Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, the two Bureau of Prisons guards assigned to Jeffrey Epstein’s cell the night he died by suicide, actually admitted to falsifying records. They’ve struck a deal with federal prosecutors to avoid jail time, according to the AP.
Noel and Thomas were accused of sleeping and browsing the internet during the shift where they were supposed to be checking on Jeffrey Epstein every 30 minutes. He was found dead in his cell on the morning of August 10, 2019 in what was ruled to be a suicide.
The guards originally maintained that they checked on him every 30 minutes, but were indicted on charges of falsifying prison records, which they denied. Prosecutors were trying to get them to admit they’d falsified records in a plea deal, which usually signals that a judge is considering criminal charges.
Now, both men have admitted that they “wilfully and knowingly completed materially false count and round slips regarding required counts and rounds” regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s cell, according to a letter filed by federal prosecutors – but it looks like they’ll be avoiding prison.
Last Friday, the two (former) guards struck a deal with prosecutors where they won’t serve any jail time. The deal hasn’t been approved by a judge yet, but if it is then as part of their agreement the guards will also need to cooperate fully with the Justice Department’s investigation.
To refresh your memory, Jeffrey Epstein’s death is controversial to say the least.
The guy was a billionaire with connections everywhere, from celebrities to US politicians to British royalty, and he pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking in 2008. He got a deal and was out on the streets by 2011 – only to be arrested again in July 2019 after federal prosecutors accused him of trafficking “dozens” of underage girls between 2002 and 2005.
He was being held in New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Centre awaiting trial when he was found dead in his cell.
The official story is that he died by suicide, but there’s plenty of conspiracy theories that suggest he was murdered to prevent him from spilling dirt on other high-profile people.
Combine that with the fact that the guards didn’t check on him for three hours, the two cameras outside his cell weren’t working, and that a forensic pathologist who examined Jeffrey Epstein’s body said it looked like murder, and well, I guess tin foil hats are in fashion again.
