The New York Times reported that late, accused sex trafficker Jeffrey
Epstein spent his final days trying to use his wealth to manipulate
his circumstances inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, leading
up to his death by suicide.
Epstein avoided spending time in his cell by paying lawyers to visit
him in a private meeting room for up to 12 hours a day, emptying
vending machines at the facility during periods of legal counsel.
The financier and convicted sex offender also deposited money in other
inmates' commissaries to avoid their attention and seemingly devised a
way to hang himself without drawing attention in the understaffed
facility.
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The mysterious circumstances surrounding the death by suicide of
accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein while in federal custody have
infuriated the Attorney General, incited the president to spread a
baseless conspiracy theory, and intrigued the public.
The New York Times investigated what really happened to Jeffrey
Epstein behind bars at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower
Manhattan, where the convicted sex offender continued to use his
wealth to advantage himself, even while held without bail on charges
of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy.
Epstein's cell was cramped, musty, and likely infested with vermin,
based on interviews with lawyers and other MCC inmates, and the
financier may have encountered standing water, with overflowing urine
and feces from the facility's faulty plumbing.
To avoid spending time in his cell, Epstein paid for lawyers,
including but not limited to his own established legal team, to spend
up to 12 hours a day consulting with him in a private meeting room.
During their visits, Epstein and his lawyers repeatedly emptiednearby
vending machines.
Read more: Jeffrey Epstein's lawyers blast 'medieval conditions' at
federal jail where he died by suicide and say they are launching their
own investigation
Epstein also deposited money in other inmates' commissary funds to
avoid negative attention, a consultant who regularly speaks with MCC
inmates told The New York Times. Despite the measures he took to
improve his own conditions, Epstein still seemed miserable, bathing
infrequently, leaving his hair and beard unkempt, and sometimes
sleeping on the floor instead of in his bunk.
Concerning his first apparent suicide attempt, five days after US
District Judge Richard Berman denied him bail, The New York Times
reported that Epstein was placed on suicide watch for six days. The
short watch period is not irregular at MCC, which joins the ranks of
other federal prisons that have faced dire understaffing crises under
the Trump administration's policy to reduce the size of the federal
government.
In fact, three days after being removed from suicide watch, Epstein
met with attorney David Schoen, who told The New York Times that the
financier appeared upbeat, and invited Schoen to join his legal team.
In the days that followed, lawyers and prison staff say Epstein began
looking haggard and sleeping on the floor again.
The day before Epstein's death, a trove of documents concerning his
sex trafficking operation was released to the public, and he and his
lawyers crowded into the private meeting room for hours. That night,
mismanagement and lack of correctional officers meant that only 18
guards watched over 750 inmates, and 10 of them were working overtime,
while one post remained vacant.
FILE PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein looks on during a status hearing in his
sex trafficking case, in this court sketch in New York Reuters
Of the two guards meant to monitor Epstein every 30 minutes, one was a
former correctional officer and was volunteering. The twofailed to
check in on him for a 3-hour period, during which two Bureau of
Prisons officials say they fell asleep and later falsified records.
During that time, Epstein successfully hanged himself with a bed
sheet, and while prison staff attempted to revive him early that
morning, he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital an hour after
being discovered. His cell in the 9 South block had a small window,
from which Epstein may have been able to spot his two guards sleeping
at the nearby guard desk.
Epstein's lawyers have released a statement announcing another
investigation into his suicide, joining three investigations being
performed by the Southern District of New York, where Epstein was
charged, the Office of the Inspector General, under Attorney
GeneralWilliam Barr, and the FBI.
The coroner's report concerning Epstein's death shows he was ableto
fracture his hyoid, a small U-shaped neck bone, while hanging himself.
Despite the prevailing conspiracy theory that Epstein was murdered,
FBI agents discounted the narrative, medical experts saidthe fracture
was self-inflicted, and former federal prosecutors saidany motive for
murdering the financier would be misguided.
Rather, The New York Times suggested that Epstein had reached the end
of the benefits his enormous wealth could grant him and saw no way out
from the conditions inside MCC, which lacked the workforce to ensure
his safety, not unlike federal prisons across the country.
Read more:
A death in the Atlantic, a media empire that once had $4 billion in
debt, and a yacht named Lady Ghislaine: Take a look at Ghislaine
Maxwell's family history
Despite the conspiracy theories, broken bones in Epstein's neck aren't
proof he was murdered, medical experts say
In an unearthed 2003 interview, Jeffrey Epstein praised his private
island retreat as a place where he could 'think the thoughts I want to
think' and be 'free to explore as I see fit'
All the tech moguls who have been connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the
elite wealth manager who died in jail while awaiting trial on
sex-trafficking charges
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had
thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7,
free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best
practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and
crisis situations.
More: Jeffrey Epstein Metropolitan Correctional Center Suicide Sexual Assault
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