Smuggled-gun fear at city jail where Epstein killed self

The Manhattan jail where fallen financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself was under lockdown Friday while authorities tried to determine if a gun was smuggled into the facility, according to a report.

Already reeling from a protocol breakdown in the wake of Epstein’s death, the Metropolitan Correctional Center has drawn even more scrutiny after the weapon scare.

According to The Associated Press, visits have been canceled, and movement of inmates has been restricted at the jail, which houses more than 700 inmates.

Even visits from attorneys have been restricted while the gun investigation goes on.

Officials have not yet determined whether a weapon was actually brought into the facility, the report said.

The facility is on “modified operations due to an ongoing investigation,” the federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.

“When any given facility is on modified operations, they remain so until an incident can be thoroughly investigated to ensure the safety of staff and inmates.”

The lockdown comes just days after Attorney General William Barr named a new director of the federal prison system.

The jail came under intense scrutiny after Epstein’s suicide last August. Epstein, 66, was awaiting trial on new sexual assault and sex trafficking charges when, on his second try, he committed suicide by hanging himself with a bedsheet, authorities said.

Barr said Epstein’s death was the result of a “perfect storm of screw-ups” highlighted by a major mistake and staffing shortages.

Barr’s comments came after two guards who were responsible for keeping an eye on the suicidal Epstein were charged with goofing off, sleeping and browsing the internet instead of checking on Epstein every 30 minutes.

Officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were charged with falsifying prison records and lying in official documents to cover up that they were online shopping for furniture and motorcycles.

They have pleaded not guilty.

The jail currently houses several high-profile inmates, including attorney Michael Avenatti, who was convicted Feb. 14 of attempting to extort millions of dollars from Nike. Avenatti once represented porn star Stormy Daniels, who said she was paid off by President Trump’s people to keep quiet about an alleged affair.

The jail also housed Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman who was sentenced to life in prison after a trial in New York.

Meanwhile, the jail’s warden was reassigned to a desk post at the Bureau of Prisons’ regional office in Pennsylvania.