Negligence, misconduct behind Epstein's death, DOJ claims
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The US Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General alleges that infamous billionaire Jeffrey Epstein died due to the prison's negligence and misconduct of its personnel.
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In this courtroom sketch, FBI analyst Kimberly Meder testifies during Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-abuse trial about a photo, shown on video, showing Maxwell, left, massaging Jeffery Epstein's foot at his home, Dec. 7, 2021, in New York (AP)
The death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the custody of the US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was a result of negligence and misconduct by BOP personnel, the US Justice Department Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said on Monday.
"The combination of negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures documented in this report all contributed to an environment in which arguably one of the BOP’s most notorious inmates was provided with the opportunity to take his own life, resulting in significant questions being asked about the circumstances of his death," the OIG said in a review of its investigation into Epstein's death in federal custody.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York on August 10, 2019. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled it a suicide.
Read next: Epstein: "I Have No Interest in Killing Myself," New Document Reveals
The OIG report focuses on the custody, care, and supervision of Epstein at MCC New York from his arrest on sex trafficking charges on July 6, 2019, until his death on August 10.
According to the report, screenings conducted by MCC New York staff determined that Epstein did not exhibit signs of suicidal tendencies, as he denied having thoughts of suicide and had no history of attempts. However, his cellmate reported on July 23 that Epstein had attempted to hang himself, and staff found him with a cloth around his neck.
Following this incident, MCC New York personnel placed Epstein on suicide watch but later moved him to psychological observation until July 30. Epstein was then assigned a new cellmate until August 9, when the cellmate was transferred without arranging for a replacement.
Additionally, Epstein was allowed to make an unmonitored phone call, which violated BOP policy.
Epstein's body was discovered on the morning of August 10. The OIG investigation revealed that MCC New York personnel failed to conduct required 30-minute rounds and inmate counts on the night of August 9. The report also noted a lack of information regarding the last search of Epstein's cell according to BOP records.
The report includes eight recommendations to the BOP, all of which address the identified issues.
The recommendations in question include evaluating methods for accounting for inmate whereabouts and well-being, clarifying procedures for conducting rounds by MCC New York personnel, and enhancing policies related to institutional security camera systems to ensure regular functionality checks.
Read next: Chelsea Manning: Epstein was murdered
In one of the latest revelations related to Epstein's dark case, a pile of his private calendars and emails revealed Epstein's close relationships with presidents, prime ministers, and royalty, as per a report by the Daily Mail.
The trove, which was obtained by the Daily Mail, affirmed that Epstein maintained contact with the world's elite while spending 13 months in prison for sexual misconduct and being designated a registered sex offender.
The calendars revealed that Epstein contacted A-listers such as tech billionaires Bill Gates and Peter Thiel, music executive Tommy Mottola, artist Jeff Koons, magician David Blaine, and filmmaker Woody Allen - even after being registered as a sex offender.
Moreover, he reportedly had close ties to the former governor of the Virgin Islands.
Epstein gave a lot of money to USVI politicians and the government, including $30,000 to Stacey Plaskett's campaign for US House of Representatives delegate since 2015, $25,000 to the inauguration committee of current Governor Albert Bryan, and contributions to a school library.
The court documents detail how "Based on his government connections, when traveling through the USVI’s airport accompanied by young women as a registered sex offender, Epstein could count on his ‘great relationship’ with the officials there to avoid scrutiny or detection."
The Wall Street Journal also revealed in a report that Epstein's affiliates include world-famous names such as CIA chief William Burns, White House counsel under Obama Kathryn Ruemmler, former Israeli PM Joshua Cooper Ramo, and more.
