‘Serious irregularities’ at New York jail where Epstein found dead

FBI and Justice Department still investigating apparent suicide

The US Justice Department has already found “serious irregularities” at the federal jail where Jeffrey Epstein took his own life over the weekend, US attorney general William Barr has said.

Mr Barr said he was angry to learn that staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York had “failed to adequately secure this prisoner”.

Epstein died on Saturday in what prison officials said was an apparent suicide.

He was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Mr Barr did not provide specific details but said investigations by the FBI and the Justice Department inspectors general are continuing.

He was speaking at a police conference in New Orleans.

Mr Barr also issued a stern warning, saying the case was far from over.

He said anyone who may have conspired with Epstein “should not rest easy”.

The jail where Epstein was found dead was facing staffing shortages at the time of his apparent suicide, according to a source familiar with the unit’s operations.

The details of how he died have yet to be confirmed, but medical officials have performed a post-mortem examination.

Epstein was accused of sexually abusing underage girls and paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for massages.

His abrupt death on Saturday cut short a criminal prosecution that could have pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of a high-flying financier with connections to celebrities and presidents, though prosecutors have vowed to continue investigating.

Epstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.

He had been placed on suicide watch after he was found a little over two weeks ago with bruising on his neck, according to the person familiar with the matter. But he was taken off the watch at the end of July and therefore was not on it at the time of his death.

The federal investigation into the allegations remains ongoing, US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.

“Anyone who may have conspired with Epstein should not rest easy. US ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR

Picture: Getty. Jeffrey Epstein with his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.