Epstein guards who ‘fell asleep’ arrested, may face charges

Charges could be laid as soon as Tuesday evening, and would be first criminal charges laid in connection to Epstein’s death, which has been classified as a suicide, though heavily disputed.

The prolific pedophile died at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in his native New York City while awaiting trial on charges of sexual misconduct against teenage girls.

The officers in question are suspected of failing to check on Epstein every half-hour “and fabricating log entries to claim they had,” the Associated Press reports. Though federal prosecutors offered the guards plea bargains, the officers opted to decline.

Charges will be filed by Manhattan federal prosecutors. The Associated Press‘ sources have insisted on remaining anonymous, as they are not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

According to the official story surrounding Epstein’s death, the guards responsible for Epstein were working long overtime hours due to staffing shortages when Epstein was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide—a suicide which occurred after being placed on suicide watch for only six days following a previous suicide attempt in July of 2019.

Though the initial medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide, a top forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s brother deemed the death an “apparent homicide,” noting that the bones broken in Epstein’s neck were more common in cases of strangulation, not hangings.

Epstein’s death put an end to trials that could have involved numerous prominent international figures. New York’s federal prosecutors, though, continue to investigate the Epstein situation, with the Justice Department having vowed to “aggressively investigate” anyone who may have assisted Epstein.