The Justice Department’s watchdog agency found that prison guard misconduct and long-standing problems gave disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein “an opportunity to take his own life” before his 2019 suicide.
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Epstein died on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. The General Inspection of the Department of Justice determines in a report issued on Tuesday that “numerous and serious failures” by prison staff allowed Epstein to be left alone and unsupervised in his cell with an excess of sheets before he hanged himself.
In the report, officials said investigators found no signs of foul play. Instead, they pointed to prison staff members who falsified records to make it appear as if they were monitoring inmates when they weren’t, the failure to assign Epstein a cellmate despite a previous suicide attempt and the fact that almost none of the cameras in the area where Epstein was staying were recording in the days surrounding his death, among other factors.
“The combination of negligence, misconduct and failures in job performance … all contributed to an environment in which arguably one of the most notorious inmates in BOP custody had the opportunity to take his own life” , according to the report.
After Epstein’s death, authorities charged two prison guards responsible for the 66-year-old’s care with falsifying records to make it appear they had performed half-hourly checks on Aug. 9 and 10 when they had actually spent part of their shifts. surf the internet and sleep. Charges against the guards were later dismissed after they complied with the terms of a deferred prosecution agreement, officials said.
According to authorities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to file charges against other New York MCC employees who lied about inmate control around the time of Epstein’s death.
In the report issued Tuesday, officials also highlighted longstanding problems at federal prisons, including understaffing, management errors and disregard for Bureau of Prisons policies and procedures.
In a statement obtained by The Associated PressBOP officials said the agency had accepted all eight recommendations made by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, including revamping policies for dealing with inmates deemed to be at high risk of suicide.
“We make every effort to create a controlled environment within our facilities that is safe and humane, prioritizing the physical and emotional well-being of those in our care and custody,” the BOP said in the statement.
Epstein’s death, which occurred while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, sparked widespread speculation and spawned a slew of conspiracy theories. Soon after, then-Attorney General William Barr said he was investigating “serious irregularities” in Epstein’s treatment at New York’s MCC. He later attributed Epstein’s death to “a perfect storm of shit.” The New York Times reported.
Epstein was accused of sexually abusing and exploiting dozens of 14-year-old girls between 2002 and 2005. He had pleaded not guilty.
