Two federal prison officials accused of neglecting their duties when accused sex trader Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in a Manhattan prison cell are expected to avoid jail time as part of a deal struck Friday with federal prosecutors.
Officers Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, who were deployed to Epstein’s special housing unit at the Metropolitan Penitentiary during a night shift in August 2019, admitted to “intentionally and knowingly” falsifying documents showing they had carried out the necessary cell patrols, according to court documents.
At a time when they needed to take care of their duties, prosecutors argued that officers appeared to be sleeping, staying in a common office space, or browsing the Internet.
Read more:Officers: A loaded gun was found in a troubled detention center in Manhattan
As part of a delayed prosecution agreement, awaiting federal judge approval, the two officers will serve six months of supervised release, co-operate in the ongoing investigation by the Justice Department inspector general and perform 100 hours of community service.
“After a thorough investigation, and based on the facts of this case and the personal circumstances of the accused, the government has determined that the interests of justice will best serve to delay the prosecution in this district,” prosecutors said in a letter to the court on Friday.
When the charges were announced, prosecutors claimed no checks had been carried out on the detainees from 10:30 p.m., Aug. 9, to 6:30 a.m. the next morning, when officers discovered Epstein’s body. During that time, officers were required to perform five separate counts of prisoners in the high security unit. A review of the surveillance video allegedly showed the two police officers sleeping at their desks at one point during the night, according to court documents.
Epstein’s sudden death set off a wave of accusations against his numerous victims, which envisioned his trial for sex trafficking and related conspiracy charges. Prosecutors alleged that Epstein “sexually exploited and abused dozens of underage girls” in his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, and elsewhere from at least 2002 to 2005.
The suicide also sparked a leadership turnaround at the Federal Prison Department, as then-Attorney General William Barr ordered several investigations focused on operations at the Manhattan plant where Epstein was housed.
Suicide has highlighted a persistent shortage of staff in prisons across the vast federal system, where police officers routinely work overtime and other officers – nurses, teachers and kitchen workers – are often forced to fill vacancies.
0 Comments