There’s a lot in the latest collection of Epstein files released by the federal government, including 108 mentions of one specific address: 1209 Orange St. in Wilmington, Delaware.
Why does that particular address show up so often in the documents released about Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted underage sex trafficker with alleged connections to many of the most powerful people in the US government and the world?
The reason is, frankly, mundane and procedural. And it’s something you don’t really see outside of Delaware, especially not at the same scale.
It has to do with Delaware as a center of incorporation and how corporate procedure works in Delaware, known as the go-to state for business incorporation, including the majority of Fortune 500 Companies — 68% as of 2024) .
A lot of questions about the building may be swirling. Here are some answers.
What exactly is located at 1209 North Orange?
The building at 1209 Orange St. is known as the Corporation Trust Center. It’s a physical office in Wilmington that houses registered agent services for the many companies incorporated in Delaware, literally hundreds of thousands of them. Those companies often list this address on formal corporate documents, including Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
What is a registered agent?
A registered agent is a legally required contact for a company. The agent’s job is to receive official documents, such as lawsuit notices and government correspondence, and forward them to the company. Registered agents do not operate or manage the business.
Why do so many companies share the same address?
Delaware law requires companies incorporated there to have an in-state address to receive legal and official correspondence. However, it allows companies to list a registered-agent address that is not their physical place of business. As professional registered agents can serve thousands of companies from one location, many entities on paper can share the same address.
How many companies are incorporated in Delaware overall?
Delaware is home to more than 2 million active business entities, including corporations, LLCs, partnerships and statutory trusts. That works out to roughly two business entities for every Delaware resident. 1209 Orange St. alone has been recorded as having nearly 300,000 registered entities.
Does listing 1209 Orange St. mean a company operates there?
No. Delaware law explicitly states that a company’s registered office “may, but need not be, a place of the corporation’s business.” The address exists for legal notice purposes rather than for day-to-day operations.
Why is Delaware such a popular place to incorporate?
Delaware’s appeal centers on its corporate law system, particularly the Delaware Court of Chancery, a specialized business court that handles corporate governance disputes and has produced decades of written precedent. Companies and investors often view that body of law as relatively predictable.
Is Delaware popular because it’s a tax haven?
Not in the traditional zero-tax sense. Delaware itself says it is usually not the cheapest place to incorporate. Companies incorporated in Delaware still pay franchise taxes and must pay taxes in the states where they actually operate.
The “tax haven” label comes from criticism of how some companies have used Delaware-based holding companies in state-level tax planning.
Has this address drawn attention before?
Yes. In 2016, The Guardian reported that 1209 Orange St. appeared as the registered address for entities tied to prominent political figures such as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The article did not allege wrongdoing at the site; it used the address to illustrate how corporate filings cluster in Delaware.
Is the Corporation Trust Center responsible for the actions of its client companies?
No. Under Delaware law, a registered agent is a statutory contact, not an operator of the company. Its role is administrative: receiving and forwarding official documents. Responsibility for corporate actions lies with the company’s owners, executives, and directors.
A registered agent is more like a doorman or mailroom than a headquarters, in that it receives official documents and passes them along, but it has no control over (and no responsibility for) what a company actually does.
What actually happens inside the Corporation Trust Center building?
The Corporation Trust Center functions as a staffed legal mail and compliance office for registered agents, most prominently CT Corporation. Employees accept lawsuits and official documents, log and date-stamp them, and route them to the appropriate company contacts or law firms.
So what do the address’s multiple appearances in the Epstein files actually mean?
It appears that some Epstein-related entities were incorporated in Delaware, and listed this as their registered-agent address. It does not indicate that any related business took place at that address, or that the building itself played any role in the actions described in the files.
Bottom line
1209 Orange Street appears frequently in many public records because it is a widely used registered-agent address under Delaware law. The address itself says nothing one way or the other about whether the company is connected with illegal behavior.
Sources & Further Reading
Delaware Division of Corporations — Registered Agents FAQ
Plain-English explanation of what registered agents do and why they are required.
Delaware Court of Chancery overview
Official explanation of the court’s role in corporate governance and business disputes.
Registered Agents and Service of Process — Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
Legal explainer describing the administrative role of registered agents and why they are required.
2023 Annual Report Statistics — Delaware Division of Corporations
Official count showing more than 2 million active business entities incorporated or registered in Delaware.
