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The OIG Report Into Jeffrey Epstein's Death: The Custody And Care Of Epstein (Chapter 4 Part 1) · The Vault: The Epstein Files

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Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles.
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In this episode, we're diving right back into that OIG
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report detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein.
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In our last episode, we finished off with chapter three,
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which was the timeline and some key events, and in
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this episode, we're going to begin chapter four, so let's
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get right to it. Chapter four Custody and care of
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Epstein prior to his death, Epstein's arrest and detention on
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July sixth. On July second, twenty nineteen, a grand jury
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of the US District Court for the Southern District of
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New York returned to two count indictment that charged Epstein
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with committing sex trafficking and the sex trafficking conspiracy in
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violation of eighteen US Code Section three seventy one fifteen
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ninety one A, B and two and two, based on
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allegations that he sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls,
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some as young as fourteen years old, at his homes
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in New York and Florida. The indictment alleged that from
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at least two thousand two through two thousand five, Epstein
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enticed and recruited girls, many of whom he knew were underage,
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to visit his homes and perform sex acts in exchange
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for paying each girl hundreds of dollars in cash. The
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indictment further alleged that Epstein, working with employees and associates,
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created a vast network of underage victims to sexually exploit
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in New York and Florida, by paying some victims hundreds
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of dollars in cash each to recruit other minor girls
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to also be abused by Epstein. In addition to the
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two criminal charges, the indictment also contained forfeiture allegations, which
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sought to forfeit to the United States any property that
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was either used to commit or was a proceed of
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the charge sex trafficking offense, including Epstein's New York residence.
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On Saturday, July sixth, twenty nineteen, Epstein was arrested at
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Teterborough Airport in New Jersey upon his return to the
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United States from France. He was transported to the Metropolitan
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Correctional Center located in New York, New York MCC, New York,
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where he was initially placed in the general inmate population.
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MCC New York is a federal administrative detention facility operated
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by the Federal Bureau of Prisons the BOP. The BOP
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temporarily closed MCC new York in October of twenty twenty
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one due to substandard conditions that are unrelated to this investigation.
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When it was operational, MCC new York housed primarily pre
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trial detainees who had not yet been convicted of any offense,
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but whom the court had determined, under applicable law, should
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remain in custody depending trial, either because they represent a
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danger to the community, a substantial flight risk, or both
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due to the significant media attention surrounding his arrest and
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his notoriety among other MCC new York inmates. The following day,
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Epstein was moved to mcc new York Special Housing Unit
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or the Shoe, a housing unit within MCC New York
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where inmates are securely separated from the general inmate population
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and kept locked in their cells for approximately twenty three
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hours per day to ensure their own safety as well
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as the safety of staff and other inmates. On Monday,
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July eighth, twenty nineteen, Epstein appeared in federal court and
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pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court order that
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Epstein remained in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for
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July fifteenth of twenty nineteen. At the detention hearing, Epstein
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sought to be placed in home detention at his New
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York residence with an electronic monitoring and other conditions. The
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prosecutors sought to have Epstein detained at mcc New York
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pending trial. The court reviewed the party's filings and heard
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arguments on the matter of pre trial release on July
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fifteenth of twenty nineteen. On July eighteenth of twenty nineteen,
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the Court ordered that Epstein be detained pending trial. In
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its ruling, the court noted that because Ebstein had been
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indicted for a violation of the federal sex Trafficking Statute
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that involved minor victims, there was a presumption in favor
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of detention under federal law. The court found that the
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United States had shown by clear and convincing evidence that
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Epstein threat in the safety of another person and of
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the community, based on testimony from two victims, the allegations
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of repeated sexual abuse of minors, and the lewd photographs
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of young looking women or girls that were found during
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an authorized search of Epstein's New York residence in July
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of twenty nineteen. The court also relied on the recommendation
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of US pre trial services, the seriousness of the offenses
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with which Epstein had been charged, evidence reflecting Epstein's harassment
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and intimidation of and tampering with witnesses involved in a
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prior Florida State criminal investigation, and Epstein's lack of compliance
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with his legal obligations as a registered sex offender. The
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court found that the United States had also shown by
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a preponderance of the evidence that Epstein was a flight
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risk based on the severity of the criminal charges and
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severity of the potential punishment, the strength of the evidence
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against Epstein, and Epstein's criminal history, sex offender registration, vast
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wealth and substantial liquid assets, multiple residences of foreign residents,
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limited family ties in the United States, private planes, extensive
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oversea travel, and possession of a foreign passport bearing Epstein's
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photograph but not his name. Finally, the court found that
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Epstein's pre trial release proposal was inadequate because, among other things,
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it did not contain sworn, accurate, or comprehensive financial statements,
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it required excessive court involvement in routine aspects of the
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proposed home confinement, the proposed consent to extradition was unenforceable,
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and the proposed appointments of a trustee to monitor Epstein's
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compliance with release conditions was unacceptably vague and problematic due
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to the potential conflict of interest presented by monitoring the
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conduct of a person who paid the trustees' salary, and
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allegations Epstein engaged in on lawful ax with his employees
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during the sex trafficking conspiracy. Epstein appealed the court's order
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on July twenty second of twenty nineteen. This appeal remained
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pending at the time of Epstein's death. Section two MCC
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New York Special Housing Unit. Epstein was initially assigned to
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MCC New York General Inmate Population, but on July seventh,
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twenty nineteen, at approximately seven to twenty pm, he was
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moved to the Shoe, pending reclassification due to the significant
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increase in media coverage and awareness of his notoriety among
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the other MCC New York inmate residents. The Shoe is
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a housing unit within the MCC news York where inmates
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are securely separated from the general inmate population and kept
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locked in their cells for approximately twenty three hours a
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day to ensure their own safety as well as the
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safety of the staff and other inmates. Inmates in the
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Shoe are either on administrative detention or disciplinary segregation status.
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Administrative segregation status is a non punitive designation that removes
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an inmate from the general population when it's necessary to
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do so to ensure the safety, security, and orderly operation
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of the correctional facility or to protect the public. The
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MCC new York employee, who is the Acting Evening Watch
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Activities Lieutenant, on August ninth, twenty nineteen, told the Office
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of the Inspector General OIG that most inmates housed in
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the Shoe are locked down in their cells for most
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of the day. Other witnesses told the that Shoe inmates
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are locked in their cells for approximately twenty three hours
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per day. The Warden of MCC new York during Epstein's
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period of detention at that facility, along with the Associate
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Warden I and the acting Evening Watch Activity As Lieutenant,
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explained that this was one of the reasons that conducting
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rounds in the shoe was so important. Unlike inmates in
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general population housing, Shoe inmates could not physically approach a
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staff member. Therefore, the staff member had to go to
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each inmate's cell. Witnesses told the OIG that Epstein's daily
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routine in the Shoe was to meet with his attorney
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in the attorney conference room all day until approximately eight pm.
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MCC New York attorney logs confirmed that Epstein had daily
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visits with attorneys from several different law practices throughout the
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period of his detention at MCC New York. This is
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consistent with the infra available in century a BOP database
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that contains information relating to the care classification, subsistence, protection, discipline,
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and programs of the federal inmates, which indicates that Epstein
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had one to two attorney visits on all but one
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day he was detained at MCC New York. BOP emails
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reflect that other attorneys expressed frustration to a supervisory staff
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attorney with the BOP's Consolidated Legal Center for New York
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because attorneys had to wait hours or were unable to
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meet with their clients because Epstein and his attorneys were
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occupying the attorney conference room, even at times when Epstein
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had to leave the conference room for a medical visit.
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At MCC New York, the shoe was located on the
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south side of the institution's ninth floor and was often
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referred to as nine South. Primary accident to the shoe
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was controlled by a locked door main exterior entry door.
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That door was opened remotely by a staff member in
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mcc New York Centralized Control Center. Access into the shoe
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was further controlled by a second lock door, main interior
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entry door, to which a limited number of correctional officers
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had keys while on duty. Secondary access to the shoe
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was controlled by a locked door. That door was opened
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remotely by a staff member in the Centralized Control Center.
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Entry into the shoe from the secondary access point was
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further controlled by three additional locked doors, to which a
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limited number of the CEOs had keys while on duty.
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The secondary access doors were used only by staff when
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facilitating visits between the shoe inmates and their outside visitors.
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Within the shoe, inmates were assigned to six separate tiers
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or groups of cells, three of which were excited via
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stairs leading up from the common area on the ninth floor.
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Upper tiers G J, and L tiers, and three of
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which were accessible via stairs leading down from the common
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area on the ninth floor lower tiers H, K, and
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M tiers. The entrance to each tier could be accessed
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only via a single locked door at the top or
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bottom of the staircase leading to the individual tier. A
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limited number of keys to open the locked tier doors
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were available only to a limited number of cos while
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on duty. Each tier had eight cells, each of which
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could house either one or two inmates. Each individual cell,
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which was made of cement and metal, could be accessed
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only through a single locked door, to which only a
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limited number of COS had keys while on duty. The
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shoe cell doors were made of solid metal with a
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glass window and small locked stets that correctional staff used
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to handcuff inmates and provide food or toilet tries to
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inmates as a further security measure. During each shift, the
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keys to the shoe tier doors and shoe cell doors
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were carried by different coos. As noted above, inmates in
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the shoe are securely separated from the general inmate population
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and are kept locked in their cell when in their
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assigned tier. Within the shoe, Witnesses told the OEG that
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shoe inmates are locked in their cells for approximately twenty
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three hours a day. GOP policy provides that weather and
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resources permitting, Shoe inmates will have the opportunity to exercise
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outside of their quarters five hours per calendar a week.
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Under federal regulations the BOP policy, Shoe inmates ordinarily have
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the opportunity to shower at least three times a week,
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typically on different days, in one hour periods. Shoe inmates
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may also be escorted from their cells by mcc new
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York staff for visits, including legal visits, court appearances, medical
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and psychological attention. The mcc new York Shoe post orders
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require that all visitors to the shoe be documented in
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the Shoe visitor Log, and that any inmate visiting the shoe,
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such as inmates on work details, be searched visually and
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with a handheld metal detector without exception. The mcc new
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York Shoe post Orders also requires that food carts be
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searched inside and out before being brought into a shoe
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cell block, and that all meals be delivered through the
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cell door food slot of the lock cell door. All right, folks,
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this section is massive, so we're gonna break it down
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into several parts, so we're gonna stop here, and then
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in the next episode we're gonna pick up with section
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three of Chapter five. All of the information that goes
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with this episode can be found in the description box.