‘Negligence’ in perv suicide
IG on ‘failures’ behind Epstein jail death
NO FOUL PLAY: Jeffrey Epstein was able to kill himself at the Metropolitan Correctional Center due to negligence, including his cell having “an excessive amount of bed linens,” according to an inspector general report. Guards Tova Noel (right top) and Michael Thomas (right bottom) are no longer with the Bureau of Prisons.
A series of missteps by the federal Bureau of Prisons — including too many bed linens being left in a jail cell — enabled Jeffrey Epstein to commit suicide nearly four years ago while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, a new probe found.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz said that a “combination of negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures” allowed the convicted pedophile to take his own life on Aug. 10, 2019, in the lower Manhattan jail cell at the since-shuttered Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Some of these factors included that the troubled lockup had failed to assign a new inmate to Epstein’s cell after a previous one left, that there were problems with the surveillance cameras and that his cell “contained an excessive amount of bed linens” — which were used in the suicide, Horowitz’s report says.
And “persistent” staffing shortages and overworked employees led to inmates being inadequately supervised, the report said.
Specifically, Horowitz said that 13 employees had poor performance and he recommended that charges be brought against six.
Two correction officers — Tova Noel and Michael Thomas — who were supposed to be guarding Epstein at the time of his suicide were charged for falsifying logs but received no-jail plea deals. The duo — who were both working overtime — had been sleeping and online shopping when they were supposed to be checking on the financier every 30 minutes.
They are no longer with the BOP, according to spokesperson Benjamin O’Cone.
Horowitz agreed with other investigation findings that there was no foul play in Epstein’s death — debunking conspiracy theories to the contrary.
The multimillionaire had been in the MCC for over a month and two weeks before his death he had been placed on suicide watch after scrapes and bruises were found on his neck — leading jail officials to believe he’d made a suicide attempt.
The 66-year-old hedge funder’s death deprived his victims, many of whom were underage girls at the time he abused them, of getting their day in court.
Scott Taylor, a BOP spokesman, said the agency had already put into place “several enhanced practices,” including reviews of video footage from restrictive housing units to ensure rounds are conducted accurately and timely.
Lieutenants now regularly count inmates in those units and workers must file reports on solo inmates. And the warden must be notified any time anyone is placed on suicide watch and workers receive suicide prevention training, Taylor said.
“The BOP takes seriously our ability to protect and secure individuals in our custody while ensuring the safety of our correctional employees and the surrounding community,” Taylor said.
“We make every effort to create a controlled environment within our facilities that is both secure and humane, prioritizing the physical and emotional well-being of those in our care and custody.”