The 128-page report by Inspector General Michael Horowitz found staff failed to ensure Epstein was assigned a cellmate,despite being instructed to do so by the New York prison’s psychology department following an earlier incident a few weeks before his death,where he was discovered unresponsive in his cell with a cloth wrapped around his neck.
They also failed to ensure that the prison’s security cameras were fully functional,resulting in limited recorded video evidence,and failed to conduct the required prisoner counts or cell checks. In addition,some officers falsified records to claim that they completed their mandatory rounds in inmate cells in the hours leading up to Epstein’s death,when they had not done so.
As such,Epstein was able to hoard extra linens,blankets and clothing – some of which he used to make a noose – and was eventually found dead on August 10,2019. When officers discovered him dangling from his bed,one of them noted:“We’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“Had Epstein’s cell been searched as required,it would have revealed that Epstein had excess prison blankets,linens and clothing in itself,” said Horowitz.
“The combination of negligence,misconduct and outright job performance failures documented in today’s report all contributed to an environment in which arguably one of the most notorious inmates in the BOP’s[Bureau of Prisons] custody was left unmonitored and alone in his cell with an excess of prison linens,thereby providing him with the opportunity to take his own life.”
Epstein died while he was facing federal charges of sex trafficking and abusing young girls. If convicted,the 66-year-old would have faced up to 45 years in prison. His longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell wassentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.