Latest / The Vault: The Epstein Files / The OIG’s Own Report Admits Key Areas Around Epstein At MCC Were Obscured From View (5/11/26)

Transcript

The OIG’s Own Report Admits Key Areas Around Epstein At MCC Were Obscured From View (5/11/26) · The Vault: The Epstein Files

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up everyone, and welcome to another episode of the
• 0:03
  Epstein Chronicles. As we continue to make our way through
• 0:06
  the files, I've found some pretty interesting emails and reports
• 0:11
  that have been sent back and forth between MCC investigators,
• 0:16
  the OIG, and the FBI. Well, one of those reports
• 0:22
  is actually a bullet pointed Q and a type of
• 0:26
  email response. So in this episode, we're going to go
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  through that and see what the OIG had to say
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  about the missing minute of the video and a few
• 0:37
  other things. Question was the video that the OIG reviewed
• 0:42
  missing a minute similarly to the video released by the FBI?
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  If so, why was that not noted? Answer from the OIG, No,
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  there are no missing minutes in the video that the
• 0:53
  OIG reviewed. Question was the video that the OIG reviewed
• 0:57
  a screen recording or the actual raw video. If it
• 1:00
  was a screen recording, why was l aw video not available? Answer?
• 1:04
  The OIG reviewed a copy of the actual video that
• 1:07
  was recovered from the DVR system. Question was the video
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  that the OIG reviewed of the nine South elevator missing
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  approximately a minute between eleven to fifty nine pm and
• 1:18
  twelve am. Answer? No, there are no missing minutes in
• 1:22
  the video that the OIG reviewed. Question did investigators note
• 1:26
  the make and model or other information of the DVR
• 1:29
  system that might help confirm a nightly system reset? Answer?
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  There are no missing minutes, so the nightly reset. If
• 1:38
  there was a reset, it did not negatively impact the
• 1:40
  video of the three cameras that were recording. Question. It's
• 1:45
  apparent from comparing the schematics provided in the report with
• 1:48
  the video that the path from the main entrance to
• 1:51
  the stairs leading Debstein cell is obscured and it would
• 1:55
  be possible for someone to move between them unrecorded. As
• 1:58
  a report itself noted, most of the time it was
• 2:01
  not possible to see someone ascending or descending the stairs,
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  including Epstein when he was escorted to a cell at
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  seven forty nine Do you have any information that disputes
• 2:10
  this analysis? Answer? We reviewed the video at seven forty
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  nine pm, and although you can see the inmate being
• 2:17
  escorted towards his tier, due to the partial view of
• 2:20
  the video, you cannot clearly see them walking up and
• 2:23
  down the stairs or the inmate being placed into a cell.
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  Per our MOI that was drafted based upon our review
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  and analysis. The OIG's analysis was based on a review
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  of the only surveillance camera footage showing the inside of
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  the shoe, which was the camera located above the shoes
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  G Tier and outside of ten s. The video footage
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  was of low quality and the camera angle only partially
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  showed the areas located within the shoe, including the shoe
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  officer's desk area, shoe common floor area, and partial view
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  of the stairs leading to the shoes G Tier Jr.
• 3:00
  And Eltier where inmate Epstein was housed from July thirtieth,
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  twenty nineteen until August tenth, twenty nineteen. Due to the
• 3:08
  low quality of the video on camera, cannot be positively
• 3:12
  identified other than the probability based upon the Goop documents
• 3:17
  that identified who was in the shoe on specific dates
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  and times, and from statements made to the OIG by
• 3:23
  BOP employees who worked within the MCC New York. In addition,
• 3:27
  we wrote the OIG identified persons based upon interview statements,
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  the documents related to inmate accounts and employee rounds conducted
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  in the shoe on August nineteen, tenth, twenty nineteen, and
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  the MCC New York Deli assignment roster for August nineth
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  and tenth, twenty nineteen. The majority of the person seen
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  on video were wearing black colored clothing, which is consistent
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  with the MCC New York uniform, and unless otherwise noted,
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  they have been identified as correctional officers in the timeline.
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  The MCC New York authorized certain shoe inmates to work
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  as orderlies to assist in cleaning and moving items around
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  the shoe under the supervision of the CEOs, and they
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  may have been identified as orderlies in the video review.
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  As for Epstein's appearance in the shoe, the MOI states,
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  multiple witnesses told the OIG that the unit manager Redacted
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  escorted in made Epstein from attorney conference to the shoe
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  and placed them in the shower cell on the shoe's
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  g tier at approximately six fifty three pm. Redacted confirmed
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  the information and told the OIG that he plugged into
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  the legal phone line, dialed the number had to the
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  phone to Abstein, and walked off the tier. Redacted said
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  that he had a brief conversation with Redacted and Noel
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  before he departed the shoe. The video footage shows at
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  approximately six to fifty three pm, Redacted escorted Abstein across
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  the shoe common area and up the stairs of G Tier.
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  Redacted then walked to the shoe officer's desk and returned
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  to the G tier holding what appeared to be a
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  phone in his hand. Redacted walked to the G tier
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  and had a brief conversation with the three shoe officers
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  before he departed the shoe. The attached mcc new York
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  phone log showed that the phone number redacted was dialed
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  from the shoe legal line on August ninth, twenty nineteen,
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  at six fifty eight. Redacted told OIG he called the
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  shoe twenty minutes later and told the shoe staff to
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  take the phone away from Epstein, and the call log
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  showed that the call was ended at seven nineteen pm.
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  At seven nineteen pm, the video shows that Noel walked
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  onto G Tier and returned back to the shoe's desk
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  area with what appeared to be a phone in her hand.
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  The OIG's interview an investigation revealed that Redacted and Noel
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  did not conduct the ten PM count inside of the
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  shoe on August ninth, twenty nineteen. The OIG's review of
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  the mcc new York ten PM count E one document
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  from August ninth, twenty nineteen showed Control Officer redacted listed
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  GV ten thirty pm, meaning that he received a good
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  verbal count from all the housing units within the MCC
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  New York on August ninth, twenty nineteen, honor before ten
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  thirty pm. Multiple MCC employees have told the OIG that
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  two coos are needed to conduct the counts inside the shoe.
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  The OIG's video review showed Noel walked up and down
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  the stairs leading to the m J, K, G, and
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  H tiers in the shoe by herself between ten thirty
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  pm and ten thirty six pm, and returned to the
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  Shoe officer's desk at ten thirty six pm. Noel cannot
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  be seen walking onto the Eltier as a majority of
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  the view of the stairs leading to El Tier is
• 6:44
  blocked off from the camera's view. This indicates to the
• 6:48
  OIG that Noel conducted around as required to be conducted
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  every thirty minutes rather than the ten pm count. At
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  ten thirty nine pm, a CEO can be seen going
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  up the stairs of El Tier. The OIG believes this
• 7:02
  is the last time a CEO entered the l Tier
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  prior to six am. On August tenth, twenty nineteen question.
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  In the report, it's noted that tuvin o Weel exited
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  the shoe through ten South sometime around seven thirty PM
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  and returned to the shoe after Epstein was escorted to
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  his cell. However, it appears from a review that toven
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  o Wel remained on the shoe floor during that time
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  period and a different female officer, likely the person identified
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  as the acting Evening Watch Activities lieutenant, was the one
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  who actually exited the shoe through the door to ten South.
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  The IG aware of this discrepancy, and if so, do
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  you have any comment answer? As noted above, you cannot
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  positively identify people in the video. Per the MOI reviewing
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  and analyzing the video, Acting Activities Lieutenant Redacted told the
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  OIG that she conducted around inside the shoe at approximately
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  seven thirty pm. True Intel Supervisor round reports showed Redacted
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  conducted around in the shoe and the Unit ten S
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  at seven thirty one PM. Video showed a female COEO
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  going into Unit ten S at approximately seven to forty
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  five PM, So, yes, activity is Lieutenant is likely the
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  one who exited the shoe through the door to ten
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  South just prior to Epstein being escorted back to his
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  cell per the MOI. Redacted told OIG that he escorted
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  Epstein back to his cell on El Tier. The video
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  review shows at approximately seven to forty nine pm, Redacted
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  could be seen escorting Epstein, white skinned male with white
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  hair wearing orange prison clothing from G Tier to EL Tier.
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  The only reference to Noel around the time that Epstein
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  was escorted reads as follows. At seven nineteen pm, the
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  video shows that Noel walked onto G Tier and returned
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  back to the shoe desk area with what appeared to
• 8:55
  be a phone in her hand. The final report reads
• 8:59
  Noel said that approximately fifteen to twenty minutes later, while
• 9:02
  Epstein was still using the phone, the unit manager called
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  the shoe staff via telephone, told Noel that Epstein's time
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  was up and asked that Noel retrieved the telephone from Epstein.
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  Noel estimated that Epstein's call lasted for twenty minutes and
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  said that evening watch shoe officer in charge and the
• 9:20
  material handler were also present in the shoe during Epstein's
• 9:24
  phone call. Noel reported that she took the phone back
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  from Epstein, left Epstein alone in the shower, and went
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  to use the bathroom on ten South. Noel said that
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  upon her return Epstein was already back in his cell.
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  We reviewed the video and it's unclear who was in
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  the video. The second COO could be Noel. This is
• 9:43
  specific review from the MLI from that time period. Nineteen
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  nineteen Noel walked down the stairs from G Tier carrying
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  what appeared to be a phone. Nineteen twenty COO walked
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  from desk area to El Tyr. Nineteen twenty two. Inmates
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  is swarted by COO from laundry to M Tier. Nineteen
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  twenty five. Inmate not dressed in orange is escorted by
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  two CEOs from recreational area towards laundry and shoe entrance
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  exit area. Nineteen twenty six to nineteen thirty three. General
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  movement around Shoe area of coos and inmates and orderlies.
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  Nineteen thirty four. Inmates brought from laundry and shoe Entrance
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  exit area to the recreational area. Nineteen thirty five to
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  nineteen thirty eight. General movement around the Shoe common area,
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  desk area and the stairs of some of the tiers.
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  There are numerous coos moving around in the shoe nineteen
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  forty six. Two coos climbed the stairs up to the
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  landing in front of door forty six. One CO placed
• 10:45
  down a blue trash can and walked into G tier.
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  The other BFCO with reddish air appeared to be acting
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  activity as Lieutenant picked up the phone besides the door
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  forty six and went inside ten s with the blue
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  trash can. Nineteen forty nine through nineteen fifty six general
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  movement around the shoe, common area and desk area question
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  in the report Tovin Noel told OIG investigators that no
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  one could enter the shoe without her physically letting them
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  through the second security door. However, on multiple occasions staff
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  enter into the shoe, and despite the fact that the
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  door is off camera, Noel and Thomas both remain in
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  sight of the camera. Was this a discrepancy and wasn't
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  noted at the time answer. The final issue to report
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  reads as follows. Noel told the OIG that she and
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  CO three conducted the three am and five am counts
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  in mcc New York ten South unit, which is a
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  single cell secure unit adjacent to the shoe. Noel said
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  that when she left the shoe to assist CO three,
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  she took the shoe keys with her, and that no
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  one could have accessed the shoe while she was gone
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  because she had to physically open the door for anyone
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  who came into the shoe. Noel also told the OIG
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  that when the morning Watch Operations Lieutenant arrived to conduct
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  around at approximately four am, Noel let her into the shoe.
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  The OIG's review and analysis of the shoe video shows
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  that morning Watch Operations Lieutenant arrived in the shoe at
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  approximately four am, visited the ten South unit at four
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  four am, returned to the shoe at four eleven am,
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  and left the shoe at four fourteen am. According to Noel,
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  no one other than the Morning Watch Operations Lieutenant and Co.
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  Three as detailed later below, entered the shoe during her shift.
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  Our MLI states what happened during the time period According
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  to the mcc delhi as Simon roster for August ninth
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  and tenth, twenty nineteen, redacted. Shift ended at twelve am,
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  at which time Michael Thomas began his shift in the shoe.
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  Noel and Thomas admitted to the OIG that they pre
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  filed and filled the count and round sheets for the
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  morning watch shift. On August tenth, twenty nineteen, and did
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  not conduct any of the council rounds from twelve am
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  to six am. The August tenth, twenty nineteen MCC twelve am,
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  three am, and five am count sheets were signed by
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  Noel N. Thomas. Video footage show Thomas and Noel did
• 13:15
  not walk into any of the shoe tears during their
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  shift from twelve am to six am. The video showed
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  COO redacted or reported to work on Unit ten South
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  at twelve am. Between twelve am and one am, there
• 13:28
  were very few movements in the shoe area. Between one
• 13:31
  o five am and three ten am, the OIG did
• 13:34
  not detect any movement at the shoe officer's desk area
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  or around the shoe common area. It appeared that the
• 13:40
  CEOs were sleeping at the desk area in the shoe.
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  Noel went to Unit ten South at three fourteen and
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  returned back to the shoe at three seventeen, which is
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  consistent with her statement that she assisted or redacted with
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  Unit ten South count At three am. Noel again went
• 13:56
  to Unit South ten at three forty two and returned
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  to the shoe at three fifty one am. The Federal
• 14:03
  Bureau of Prisons True Intel Supervisor Rounds report showed Operation
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  Lieutenant redacted conducted around in nine South Shoe at five
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  twenty one am and ten South Upper at five twenty
• 14:14
  two am. Video review shows they arrived in the shoe
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  at four am and departed the shoe at four to
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  fourteen AM. Video shows Noel going to Unit ten South
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  at five twenty six am, which is consistent with Noel's
• 14:27
  statement that she assisted or redacted with Unit ten South
• 14:30
  five am count. The count slips for Unit ten South
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  reflected Noel and redacted signature for the three am and
• 14:37
  five am counts. Thomas relieved redacted in Unit ten South
• 14:41
  from five thirty seven am to five fifty am. At
• 14:44
  approximately six twenty two am, breakfast was brought to the shoe,
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  and video shows Thomas and Noel moved the food trays
• 14:51
  to different areas in the common area of the shoe.
• 14:54
  At six thirty am, co appeared to be Noel can
• 14:58
  be seen quickly moving from lt stairs to the desk
• 15:01
  area and quickly back multiple times. Noel told the OIG
• 15:05
  that she opened the Eltier gate and stood by the
• 15:08
  gate while Thomas conducted the feeding. She hit the body
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  alarm on the radio. As soon as Thomas told her
• 15:13
  that Epstein hung himself. Thomas asked her for a cutter,
• 15:16
  and she went looking for one but never found one.
• 15:19
  Multiple CEOs wrote BOP memorandum stating that the body alarm
• 15:23
  was activated at six thirty three am. Video shows additional
• 15:28
  CEOs going up the stairs for El Tier at six
• 15:31
  thirty three am. Question. Is there any evidence that the
• 15:35
  second security door and door leading to El Tier were closed?
• 15:38
  In the photo included in the report, those doors were
• 15:41
  propped open. Is it possible that they could have also
• 15:43
  been propped open the night of Epstein's death? Answer? The
• 15:48
  photos on page twenty four were taken during our investigation
• 15:51
  and after the mcc New York was vacated. All statements
• 15:54
  obtained by the OIG said the doors were closed. Question,
• 15:58
  regardless of weather or the door was locked several times
• 16:01
  during the night, Tovia Noel and Michael Thomas exit the
• 16:04
  camera review in the direction of the main entrance and
• 16:07
  were absent for several minutes. Is there any evidence beyond
• 16:10
  their statements that they did not let someone into the
• 16:12
  shoe during those opportunities? Answer? Their limited movements are detailed above.
• 16:17
  And we have no evidence that anyone aside from those
• 16:20
  mentioned ever entered the shoe or went near Epstein's cell question.
• 16:24
  At approximately twelve o five am, an individual in a
• 16:28
  red hat and sweatshirt exited the door of ten South
• 16:31
  traveled through the shoe. This is not one of the
• 16:33
  two individuals noted in the report to have entered the
• 16:36
  shoe during Noel and Thomas's shift. Do you have any
• 16:39
  comment regarding the discrepancy answer our MOI concerning our video
• 16:45
  review indicated the following zero zero zero one CEO, possibly
• 16:51
  Noel or Thomas, walked from the desk area to the
• 16:53
  general shoe common area, then back to the desk area.
• 16:57
  Zero zero one bm COO identify by Deli Assignment roster
• 17:01
  as COEO redacted walked from laundry and shoe entrance exit
• 17:04
  area to door forty six, picked up a phone and
• 17:08
  walked into ten S COO redacted reporting for a shift
• 17:12
  zero zero two redacted closed the door for ten S
• 17:16
  zero zero five movement at the desk area. CO Mason
• 17:20
  finished his shift, exited ten S through door forty six,
• 17:23
  picked up objects located outside door forty six and put
• 17:27
  them inside door forty six. Mason then walked down the
• 17:30
  stairs towards the desk area and exited towards the laundry
• 17:34
  and shoe entrance exit area zero zero seven. One CO,
• 17:38
  possibly Noel or Thomas, walked from area below camera towards
• 17:42
  desk area question. According to the report, believed Tovin Noel
• 17:47
  brought clothing or betting to l Tier at approximately ten
• 17:50
  forty pm. The report does not indicate who she was
• 17:53
  bringing that clothing or betting. Two does the IG have
• 17:56
  any additional information regarding that answer from our MOO. The
• 18:00
  OIG's video reviewed show Noel walked up and down the
• 18:03
  stairs leading the leading to the MJ K G and
• 18:07
  h tiars in the shoe by herself between ten thirty
• 18:10
  pm and ten thirty six pm and returned to the
• 18:13
  shoe officer's desk at ten thirty six pm. Noel cannot
• 18:17
  be seen walking onto El Tier as a majority of
• 18:20
  the view of the stairs leading to El Tier blocked
• 18:22
  off from the camera's view. This indicates to the OIG
• 18:26
  that Noel conducted around as required to be conducted every
• 18:30
  thirty minutes rather than the ten pm count. At ten
• 18:33
  thirty nine pm, a CO can be seen going up
• 18:36
  the stairs of L Tier. The OIG believes this is
• 18:39
  the last time a CEO entered the L tier prior
• 18:42
  to six am on August tenth, twenty nineteen. Question. The
• 18:47
  report does not give an estimated time of death. Did
• 18:50
  the OIG review any information that may indicate at what
• 18:53
  time Epstein died? Answer? We did not review any information
• 18:57
  that indicated an estimated time of death. He hung himself
• 19:01
  sometime between August ninth, twenty nineteen, at ten thirty nine
• 19:04
  PM and August tenth, twenty nineteen, at six thirty three am,
• 19:10
  according to the Medical Examiner. Epstein was pronounced dead at
• 19:13
  seven thirty six am eight ten, twenty nineteen timeframe. According
• 19:18
  to the MCC Clinical Director's report, at six thirty three am,
• 19:23
  MCC shoe staff found Epstein on a responsive in his
• 19:26
  cell and attempted to wakem CPR was initiated by Shoe
• 19:30
  staff at six thirty five am, and EMS called EMS
• 19:34
  arrived at six forty five am and continued CPR. Epstein
• 19:38
  departed MCC at seven ten am and arrived at New
• 19:42
  York Presbyterian Hospital. All right, folks, well that's going to
• 19:46
  do it for the question and answer session that was
• 19:48
  sent by an unknown party to the OIG investigators. All
• 19:53
  of the information that goes with this episode can be
• 19:55
  found in the description box.