New York: Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring, had been taken off suicide watch before he killed himself in a New York jail, a person familiar with the matter says.
US Attorney-General William Barr said he was "appalled" to learn of Epstein's death while in federal custody. The FBI and the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General will investigate, he said.
"Mr Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered," Barr said in a statement on Saturday in the US.
Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell on Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fire officials received a call at 6.39 am on Saturday that Epstein was in cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.
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 on accusations of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.
A little over two weeks ago, Epstein was found on the floor of his cell with bruises on his neck , according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. At the time, it was not clear whether the injuries were self-inflicted or from an assault.
Billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Credit: AP
A person familiar with the matter said that Epstein had been taken off suicide watch. The person wasn't authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. It wasn't immediately clear when he was taken off suicide watch.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that he had been housed in the jail's Special Housing Unit, a heavily secured part of the facility that separates high-profile inmates from the general population. Until recently, the same unit had been home to the Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is now serving a life sentence at the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado.
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 Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote on Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that "heads must roll" after the incident.
The Metropolitan Correctional Centre.Credit: Bloomberg
"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.
Cameron Lindsay, a former warden who ran three federal lockups, said the death represents "an unfortunate and shocking failure, if proven to be a suicide".
"Unequivocally, he should have been on active suicide watch and therefore under direct and constant supervision," Lindsay said.
Epstein's arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. US Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was US attorney in Miami.
On Friday, more than 2000 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.
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".
Other accusers and their lawyers reacted to the news with frustration that the financier won't have to face them in court.
"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," accuser Jennifer Araoz said in a statement.
Brad Edwards, a Florida lawyer for nearly two dozen other accusers, said that "this is not the ending anyone was looking for".
"The victims deserved to see Epstein held accountable, and he owed it to everyone he hurt to accept responsibility for all of the pain he caused," Edwards said in a statement.
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.
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 socialised with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.
Beyondblue, 1300 224 636; Lifeline, 13 11 14; Headspace (for those aged 12-25), 1800 650 890; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
AP