6 June 11–17, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | sort development on Sazan Island. Those details have drawn scrutiny from critics, who argue the project illustrates how ultra- wealthy investors can gain access to government leaders and exclusive development opportunities unavailable to ordinary citizens. Supporters, meanwhile, say the investment could transform Albania into a major luxury tourism destination and generate jobs and economic growth. As the controversy has grown, so has the public backlash. Protesters have taken to the streets, crit- ics have called for Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resig- nation, and opponents have cast the Kushner-linked development as a flashpoint in a broader debate over corruption, political favoritism, and who benefits from Albania’s economic future. “Seems like it should be a bigger deal that Ivanka Trump & Kushner’s luxury resort project is being massively protested, with the people de- manding the PM’s resignation and firebombing homes over the corruption of their project part- ner,” the Tennessee Holler posted on X. The debate has only intensified as more de- tails about the project — and the scale of the pro- posed development — have become public. The SPAK investigation comes as footage of the island and proposed development has circu- lated widely online, fueling criticism from activists who argue the project would turn one of the Mediterranean’s last largely untouched islands into a playground for the ultrawealthy. Videos shared by opponents juxtapose pris- tine beaches, rugged cliffs, Cold War-era military tunnels, and protected wildlife habitats against architectural renderings showing luxury villas, private beaches, marinas, and other high-end amenities. Critics have dubbed the proposal “Trump Island” and accuse Albanian officials of prioritizing foreign investment over environmen- tal protections and public access to the coastline. The story may sound familiar to South Floridi- ans. Like many development battles in Miami, the fight over Sazan Island pits promises of economic growth and luxury tourism against concerns about environmental preservation and who ulti- mately gets access to desirable waterfront land. Only this time, the developer isn’t a familiar condo king. It’s a member of the Trump family whose primary residence sits behind the gates of Indian Creek Island’s so-called Billionaire Bunker, just a few miles from Surfside, where the couple used to reside. The Albania project has attracted criticism for years. Environmental groups warn construction could threaten protected habitats and endan- gered species in the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Na- tional Park and the nearby Vjosa-Narta ecosystem. Opponents have also accused the Al- banian government of weakening environmental protections to accommodate politically con- nected investors. Kushner has defended the development as an economic opportunity for Albania. Previous re- ports indicate the project could create roughly 1,000 jobs and inject more than a billion euros into the country’s tourism economy. Neither Kushner nor Affinity Partners has been accused of wrongdoing. Albanian authori- ties say the probe focuses on decisions regarding land protections, permitting, and ownership changes that paved the way for the development. Still, the investigation has drawn renewed at- tention to one of the Trump family’s most closely watched international business ventures — and to a real estate empire whose reach now extends from Miami’s Billionaire Bunker to the coastlines of the Balkans. [email protected] ▼ INTERNATIONAL MODEL CITIZEN ‘IT WAS JEFFREY EPSTEIN’ WHO INTRODUCED MELANIA TO TRUMP, AMANDA UNGARO CLAIMS. BY ALEX DELUCA For years, Italian former modeling agent and longtime Trump ally Paolo Zampolli has maintained that he was responsible for introducing Melania and President Donald Trump in the late 1990s. Specifically, as Zampolli told the New York Times in a 2016 interview, he introduced Melania to her fu- ture husband at a 1998 party he hosted at New York City’s Kit Kat Club. Now, however, a former associate of Melania Trump appears to be publicly chal- lenging that account. In a now-deleted video posted on X, for- mer Brazilian model Amanda Ungaro ac- cuses her ex-partner, Zampolli, of lying about having introduced Melania and Donald Trump at the party. Instead, Ungaro alleges the future first lady was an “escort” tied to Jeffrey Epstein and actually met Trump through the late convicted sex offender. “Let’s tell the public you never was the one introducing Melania to Trump. It was Jeffrey Epstein, as she was escort of Jeffrey Epstein. That’s how she met Donald Trump. And I know, because I was with you 20 years and you always told me it was not you—it was Jeffrey Epstein,” Ungaro claims in the video, which New Times has not in- dependently verified. In 2002, when she was just 17, Ungaro arrived in New York on Epstein’s private jet, commonly referred to by those in the know as the “Lolita Express” alongside her agent, Jean-Luc Brunel. That same year, Ungaro met Zampolli, then 32, at a Manhattan nightclub, where he recruited her as a mod- eling client, encouraged her to move to the United States, and began a relationship that produced a now-16-year-old son, that alleg- edly lasted two decades. Over the years, the pair moved in the same social circles as Donald and Melania Trump and were repeatedly photographed alongside the couple at Mar-a-Lago events. During Trump’s first administration, Ungaro served as Grenada’s ambassador to the United Nations, while Zampolli was ap- pointed ambassador to Dominica. But after years of partying in their elite social circles, Zampolli and Ungaro parted ways. In the summer of 2025, amid Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, Ungaro was arrested on charges of fraud at the medical spa where she worked and jailed. Like many immigrants, she was then trans- ferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and deported from Miami back to her native Brazil. In March, the New York Times dropped a bombshell of a report: Zampolli, a model- ing agent-turned-presidential special en- voy, had asked ICE to detain Ungaro amid an ongoing custody battle over their child. “Mr. Zampolli, 56, is known in Washington for flaunting his proximity to the Trumps,” the Times story reads. “In this case, he used his clout to solicit help from an agency beset by allegations of unlawful overreach.” Ungaro’s claims appear to contradict statements Melania Trump made during a surprise press conference in April, when she denounced what she described as “mean-spirited and politically motivated lies” linking her to Epstein. “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. The indi- viduals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility, and respect,” she be- gan. She went on to deliver a meandering account, distancing herself from the con- victed sex offender. The White House did not immediately respond to New Times’ request for com- ment via email. [email protected] Island Time from p4 Ex-modeling agent Paolo Zampolli has long maintained that he introduced Melania and Donald Trump. Trump White House/Flickr | RIPTIDE |
