Epstein guards admit to falsifying records, cut deal with prosecutors to skirt jail time

Jesse O'Neill and Ben Feuerherd
New York Post
Fri, 21 May 2021 18:16 UTC

© Craig Ruttle/AP

Michael Thomas, a federal jail guard responsible for monitoring Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself, leaves federal court in New York in 2019.

The two jail employees tasked with guarding pedophile Jeffrey Epstein the night of his suicide in a Manhattan jail have admitted to falsifying records — but will skirt time behind bars under a deal with prosecutors.

Tova Noel and Michael Thomas admitted that they "willfully and knowingly" lied on forms stating that they'd made the required rounds checking on inmates the night of Epstein's August 2019 suicide

Prosecutors said the guards were sleeping and surfing the web when they should have been monitoring the maximum security federal prisoner, who had recently been on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

Under a plea deal announced Friday, they will avoid jail time in connection with their misconduct.

© Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Tova Noel is surrounded by fellow guards as she departs after a court hearing.

Instead, the disgraced duo will be required to complete 100 hours of community service and cooperate with a federal probe, according to the agreement, which must be approved by a judge.

"After a thorough investigation, and based on the facts of this case and the personal circumstances of the defendants, the Government has determined that the interests of justice will best be served by deferring prosecution in this District," US Attorney Audrey Strauss wrote to Federal Judge Analisa Torres, in a letter filed Friday.

Noel and Thomas, who were working overtime shifts, allegedly sat just five yards from Epstein's cell, but shopped online and took breaks instead of checking his cell every 30 minutes as required.

A New York medical examiner ruled that the government's high profile prisoner — a billionaire serial predator linked to former presidents, titans of industry and international dignitaries — did indeed die from suicide by hanging at one of the nation's most secure jails.

A 2019 poll revealed that only a third of Americans believed the nature of Epstein's death was accurately reported.

Comment: From the Daily Wire:

dailywire.com Officers Guarding Epstein During Death Admit They Falsified Records, Cut Pending Deal With No Jail Time Ryan Saavedra 3-4 minutes

The two prison guards — Tova Noel and Michael Thomas — assigned to guard Jeffrey Epstein on the night that he died have admitted that they falsified prison records and have cut a deal with federal prosecutors.

"As part of the deal with prosecutors, they will enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department and will serve no time behind bars," The Associated Press reported. "Noel and Thomas would instead be subjected to supervised release, would be required to complete 100 hours of community service and would be required to fully cooperate with an ongoing probe by the Justice Department's inspector general."

The guards, who were supposed to be checking on Epstein every 30 minutes, are accused of checking sports news and shopping for furniture on the internet before taking a nap during Epstein's death. The two are accused of falsifying prison records to make it look like they had been doing their job during the time of Epstein's death.

A letter from federal prosecutors that was filed in federal court says that the two have "admitted that they 'willfully and knowingly completed materially false count and round slips regarding required counts and rounds.'"

The AP added:

Epstein's death and the revelation that he was able to kill himself while behind bars at one of the most secure jails in America was a major embarrassment for the Bureau of Prisons and cast a spotlight on the agency, which has also been besieged by serious misconduct in recent years.

Staffing shortages at the agency are so severe that guards often work overtime day after day or are forced to work mandatory double shifts. ... The falsification of records has been a problem throughout the federal prison system. Union officials have long argued that the reduction of staff is putting both guards and inmates in danger, but they've faced an uphill battle getting attention.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime friend, was charged by federal authorities for allegedly contributing to Epstein's abuse of underage girls and is currently awaiting trial.

"Ghislaine Maxwell is woken up every 15 minutes with flashlights by guards at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn because the accused madam is on an 'enhanced security schedule' lockup, federal authorities said in court papers," the NYP reported.

"Federal prosecutors detailed the regimen in a letter to Manhattan federal court Judge Alison Nathan, who ordered them to respond to accusations from Maxwell's defense attorneys that she's subjected to onerous prison conditions, including sleep deprivation because of the constant wake ups."

The letter from authorities said that she is monitored every 15 minutes for her own safety, even though they said she is not on suicide watch.

A friend of Maxwell's previously said that Maxwell believed that she could avoid criminal prosecution because Maxwell said she had serious dirt on powerful people.

Much more care is being taken with Ms. Maxwell. It appears the PTB are less worried about what she might say, than they were about Epstein.