"
Hyperion Air LLC became the subject of legal action by the Government of the virgin Island’s after Epstein’s death in 2019. The government sued Epstein’s estate, and associated companies.
In the filings it states that Jeffrey Epstein had to register as a sex offender in the US Virgin Islands in 2010, after release from his 2008 conviction in Florida for procuring a child for prostitution. As a "tier 1" sex offender, Epstein had to notify the US Virgin Islands government every time he entered or left the territory, where he was a resident. His Islands – Little St James and Great St James – were part of the US Virgin Islands territory. He and his guests travelled to the islands by airplane.
The executors of the Epstein estate were listed as Darren K Indyck and Richard D Kahn.
Bovale Developments exited NAMA last October, and is currently developing 530 apartments in north county Dublin.
Other documents show that Jeffrey Epstein was looking at buying distressed assets of Irish banks after the financial crisis and bailout of 2010, including a portfolio for buildings in the US owned by AIB Bank.
