© AP Photo/Craig RuttleTova Noel, one of two guards supposed to be watching Epstein at the time of his death, is now facing administrative proceedings with the Bureau of Prisons, according to her lawyer.
The guards, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, copped prosecution deals in May that required them to admit their guilt, with the understanding that the charges against them would be dismissed if they followed the rules of their agreement for six months.
The pair also had to carry out 100 hours of community service as part of the deal.
Manhattan federal Judge Analisa Torres ordered the dismissal of the charges against them Monday after prosecutors last week requested the raps be dropped.
Epstein was awaiting a sex-trafficking trial when he killed himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in August 2019.
Noel and Thomas, federal Bureau of Prisons guards, were working overtime shifts and sitting just 5 yards from Epstein's cell at the time, prosecutors said.
Instead of checking Epstein's cell every 30 minutes as required, prosecutors said, the two guards shopped online, took breaks and napped.
They both admitted to falsifying records to say they had made the required rounds to check on inmates the night of Epstein's suicide.
Lawyers for Noel and Thomas blamed their sleepiness on staff shortages that resulted in them working excessive overtime.
Noel's lawyer, Jason Foy, said his client had provided the government with insight into the "toxic culture, subpar training, staffing shortages, and dysfunctional management of the now closed" federal prison.
"The shortcomings and mistakes made by Ms. Noel were a result of inexperience, lack of proper and sufficient training, and being put in a position to fail by the leadership of MCC and the Bureau of Prisons," the lawyer said.
Noel is facing administrative proceedings with the Bureau of Prisons, according to her lawyer.
Thomas' lawyer did not immediately comment on the dismissal of charges.
It comes after Epstein's longtime partner in crime Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted last month of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein for years.
Interesting thought. Would it be different if they were white? Or as in the above comment, was whoever in charge that night strategically put there? Or blackmailed?
I suppose these are all moot points either way.
One more thing, Epstein didn’t kill himself.