Records Reveal Jeffrey Epstein’s Mental State in Prison Days Before Death | Jeffrey Epstein

Two weeks before his death, Jeffrey Epstein He sat in the corner of his Manhattan cell, hands over his ears, desperately trying to drown out the constant noise of the toilet.

Prison officials say Epstein was so excited he couldn’t sleep, according to new records obtained by the Associated Press. He has called himself a “coward” and complained that he has had trouble adjusting to life in prison since being arrested on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges in July 2019. Leaked. His life of luxury has become a cage of concrete and iron.

The humiliated investor was under psychological observation at the time for having attempted suicide days earlier. But Epstein insisted he had no suicidal thoughts, even after a 31-hour suicide watch period, telling a prison psychologist that he had a “great life” and that ending suicide would be “crazy.” There will be,’ he said. Epstein died on August 10, 2019.

Nearly four years later, the Associated Press obtained more than 4,000 pages of documents related to Epstein’s death from the Federal Prison Service under the Freedom of Information Act.

The record helped dispel many conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein’s suicide and highlights how the Bureau of Prisons’ fundamental flaws, including severe understaffing and staff mishandling, contributed to Epstein’s death. ing.

They shed new light on federal prison officials’ chaotic response after Epstein was found unresponsive in a cell at the now-closed Metropolitan Correctional Center. new york city.

In an email, one prosecutor involved in Epstein’s criminal case complained about the lack of information from the Bureau of Prisons in the critical hours after Epstein’s death, saying the Bureau was “telling us It’s frankly unbelievable that they issued a public press release earlier.” We will pass it on to his lawyer and provide basic information so the lawyer can pass it on to his family. “

In a separate email, a senior prison service official told the prison director that news reporters were reporting details of prison failures and that prison officials had been paid money to provide information on Mr. Epstein’s death. Falsely implying that they must be paying for the crimes and denouncing the ethics of journalists and prisons. the agency’s own employees;

The documents also set new records for Epstein’s actions during his 36 days in prison, including an attempt by email to contact Larry Nassar (U.S.), another high-profile pedophile who has not previously been reported. It is intended to be clarified in gymnastics team doctor He was convicted of sexually abusing numerous athletes.

A letter from Epstein to Nassar, which was found returned to the sender in the prison mailroom a few weeks after Epstein’s death, was not included in the documents handed over to the Associated Press.

The night before Epstein’s death, he missed a meeting with his lawyer to call his family. Epstein told prison officials he was calling his mother, who had been dead for 15 years at the time, according to the squad leader’s memo.

Epstein’s death put more scrutiny on the Bureau of Prisons, which is set to close the Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2021. That sparked an Associated Press investigation that uncovered serious, previously unreported problems within the Justice Department, the largest in the department with more than 30,000 employees. It has 158,000 inmates and an annual budget of $8 billion.

An internal memo sent after Epstein’s death, which does not give a date, attributed the prison problems to “drastic reductions in staffing, inadequate or lack of training, follow-up and supervision.” ing. The memo also detailed steps taken by the Bureau of Prisons to remedy the blunders exposed in Epstein’s suicide.

Epstein’s attorney, Martin Weinberg, said those in the facility had endured “medieval confinement that no American defendant should have been subjected to.”

“It’s sad and tragic that after events like this, the Bureau of Prisons has finally closed this unfortunate facility,” Weinberg said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Officers Toba Noel and Michael Thomas, who were tasked with guarding Epstein the night he killed himself, falsely stated in prison records that Epstein underwent necessary tests before he was found dead. was indicted for doing

Epstein’s cellmate did not return after the court hearing the day before, and prison officials failed to pair him with another inmate, leaving him isolated.

Prosecutors allege they sat at desks just 15 feet from Epstein’s cell, shopped for furniture and motorcycles online, and roamed the unit’s common areas without making mandatory patrols every half hour. bottom.

According to the indictment, they were both believed to have been asleep for two hours. The Justice Department inspector general’s investigation is still ongoing.

Epstein arrived at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on July 6, 2019. He then resented having to wear the orange jumpsuit provided to the special housing unit inmates he was being transferred to, and how he was treated like a “bad guy”. said he was dissatisfied with Even though he was well behaved in the bar. He demanded a brown uniform for his nearly daily meetings with lawyers.

Records show that Epstein made several efforts to adapt to prison conditions. His prospects further deteriorated when a judge denied his bail on July 18, 2019, making it more likely that he will be held until trial or even longer. If he is convicted, he could face up to 45 years in prison. Four days later, Epstein allegedly tried to kill himself with just a bed sheet, and was put on suicide watch and later put under psychiatric observation.

Epstein has expressed frustration with prison noise and sleep deprivation. During her first few weeks at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Epstein didn’t have the sleep apnea respirator she was using. After that, the toilet in his cell began to malfunction.

The day before Epstein died, a federal judge unsealed nearly 2,000 pages of documents in a sexual abuse lawsuit against him.

Lack of important relationships and “the idea that he could spend the rest of his life in prison likely contributed to Epstein’s suicide,” the officials wrote.