Jeffrey Epstein died in the dark, but abuse investigation carries on

A former inmate at the jail where wealthy businessman Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide has raised doubts over his death.

Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell, now prompting an additional federal investigation into his death along with one already examining allegations of sexual abuse and conspiracy against him.

Epstein, a wealthy financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found Saturday morning unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

He was later pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.

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Epstein had been placed on suicide watch after he was found a little over two weeks ago with bruising on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorised to discuss it publicly. But he was taken off the watch at the end of July and therefore wasn’t on it at the time of his death, the person said.

Police officers cover a medical examiner car outside New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital, where Jeffrey Epstein's body was transported before being moved to a medical examiner's office in Manhattan borough of New York City, New York. Picture: Reuters/Jeenah Moon

A former inmate of the Metropolitan Correction Centre told The New York Post ’s Brad Hamilton and Bruce Golding on the condition of anonymity: “There’s no way that man could have killed himself. I’ve done too much time in those units. It’s an impossibility.”

Former US Attorney Preet Bharara tweeted that he was “dumbfounded” by Epstein’s death.

“There should be — and almost certainly is — video of Epstein’s suicide at MCC,” he said. “One hopes it is complete, conclusive, and secured.”

US Rep. Jerry Nadler, Democratic Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, later reiterated Bharara’s demands, writing: “Deeply disturbed to learn of Jeffrey Epstein’s death while supposedly on watch at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre.”

“There are many questions that need to be answered in this case,” he added.

Monica Lewinsky tweeted her support for the victims in the wake of the “strange news.”

“(To) all those young women who may be suffering today as a result of (E)pstein’s death, (I) send my love [and] supportive thoughts,” she wrote. “(M)ay your core strength [and] emotional stability be nearby.”

One former inmate, Uzair Paracha, who was held there for two years until 2005, wrote he was subjected to frequent strip searches, isolation from other prisoners, lights that were left on 22 or 23 hours per day.

He told The New York Post guards “monitored us like lab rats.”

“If he killed himself someone had to have helped him,” Lewis Kasman, a onetime close confidant of the late mobster John Gotti Sr who visited the godfather several times at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 1992, told The Post.

“There are cameras going 24/7 and they’re watching 24/7. Someone had to give (Epstein) the equipment to kill himself and he had to pay for it dearly,” said Kasman, who has kept abreast of conditions in the lockup.

Kasman added: “That facility for years had issues of corruption, with correction officers bringing in food or cellphones for wealthy people.”

US Attorney-General William Barr. Picture: Nicholas Kamm / AFP

Attorney-General William Barr, calling for an investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office, said he was “appalled” to learn of Epstein’s death while in federal custody.

“Mr Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said in a statement.

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

The federal investigation into the allegations remains ongoing, US Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.

The Metropolitan Correctional Facility, where Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, is seen on August 10, 2019 in New York City. Picture: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images/AFP

Epstein’s death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that “heads must roll” after the incident.

“Every single person in the Justice Department - from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer - knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn’t be allowed to die with him,” Sasse wrote.

Epstein’s removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility’s chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.

On Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since- settled lawsuit against Epstein’s ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.

Virginia Roberts says Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually when she was 16. Picture: Supplied

Giuffre, in an interview with The New York Times, said she’s grateful Epstein will never harm anyone again, but is angry that there would be no chance to see him answer for his conduct.

“We’ve worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too,” she told the newspaper.

In this July 15, 2019 courtroom artist's sketch, defendant Jeffrey Epstein, left, and his attorney Martin Weinberg listen during a bail hearing in federal court, in New York. Officials say the FBI and U.S. Inspector General's office will investigate how Epstein died in an apparent suicide, while the probe into sexual abuse allegations against the well-connected financier remains ongoing. Picture: Elizabeth Williams via AP, File

Sigrid McCawley, Giuffre’s attorney, said Epstein’s suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed “is no coincidence.” McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said “participated and facilitated Epstein’s horrifying sex trafficking scheme.” Epstein’s arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.

Federal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.

In this file photo taken on July 8, 2019, a protest group called ‘Hot Mess’ hold up photos of Jeffrey Epstein in front of the Federal courthouse in New York City. Picture: Stephanie Keith / Getty Images North America / AFP

His lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.

Before his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.

WHO WAS JEFFREY EPSTEIN?

Epstein, 66, was a hedge fund manager who hobnobbed with the rich, famous and influential, including presidents and a prince.

Epstein owned a private island in the Caribbean, homes in Paris and New York City, a New Mexico ranch, and a fleet of high-price cars. His friends had once included Britain’s Prince Andrew, former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump. Clinton and Trump both said they hadn’t seen Epstein in years and knew nothing of his alleged misconduct when new charges were brought against him last month.

Under a 2008 non-prosecution agreement, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor and another similar prostitution charge. That allowed him to avoid federal prosecution and a possible life sentence, instead serving 13 months in a work-release program. He was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.

HOW DID HE DIE?

The US Bureau of Prisons said Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in the Metropolitan Correctional Centre early Saturday.

Staff tried to revive him, and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Epstein had been held in the jail’s Special Housing Unit, a heavily secured part of the facility that separates high-profile inmates from the general population, but his death is likely to raise questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of high-profile inmates.

Attorney General William Barr said he was “appalled” by the news. Before he took his own life, Epstein has been taken off suicide watch, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. The person wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Epstein had previously been injured with bruises to the neck while in custody, though it was not clear if those were self-inflicted or the result of an assault.

The FBI and the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Justice will investigate his death.

WHAT WAS THE NEW CASE AGAINST HIM?

Federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking and conspiracy after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over the 2008 plea bargain. They accused him of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls A conviction could have put him in prison for 45 years.

At the time of Epstein’s arrest, prosecutors said they found a trove of pictures of nude and seminude young women and girls at his $77 million Manhattan mansion. They also say additional victims have come forward since the arrest. But his attorneys insisted that Epstein hadn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his sentence in Florida. They argued that the new charges were improper because they covered largely the same ground as the non- prosecution agreement.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW FOR HIS ACCUSERS?

Several of Epstein’s accusers said Saturday that they’re disappointed that the financier won’t have to face them in court or serve a long prison sentence if convicted. They called on federal authorities to investigate associates of Epstein for any role in his activities.

Sigrid McCawley, an attorney representing one accuser, said in a statement that “the reckoning of accountability begun by the voices of brave and truthful victims should not end” with Epstein’s death.

Another accuser, Jennifer Araoz, who came forward after the new charges were filed, said she was angered by Epstein’s suicide. Araoz alleged that Epstein raped her in his New York mansion in the early 2000s when she was 15. “We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed the pain and trauma he caused so many people,” she said.

- Michael R. Sisak reported from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Michael Balsamo from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson, Jennifer Peltz, David Klepper and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report. With The New York Post.

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