BARR: ‘IRREGULARITIES’ FOUND AT JAIL WHERE EPSTEIN DIED
He vows case involving Epstein will continue despite inmate’s death
New York — Attorney General William Barr said Monday that there were “serious irregularities” at the federal jail where Jeffrey Epstein took his own life as he awaited trial on charges he sexually abused underage girls.
The 66-year-old financier was found Saturday morning in his cell at the chronically short-staffed Metropolitan Correctional Center, in a unit known for holding notorious prisoners under extremely tight security.
“I was appalled, and indeed the whole department was, and frankly angry to learn of the MCC’s failure to adequately secure this prisoner,” Barr said at a police conference in New Orleans. “We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation. The FBI and the office of inspector general are doing just that.”
Washington — Attorney General William Barr on Monday decried what he called a “failure” by federal jail officials to secure registered sex offender and multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was found hanging in his jail cell over the weekend.
But the country’s top law enforcement official said Epstein’s death would not derail the ongoing investigation into those who might have aided Epstein’s alleged crimes.
“Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein,” Barr said. “Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice, and they will get it.”
Speaking to law enforcement officials in New Orleans, Barr said he “was appalled ... and frankly, angry” to learn of the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s “failure to adequately secure” Epstein, who was awaiting trial on new sex trafficking charges.
“We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation,” he said.
Barr’s comments were noteworthy in that he publicly blamed the Bureau of Prisons, which is part of the Justice Department, for the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s apparent suicide. Barr did not specify what irregularities had been found but vowed to “get to the bottom of what happened,” adding: “There will be accountability.”
The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment Monday.
Epstein, whose case has raised questions about whether he received preferential treatment in the past from Justice Department officials, was found hanging in his jail cell Saturday morning, according to people familiar with the matter.
His death has prompted investigations by the FBI, Justice Department inspector general, and the New York City medical examiner, and raised a number of questions about conditions inside the federal jail in Manhattan where the 66-year-old millionaire died.
Officers had not checked on Epstein for “several” hours before he was found around 6:30 a.m., a person familiar with the matter said, just one in a series of missteps in the hours leading up to his death.