REPORT: Surveillance Footage Outside Epstein’s Jail Cell Damaged & Unusable

The Washington Post had the following to share about this all-too-convenient update to the Epstein suicide investigation:

At least one camera in the hallway outside the cell where authorities say registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself earlier this month had footage that is unusable, although other, clearer footage was captured in the area, according to three people briefed on the evidence gathered earlier this month.

 

It was not immediately clear why some video footage outside Epstein’s cell is too flawed for investigators to use or what is visible in the usable footage. The incident is being investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office, which are attempting to determine what happened and how to assess whether any policies were violated or crimes committed.

 

The footage is considered critical to those inquiries, and the revelation of an unusable recording is yet another of the apparent failures inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the short-staffed Bureau of Prisons facility in downtown Manhattan that held Epstein.

 

It’s unclear whether the flaw in the taping affected a limited duration of the footage or whether it was a chronic problem in the beleaguered Manhattan facility.

 

A Bureau of Prisons spokesman declined to comment, as did spokespeople for the FBI, the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

 

The people who spoke about the footage did so on the condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing probe.

Fox News also stated:

Video footage from at least one camera in the hallway outside the jail cell of alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is reportedly too damaged to be of any value for investigators looking into his death last month, which was ruled a suicide.

The Washington Post, citing three people briefed on the matter, reported Monday that it is unclear why the footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center,located in Manhattan, N.Y., was determined to be unusable. The report said there is footage in better condition taken of the area. 

It is not clear if the issue with the footage is isolated or an ongoing problem at the facility.

The Aug. 10 suicide of the 66-year-old financier – who had spent time under suicide watch just weeks before – prompted drastic measures by Attorney General William Barr. The acting director of the Bureau of Prisons was removed from his position and the two guards who were supposed to be watching Epstein have been placed on administrative leave. The warden of the facility has been temporarily reassigned.