The newly released court documents have revealed a lot about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his life, and his connection with high-profile people from different sectors of the society. A recently released court paper has revealed a connection between Ruslana Korshunova, a well-known top model who took her life in 2008 at the age of 20 with Epstein.

Ruslana took her life in 2008 by jumping from the 9th floor of her Wall Street apartment. The young fashion model took her life just two years after she flown with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in his private jet known as Lolita Express to his private island. 
 
Her visit to the island was confirmed after her name was found in Epstein's flight records. The sex offender Epstein, his bodyguard, Igor Zinoviev, and a chef, Lance Calloway, were onboard with her on a flight.

Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims, filed a lawsuit claiming that Jeffrey and Britain's Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her. She was asked about Ruslana Korshunova and whether she knew her or not. 
 
“I think it’s a long shot you would recognize her, but read the article I attached and then look at the pictures and see if you recognize her,” attorney Brad Edwards wrote back then. 
 
“I am sorry to hear the news of Ruslana, and my condolences are with her family and friends. I can say that&nbsp;I have never had any meetings with her, sorry not to be of any help there.”

Korshunova visited Epstein’s island just a few months before the sex offender was arrested in 2006 and later, he was convicted of assaulting underage girls. 
 
In her short life, Korshunova achieved a lot in her modelling career and made a name in the fashion industry. She became the face of Vogue magazine and brands like Nina Ricci perfume, Vera Wang, and others. 
&nbsp;

The newly released court documents have revealed a lot about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his life, and his connection with high-profile people from different sectors of the society.

The newly released court documents have revealed a lot about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his life, and his connection with high-profile people from different sectors of the society. A recently released court paper has revealed a connection between Ruslana Korshunova, a well-known top model who took her life in 2008 at the age of 20 with Epstein. Ruslana took her life in 2008 by jumping from the 9th floor of her Wall Street apartment. The young fashion model took her life just two years after she flown with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in his private jet known as Lolita Express to his private island. Her visit to the island was confirmed after her name was found in Epstein's flight records. The sex offender Epstein, his bodyguard, Igor Zinoviev, and a chef, Lance Calloway, were onboard with her on a flight. Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims, filed a lawsuit claiming that Jeffrey and Britain's Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her. She was asked about Ruslana Korshunova and whether she knew her or not. “I think it’s a long shot you would recognize her, but read the article I attached and then look at the pictures and see if you recognize her,” attorney Brad Edwards wrote back then. “I am sorry to hear the news of Ruslana, and my condolences are with her family and friends. I can say that I have never had any meetings with her, sorry not to be of any help there.” Korshunova visited Epstein’s island just a few months before the sex offender was arrested in 2006 and later, he was convicted of assaulting underage girls. In her short life, Korshunova achieved a lot in her modelling career and made a name in the fashion industry. She became the face of Vogue magazine and brands like Nina Ricci perfume, Vera Wang, and others.

Ruslana Korshunova, a 20-year-old model who died by suicide after visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s island

Two privately-owned islands belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the tainted American financier and registered sexual offender, were sold to a billionaire investor Thursday. The two islands, Great St.James and Little St. James were abandoned after Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.&nbsp;

Stephen Deckoff, the founder of private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, bought the islands for $60 million, Forbes reported Wednesday. Deckoff paid approximately 50 per cent less for the two private islands than the price that was listed last year by Epstein’s estate.&nbsp;

According to a press release by Deckoff, he is planning to “develop a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort” on the islands that will become operational in 2025.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wagner-leader-says-ukraine-counter-offensive-has-begun-death-toll-from-kherson-shelling-rises-to-21-588678">Wagner leader says Ukraine counter-offensive has begun; Kherson shelling toll rises to 21</a>

"I've been proud to call the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty," Deckoff said in the release.&nbsp;

"There is simply no place in the world as special as the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands and I am humbled by the opportunity to share its splendour with visitors in a manner that will provide economic benefits to the region while respecting its culture, history and natural beauty."

In a conversation with Forbes, Deckoff revealed&nbsp;that he had never met Epstein and had never been to the islands before they went on the market. In March last year, the islands were listed for a combined price of $125 million.&nbsp;

Deckoff has ties with the US Virgin Islands and is aware of the unsavoury past of these islands. It was reported that Epstein used to use these islands to sexually abuse&nbsp;teenage girls. One island was even sometimes dubbed as the ‘Paedophile Island’.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-judge-dismisses-donald-trumps-lawsuit-against-new-york-times-orders-him-to-pay-all-legal-fees-588698">US judge dismisses Donald Trump's lawsuit against New York Times, orders him to pay all legal fees</a>

The 72-acre Little St. James Island was repurchased by Epstein in 1998 for $7.95 million, which has a villa-style compound, a library, a cinema hall, a detached bath house and cabanas. He later bought the 160-acre Great St. James Island for $20 million in 2016.&nbsp;

In the allegation against Epstein, it was said that he used to bring girls as young as 11 to the islands with his associates and used to sexually assault them.&nbsp;

Jeffrey Epstein’s case&nbsp;

Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was held while awaiting his trial for sex trafficking. The FBI raided Little St. James, where Epstein was believed to have his primary residence.&nbsp;

Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was later found guilty of aiding his beau in the sex trafficking of young girls and was sentenced to prison for 20 years.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Two privately-owned islands belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the tainted American financier and registered sexual offender, were sold to a billionaire investor Thursday.

Two privately-owned islands belonging to Jeffrey Epstein, the tainted American financier and registered sexual offender, were sold to a billionaire investor Thursday. The two islands, Great St.James and Little St. James were abandoned after Epstein committed suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Stephen Deckoff, the founder of private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, bought the islands for $60 million, Forbes reported Wednesday. Deckoff paid approximately 50 per cent less for the two private islands than the price that was listed last year by Epstein’s estate. According to a press release by Deckoff, he is planning to “develop a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort” on the islands that will become operational in 2025. Also Read | Wagner leader says Ukraine counter-offensive has begun; Kherson shelling toll rises to 21 "I've been proud to call the US Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty," Deckoff said in the release. "There is simply no place in the world as special as the US Virgin Islands and I am humbled by the opportunity to share its splendour with visitors in a manner that will provide economic benefits to the region while respecting its culture, history and natural beauty." In a conversation with Forbes, Deckoff revealed that he had never met Epstein and had never been to the islands before they went on the market. In March last year, the islands were listed for a combined price of $125 million. Deckoff has ties with the US Virgin Islands and is aware of the unsavoury past of these islands. It was reported that Epstein used to use these islands to sexually abuse teenage girls. One island was even sometimes dubbed as the ‘Paedophile Island’. Also Read | US judge dismisses Donald Trump's lawsuit against New York Times, orders him to pay all legal fees The 72-acre Little St. James Island was repurchased by Epstein in 1998 for $7.95 million, which has a villa-style compound, a library, a cinema hall, a detached bath house and cabanas. He later bought the 160-acre Great St. James Island for $20 million in 2016. In the allegation against Epstein, it was said that he used to bring girls as young as 11 to the islands with his associates and used to sexually assault them. Jeffrey Epstein’s case Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was held while awaiting his trial for sex trafficking. The FBI raided Little St. James, where Epstein was believed to have his primary residence. Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was later found guilty of aiding his beau in the sex trafficking of young girls and was sentenced to prison for 20 years. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Jeffrey Epstein’s private islands sold to billionaire investor for $60 million

The disgraced financier, jailed in Manhattan on federal sex trafficking charges involving teenage girls, was found unconscious on the floor of his cell one morning in July 2019, a strip of bedsheet tied around his bruised neck.

In the hours and days that followed that suicide attempt, Jeffrey Epstein would claim to be living a “wonderful life,” denying any thoughts of ending it, even as he sat on suicide watch and faced daunting legal troubles.

“I have no interest in killing myself,” Epstein told a jailhouse psychologist, according to Bureau of Prisons documents that have not previously been made public. He was a “coward” and did not like pain, he explained. “I would not do that to myself.”

But two weeks later, he did just that: He died in his cell Aug. 10 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, having hanged himself with a bedsheet, the medical examiner ruled.

After a life of manipulation, Epstein created illusions until the very end, deceiving correctional officers, counsellors and specially trained inmates assigned to monitor him around the clock, according to the documents — among more than 2,000 pages of Federal Bureau of Prisons records obtained by The New York Times after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

The detailed notes and reports compiled by those who interacted with Epstein during his 36 days of detention show how he repeatedly assured them he had much to live for, while also hinting that he was increasingly despondent. The clues prompted too little action by jail and bureau officials, who made mistake after mistake leading up to Epstein’s death, the records reveal.

Beyond the legal and administrative matters, the collection of records provides the most intimate and detailed look yet at Epstein’s final days, and offers something often missing from public accounts: his voice.

He passed many days closed in a conference room with his attorneys, avoiding the confines of his dank and dirty cell. In conversations with psychologists and other inmates, he spoke of his interest in physics and mathematics and offered tidbits of investment advice. He reminisced about socialising with celebrities, even as he complained about the running toilet in his cell, the orange prison garb, his difficulty sleeping, his dehydration and numbness in his right arm.

And where Epstein had once rubbed shoulders with politicians, scientists and Wall Street titans, now he was left to converse about the food in the 12-story detention centre.

“Epstein wants to know who’s the best cook on 11 North,” one inmate wrote.

The newly obtained records offer no support to the explosion of conspiracy theories that Epstein’s death was not a suicide. They also shed no light on questions raised by his brother and one of his attorneys that he might have been assisted in killing himself. But they do paint a picture of incompetence and sloppiness by some within the Bureau of Prisons, which runs the federal detention centre.

An intake screening form erroneously described Epstein as a Black male (he was white), and indicated that he had no prior sex offence convictions, even though he was a registered sex offender with two 2008 convictions in Florida, for solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution. A few social phone calls he made were not recorded, logged or monitored, records show, an apparent violation of jail policy.

The night he killed himself, Epstein lied to jail officials and said he wanted to phone his mother — who was long dead. He instead called his girlfriend. Jail personnel left him alone in his cell that night, despite an explicit directive that he be assigned a cellmate.

Two days after the suicide, William Barr, then the US&nbsp;attorney general, said there were “serious irregularities” at the correctional centre, but did not elaborate. He later blamed “a perfect storm of screw-ups.”

A 15-page psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death, compiled by bureau officials five weeks later and never before made public, concluded that his identity “appeared to be based on his wealth, power and association with other high-profile individuals.”

“The lack of significant interpersonal connections, a complete loss of his status in both the community and among associates, and the idea of potentially spending his life in prison,” the post-mortem continued, “were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide.”

The Bureau of Prisons, in a statement, declined to comment on Epstein’s detention, but said “the safe, secure and humane housing of inmates is BOP’s highest priority.”

The bureau said it had created a task force to address the mental health implications of housing inmates alone, and was committed to improving its suicide prevention program, including “continuing to train BOP staff on suicide prevention, risk assessment and emergency responses.”

This fall, the Justice Department, citing poor conditions at the jail, also temporarily closed it, moving its prisoners to other facilities.

The Times obtained the materials after suing the Bureau of Prisons, which had repeatedly rejected its public-records requests. As part of a settlement, the agency agreed to turn over internal memos and emails, visitor logs, handwritten notes from inmates, and the psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death. Many of the documents were heavily redacted; some were withheld entirely, including a number of records associated with the earlier suicide attempt.

At a hearing in April regarding the Times’ lawsuit, Judge Paul Engelmayer of US&nbsp;District Court in Manhattan said he was “struck by the audacity of the initial denial by the Bureau of Prisons” to make the records available in a case that he described as a “high-profile epic failure.”

“It certainly does raise a concern,” the judge added, “that the wagons are being circled.”

‘Talking About Celebs’

Epstein’s stay at the detention center began Saturday, July 6, 2019, after his arrest at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, where he had arrived from Paris on a private jet. An indictment charged that Epstein, 66, had over many years recruited dozens of teenage girls to engage in sex acts with him at his mansion in Manhattan and his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, paying them each hundreds of dollars in cash.

If convicted, he faced up to 45 years in prison.

He initially was placed in the general inmate population, the jail’s least restrictive area. In an internal email, Hugh Hurwitz, then the Bureau of Prisons’ acting director, later attributed this to an oversight by the U.S. Marshals Service. “Apparently USMS did not indicate that he was a high-profile inmate, and staff were unaware that he was coming so no plans had been established,” he wrote.

That evening, according to the post-mortem reconstruction, a facilities assistant found Epstein in his cell looking “distraught, sad and a little confused,” she said in an email to three jail officials.

When the assistant asked if he was OK, he said he was. But she was not convinced, she wrote. “He seems dazed and withdrawn.”

She added, “Just to be on the safe side and prevent any suicidal thoughts, can someone from Psychology come and talk with him?”

No one did at first, according to the records.

On Sunday, July 7, the center’s warden, Lamine N’Diaye, properly identified Epstein as “high-profile” and had him moved to the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, on the ninth floor, out of “concerns for his personal safety in general population,” according to Hurwitz’s email.

But it was not until 9:30 a.m. that Monday that Epstein was taken for an initial psychological evaluation, as had been suggested when he arrived.

That afternoon, Epstein was set to make his first court appearance. Anticipating that he would be denied bail, the jail’s chief psychologist recommended that he be evaluated for suicide risk upon his return, given the media attention and nature of the charges.

“Inmate Epstein will likely be receiving bad news in court today, and has multiple risk factors for suicidality as identified by BOP statistics,” the psychologist wrote. “Let’s be proactive.”

By the time Epstein returned, it was after normal business hours and he was moved to “psychological observation” — a less restrictive status than suicide watch — in which so-called inmate companions took shifts to monitor him in his cell and chronicled his actions every 15 minutes.

Epstein spent his nights pacing his cell, sleeping fitfully and talking with other inmates, according to handwritten notes taken by those observing him.

Often, the entries were mundane: “Epstein is drinking water at sink.” But some were more evocative, suggesting at once his grim predicament and his unrealistic expectations. “Epstein is sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in the palm of his hands,” one inmate wrote on July 29.

In conversations with his minders, Epstein seemed to stick to subjects that would convey the impression he was approachable, yet well connected and successful.

“Epstein and I are talking about the escort business,” an inmate wrote at 8 o’clock one evening. An hour later: “Epstein and I are talking about arbitrage.” Thirty minutes more: “Epstein is talking about celebs he knows.” (The notes do not name any celebrities.)

In another entry, an inmate noted that he and Epstein had talked about driving taxis in New York. “We both drove,” the inmate pointed out.

Throughout it all, Epstein remained curious about his surroundings.

On one of his first evenings, he asked an inmate, whose name was redacted from the records, “about the kinds of crazy things” he had seen in jail. Close to midnight, an inmate reported, Epstein was offered dinner “but refused because it was nasty. (He is right.)”

Epstein talked with an inmate for several hours late into the night about “prison life and etiquette,” according to another entry. Finally, at 2:35 a.m., the inmate noted, “Class is over.” Epstein was asleep in 10 minutes.

‘Being Alive Is Fun’

On the morning of Tuesday, July 9, Epstein underwent the requested formal, in-person suicide risk evaluation. The psychologist, whose name was redacted from the documents, found Epstein to be polite, cooperative, organized, coherent and even showing a sense of humour.

“Epstein adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan,” she wrote in her notes. He requested a phone call, a meeting with his attorney, a shower and to brush his teeth.

Epstein described himself to her as a banker with a “big business” and said that “being alive is fun.” He denied having sexually abused anyone, and said he would have a renewed bail hearing the next week, where he believed he would be released.

“He was future-oriented,” the psychologist wrote.

She concluded that suicide watch was not warranted, but that “out of an abundance of caution” Epstein should remain on psychological observation.

The next day, Epstein asked “to be single-celled” but was told he could not be housed alone “for safety and security concerns.”

And the day after that, a psychologist wrote: “He was smirking and said, ‘Why would you ever think I would be suicidal? I am not suicidal and I would never be.’”

Epstein is quoted in the documents as saying he found support in his legal team, which included Reid Weingarten, his lead defense attorney, and Darren Indyke, a longtime personal attorney and an executor of his vast estate. Two other attorneys, Gulnora Tali and Mariel Colón Miró, visited him nearly every business day in the attorney conference room and served as witnesses on a will Epstein had drawn up two days before his death, according to visitor logs included in the documents.

The logs also are revealing for what they lack — any sign of visits by the famous and wealthy friends he socialized with after his 2008 sex-offense convictions in Florida. Instead, the logs show a far more mundane cast of visitors, including a parade of attorneys.

On July 18, it became apparent that Epstein was unlikely to return to his former life and friends anytime soon — if ever — when Judge Richard Berman denied a renewed bail request. Five days later, in the early morning hours of July 23, Epstein made his suicide attempt.

The denial of bail was cited as “a significant disappointment for Mr. Epstein and likely challenged his ability and willingness to adapt to incarceration,” according to the post-mortem psychological reconstruction.

“Given the potential impact of the judge’s decision, a psychologist should have assessed Mr. Epstein’s mental status upon his return to the institution,” it said.

He was removed from suicide watch after about 31 hours, according to the documents, and again placed on psychological observation.

In conversations with people from psychological services over the next week, Epstein repeatedly denied having suicidal thoughts. He smiled and cracked jokes. He told them he was Jewish, and suicide was against his religion.

He also reiterated complaints about the running toilet in his cell, which left him feeling agitated for hours. “He said he sat in the corner and held his ears,” a psychologist wrote. Epstein speculated that he might have autism, noting that Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in “Rain Man” had an aversion to noise.

Some within the justice system voiced concern about his mental state. Federal marshals who escorted him to a July 31 court hearing returned with a “Prisoner Custody Alert Notice,” which said Epstein might have “suicidal tendencies.”

This prompted another suicide risk assessment by a psychologist. Epstein again denied having suicidal thoughts. The psychologist was persuaded, according to the documents, writing that a suicide watch was not warranted.

“He stated he lives for and plans to finish this case and to go back to his normal life,” the psychologist wrote.

Among the documents obtained by the Times was an undated sign, on orange paper, that read, “Mandatory rounds must be conducted every 30 minutes on Epstein&nbsp;#76318-054 as per god!”

The word “mandatory” was misspelled and underlined in pen, and a question mark was written in after it. The records offered no explanation of the sign, and bureau officials declined to answer questions about it.

The Last Day

When he arrived back in the SHU on July 30, Epstein was given a cellmate, Efrain Reyes, a prisoner who was assisting the government in a drug distribution conspiracy case. Epstein complained that the man’s talking kept him awake at night.

That all changed Aug. 9, when Reyes was transferred out of the jail and the staff was alerted that Epstein would need a new cellmate.

That same day — the day before Epstein died — as he huddled with his attorneys in a conference room, a federal appeals court unsealed about 2,000 pages of previously confidential documents in a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate and former girlfriend. Maxwell, who was charged last year with sex trafficking and other offences, faces a trial this month in Manhattan.

The materials revealed highly disturbing details of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, including graphic depositions, police reports and an Amazon receipt for books like “Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners.”

Officials later surmised in the psychological reconstruction that the document release worsened his mental state, “further eroding his previously enjoyed elevated status and potentially implicating some of his associates.”

That evening, according to the reconstruction, a unit manager at the detention centre helped Epstein make a “social” phone call. The manager dialled for Epstein and let him speak for 15 minutes. The call was not properly logged and does not appear to have been recorded. It is not clear from the documents whether the call was on a monitored line.

“I asked inmate Epstein who he was calling,” the unit manager wrote. “He stated his mother.”

Epstein’s mother died in 2004. The call was to his 30-year-old girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, whom he helped put through dental school, said three people with knowledge of the phone conversation. Epstein, they said, gave no indication during the call that he planned to kill himself.

The call that night, however, was not included in the phone logs provided to the Times by the Bureau of Prisons. The logs show only one social call during his stay — more than a week earlier, on July 30, to Shuliak.

She is one of the largest beneficiaries of several trusts that Epstein set up over the years, according to three people briefed on the matter. Shuliak declined to comment through her attorney, Maurice Sercarz.

After finishing the call, Epstein returned to his cell, where he was alone because no new cellmate had yet been assigned. He was also left unmonitored by two officers on duty, whom prosecutors later accused of spending their time surfing the internet and appearing to be asleep. (This May, the two officers entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges that they had falsified jail records about checking on Epstein.)

At 6:30 the next morning, he was found with a bedsheet tied around his neck like a noose. He was pronounced dead an hour later.

About two months after Epstein’s death, an inmate who appears to have worked in the kitchen emailed the psychology department about a conversation he had with a man whose cell had been next to Epstein’s.

He said the other inmate had told him: “Jeffrey Epstein definitely killed himself. Any conspiracy theories to the contrary are ridiculous.” The man had heard Epstein “tearing up his sheet before committing suicide,” the kitchen worker wrote.

“He wanted to kill himself and seized the opportunity when it was available,” he added. “Such is life -&nbsp;or death, in this case.”

The disgraced financier, jailed in Manhattan on federal sex trafficking charges involving teenage girls, was found unconscious on the floor of his cell one morning in July 2019, a strip of bedsheet tied around his bruised neck.

The disgraced financier, jailed in Manhattan on federal sex trafficking charges involving teenage girls, was found unconscious on the floor of his cell one morning in July 2019, a strip of bedsheet tied around his bruised neck. In the hours and days that followed that suicide attempt, Jeffrey Epstein would claim to be living a “wonderful life,” denying any thoughts of ending it, even as he sat on suicide watch and faced daunting legal troubles. “I have no interest in killing myself,” Epstein told a jailhouse psychologist, according to Bureau of Prisons documents that have not previously been made public. He was a “coward” and did not like pain, he explained. “I would not do that to myself.” But two weeks later, he did just that: He died in his cell Aug. 10 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center, having hanged himself with a bedsheet, the medical examiner ruled. After a life of manipulation, Epstein created illusions until the very end, deceiving correctional officers, counsellors and specially trained inmates assigned to monitor him around the clock, according to the documents — among more than 2,000 pages of Federal Bureau of Prisons records obtained by The New York Times after filing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The detailed notes and reports compiled by those who interacted with Epstein during his 36 days of detention show how he repeatedly assured them he had much to live for, while also hinting that he was increasingly despondent. The clues prompted too little action by jail and bureau officials, who made mistake after mistake leading up to Epstein’s death, the records reveal. Beyond the legal and administrative matters, the collection of records provides the most intimate and detailed look yet at Epstein’s final days, and offers something often missing from public accounts: his voice. He passed many days closed in a conference room with his attorneys, avoiding the confines of his dank and dirty cell. In conversations with psychologists and other inmates, he spoke of his interest in physics and mathematics and offered tidbits of investment advice. He reminisced about socialising with celebrities, even as he complained about the running toilet in his cell, the orange prison garb, his difficulty sleeping, his dehydration and numbness in his right arm. And where Epstein had once rubbed shoulders with politicians, scientists and Wall Street titans, now he was left to converse about the food in the 12-story detention centre. “Epstein wants to know who’s the best cook on 11 North,” one inmate wrote. The newly obtained records offer no support to the explosion of conspiracy theories that Epstein’s death was not a suicide. They also shed no light on questions raised by his brother and one of his attorneys that he might have been assisted in killing himself. But they do paint a picture of incompetence and sloppiness by some within the Bureau of Prisons, which runs the federal detention centre. An intake screening form erroneously described Epstein as a Black male (he was white), and indicated that he had no prior sex offence convictions, even though he was a registered sex offender with two 2008 convictions in Florida, for solicitation of prostitution and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution. A few social phone calls he made were not recorded, logged or monitored, records show, an apparent violation of jail policy. The night he killed himself, Epstein lied to jail officials and said he wanted to phone his mother — who was long dead. He instead called his girlfriend. Jail personnel left him alone in his cell that night, despite an explicit directive that he be assigned a cellmate. Two days after the suicide, William Barr, then the US attorney general, said there were “serious irregularities” at the correctional centre, but did not elaborate. He later blamed “a perfect storm of screw-ups.” A 15-page psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death, compiled by bureau officials five weeks later and never before made public, concluded that his identity “appeared to be based on his wealth, power and association with other high-profile individuals.” “The lack of significant interpersonal connections, a complete loss of his status in both the community and among associates, and the idea of potentially spending his life in prison,” the post-mortem continued, “were likely factors contributing to Mr. Epstein’s suicide.” The Bureau of Prisons, in a statement, declined to comment on Epstein’s detention, but said “the safe, secure and humane housing of inmates is BOP’s highest priority.” The bureau said it had created a task force to address the mental health implications of housing inmates alone, and was committed to improving its suicide prevention program, including “continuing to train BOP staff on suicide prevention, risk assessment and emergency responses.” This fall, the Justice Department, citing poor conditions at the jail, also temporarily closed it, moving its prisoners to other facilities. The Times obtained the materials after suing the Bureau of Prisons, which had repeatedly rejected its public-records requests. As part of a settlement, the agency agreed to turn over internal memos and emails, visitor logs, handwritten notes from inmates, and the psychological reconstruction of Epstein’s death. Many of the documents were heavily redacted; some were withheld entirely, including a number of records associated with the earlier suicide attempt. At a hearing in April regarding the Times’ lawsuit, Judge Paul Engelmayer of US District Court in Manhattan said he was “struck by the audacity of the initial denial by the Bureau of Prisons” to make the records available in a case that he described as a “high-profile epic failure.” “It certainly does raise a concern,” the judge added, “that the wagons are being circled.” ‘Talking About Celebs’ Epstein’s stay at the detention center began Saturday, July 6, 2019, after his arrest at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, where he had arrived from Paris on a private jet. An indictment charged that Epstein, 66, had over many years recruited dozens of teenage girls to engage in sex acts with him at his mansion in Manhattan and his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, paying them each hundreds of dollars in cash. If convicted, he faced up to 45 years in prison. He initially was placed in the general inmate population, the jail’s least restrictive area. In an internal email, Hugh Hurwitz, then the Bureau of Prisons’ acting director, later attributed this to an oversight by the U.S. Marshals Service. “Apparently USMS did not indicate that he was a high-profile inmate, and staff were unaware that he was coming so no plans had been established,” he wrote. That evening, according to the post-mortem reconstruction, a facilities assistant found Epstein in his cell looking “distraught, sad and a little confused,” she said in an email to three jail officials. When the assistant asked if he was OK, he said he was. But she was not convinced, she wrote. “He seems dazed and withdrawn.” She added, “Just to be on the safe side and prevent any suicidal thoughts, can someone from Psychology come and talk with him?” No one did at first, according to the records. On Sunday, July 7, the center’s warden, Lamine N’Diaye, properly identified Epstein as “high-profile” and had him moved to the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, on the ninth floor, out of “concerns for his personal safety in general population,” according to Hurwitz’s email. But it was not until 9:30 a.m. that Monday that Epstein was taken for an initial psychological evaluation, as had been suggested when he arrived. That afternoon, Epstein was set to make his first court appearance. Anticipating that he would be denied bail, the jail’s chief psychologist recommended that he be evaluated for suicide risk upon his return, given the media attention and nature of the charges. “Inmate Epstein will likely be receiving bad news in court today, and has multiple risk factors for suicidality as identified by BOP statistics,” the psychologist wrote. “Let’s be proactive.” By the time Epstein returned, it was after normal business hours and he was moved to “psychological observation” — a less restrictive status than suicide watch — in which so-called inmate companions took shifts to monitor him in his cell and chronicled his actions every 15 minutes. Epstein spent his nights pacing his cell, sleeping fitfully and talking with other inmates, according to handwritten notes taken by those observing him. Often, the entries were mundane: “Epstein is drinking water at sink.” But some were more evocative, suggesting at once his grim predicament and his unrealistic expectations. “Epstein is sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in the palm of his hands,” one inmate wrote on July 29. In conversations with his minders, Epstein seemed to stick to subjects that would convey the impression he was approachable, yet well connected and successful. “Epstein and I are talking about the escort business,” an inmate wrote at 8 o’clock one evening. An hour later: “Epstein and I are talking about arbitrage.” Thirty minutes more: “Epstein is talking about celebs he knows.” (The notes do not name any celebrities.) In another entry, an inmate noted that he and Epstein had talked about driving taxis in New York. “We both drove,” the inmate pointed out. Throughout it all, Epstein remained curious about his surroundings. On one of his first evenings, he asked an inmate, whose name was redacted from the records, “about the kinds of crazy things” he had seen in jail. Close to midnight, an inmate reported, Epstein was offered dinner “but refused because it was nasty. (He is right.)” Epstein talked with an inmate for several hours late into the night about “prison life and etiquette,” according to another entry. Finally, at 2:35 a.m., the inmate noted, “Class is over.” Epstein was asleep in 10 minutes. ‘Being Alive Is Fun’ On the morning of Tuesday, July 9, Epstein underwent the requested formal, in-person suicide risk evaluation. The psychologist, whose name was redacted from the documents, found Epstein to be polite, cooperative, organized, coherent and even showing a sense of humour. “Epstein adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan,” she wrote in her notes. He requested a phone call, a meeting with his attorney, a shower and to brush his teeth. Epstein described himself to her as a banker with a “big business” and said that “being alive is fun.” He denied having sexually abused anyone, and said he would have a renewed bail hearing the next week, where he believed he would be released. “He was future-oriented,” the psychologist wrote. She concluded that suicide watch was not warranted, but that “out of an abundance of caution” Epstein should remain on psychological observation. The next day, Epstein asked “to be single-celled” but was told he could not be housed alone “for safety and security concerns.” And the day after that, a psychologist wrote: “He was smirking and said, ‘Why would you ever think I would be suicidal? I am not suicidal and I would never be.’” Epstein is quoted in the documents as saying he found support in his legal team, which included Reid Weingarten, his lead defense attorney, and Darren Indyke, a longtime personal attorney and an executor of his vast estate. Two other attorneys, Gulnora Tali and Mariel Colón Miró, visited him nearly every business day in the attorney conference room and served as witnesses on a will Epstein had drawn up two days before his death, according to visitor logs included in the documents. The logs also are revealing for what they lack — any sign of visits by the famous and wealthy friends he socialized with after his 2008 sex-offense convictions in Florida. Instead, the logs show a far more mundane cast of visitors, including a parade of attorneys. On July 18, it became apparent that Epstein was unlikely to return to his former life and friends anytime soon — if ever — when Judge Richard Berman denied a renewed bail request. Five days later, in the early morning hours of July 23, Epstein made his suicide attempt. The denial of bail was cited as “a significant disappointment for Mr. Epstein and likely challenged his ability and willingness to adapt to incarceration,” according to the post-mortem psychological reconstruction. “Given the potential impact of the judge’s decision, a psychologist should have assessed Mr. Epstein’s mental status upon his return to the institution,” it said. He was removed from suicide watch after about 31 hours, according to the documents, and again placed on psychological observation. In conversations with people from psychological services over the next week, Epstein repeatedly denied having suicidal thoughts. He smiled and cracked jokes. He told them he was Jewish, and suicide was against his religion. He also reiterated complaints about the running toilet in his cell, which left him feeling agitated for hours. “He said he sat in the corner and held his ears,” a psychologist wrote. Epstein speculated that he might have autism, noting that Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in “Rain Man” had an aversion to noise. Some within the justice system voiced concern about his mental state. Federal marshals who escorted him to a July 31 court hearing returned with a “Prisoner Custody Alert Notice,” which said Epstein might have “suicidal tendencies.” This prompted another suicide risk assessment by a psychologist. Epstein again denied having suicidal thoughts. The psychologist was persuaded, according to the documents, writing that a suicide watch was not warranted. “He stated he lives for and plans to finish this case and to go back to his normal life,” the psychologist wrote. Among the documents obtained by the Times was an undated sign, on orange paper, that read, “Mandatory rounds must be conducted every 30 minutes on Epstein #76318-054 as per god!” The word “mandatory” was misspelled and underlined in pen, and a question mark was written in after it. The records offered no explanation of the sign, and bureau officials declined to answer questions about it. The Last Day When he arrived back in the SHU on July 30, Epstein was given a cellmate, Efrain Reyes, a prisoner who was assisting the government in a drug distribution conspiracy case. Epstein complained that the man’s talking kept him awake at night. That all changed Aug. 9, when Reyes was transferred out of the jail and the staff was alerted that Epstein would need a new cellmate. That same day — the day before Epstein died — as he huddled with his attorneys in a conference room, a federal appeals court unsealed about 2,000 pages of previously confidential documents in a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, his longtime associate and former girlfriend. Maxwell, who was charged last year with sex trafficking and other offences, faces a trial this month in Manhattan. The materials revealed highly disturbing details of Epstein’s alleged sex-trafficking ring, including graphic depositions, police reports and an Amazon receipt for books like “Training with Miss Abernathy: A Workbook for Erotic Slaves and Their Owners.” Officials later surmised in the psychological reconstruction that the document release worsened his mental state, “further eroding his previously enjoyed elevated status and potentially implicating some of his associates.” That evening, according to the reconstruction, a unit manager at the detention centre helped Epstein make a “social” phone call. The manager dialled for Epstein and let him speak for 15 minutes. The call was not properly logged and does not appear to have been recorded. It is not clear from the documents whether the call was on a monitored line. “I asked inmate Epstein who he was calling,” the unit manager wrote. “He stated his mother.” Epstein’s mother died in 2004. The call was to his 30-year-old girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, whom he helped put through dental school, said three people with knowledge of the phone conversation. Epstein, they said, gave no indication during the call that he planned to kill himself. The call that night, however, was not included in the phone logs provided to the Times by the Bureau of Prisons. The logs show only one social call during his stay — more than a week earlier, on July 30, to Shuliak. She is one of the largest beneficiaries of several trusts that Epstein set up over the years, according to three people briefed on the matter. Shuliak declined to comment through her attorney, Maurice Sercarz. After finishing the call, Epstein returned to his cell, where he was alone because no new cellmate had yet been assigned. He was also left unmonitored by two officers on duty, whom prosecutors later accused of spending their time surfing the internet and appearing to be asleep. (This May, the two officers entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges that they had falsified jail records about checking on Epstein.) At 6:30 the next morning, he was found with a bedsheet tied around his neck like a noose. He was pronounced dead an hour later. About two months after Epstein’s death, an inmate who appears to have worked in the kitchen emailed the psychology department about a conversation he had with a man whose cell had been next to Epstein’s. He said the other inmate had told him: “Jeffrey Epstein definitely killed himself. Any conspiracy theories to the contrary are ridiculous.” The man had heard Epstein “tearing up his sheet before committing suicide,” the kitchen worker wrote. “He wanted to kill himself and seized the opportunity when it was available,” he added. “Such is life - or death, in this case.”

I have no interest in killing myself, Epstein told jail psychologist days before he was found dead

Britain's Prince Andrew has "completely shut the door" on cooperating with the FBI in its investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a US prosecutor said Monday. 
 
Despite publicly offering his assistance, "Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation," said New York attorney Geoffrey Berman, who had already accused the prince in late January of failing to cooperate. 
 
Berman added that his office, which is known for having some of the most aggressive investigators in the US federal judiciary system, "is considering its options" on how to proceed, without offering further details. 
 
Queen Elizabeth II's second son stepped back from frontline royal duties after he faced outrage over an interview with the BBC late last year in which he defended his friendship with Epstein. 
 
Andrew, 59, also denied having sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre, who alleges she was trafficked to have sex with friends of Epstein when she was 17. 
 
Epstein, 66, killed himself in a New York jail in August while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. 
 
He was a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager who befriended countless celebrities over the years, including US President Donald Trump. 
 
Epstein was charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and another of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. 
 
He denied the charges but was facing up to 45 years in jail if found guilty.

Britain's Prince Andrew has "completely shut the door" on cooperating with the FBI in its investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a US prosecutor said Monday.

Britain's Prince Andrew has "completely shut the door" on cooperating with the FBI in its investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a US prosecutor said Monday. Despite publicly offering his assistance, "Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation," said New York attorney Geoffrey Berman, who had already accused the prince in late January of failing to cooperate. Berman added that his office, which is known for having some of the most aggressive investigators in the US federal judiciary system, "is considering its options" on how to proceed, without offering further details. Queen Elizabeth II's second son stepped back from frontline royal duties after he faced outrage over an interview with the BBC late last year in which he defended his friendship with Epstein. Andrew, 59, also denied having sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre, who alleges she was trafficked to have sex with friends of Epstein when she was 17. Epstein, 66, killed himself in a New York jail in August while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. He was a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager who befriended countless celebrities over the years, including US President Donald Trump. Epstein was charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and another of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He denied the charges but was facing up to 45 years in jail if found guilty.

Prince Andrew shuts door on cooperation in Epstein case

The FBI is investigating British socialite <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/whos-who-in-the-jeffrey-epstein-sex-scandal-242638">Ghislaine Maxwell</a> and several other people linked to US&nbsp;financier <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/jeffrey-epstein-how-the-man-with-famous-friends-fell-apart-242546">Jeffrey Epstein</a>, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.

They said a principal focus of the FBI's investigation is Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, and other "people who facilitated" Epstein's allegedly illegal behavior.

Maxwell has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.

The FBI also is following up on many leads received from women who contacted a hotline the agency set up at its New York field office in the wake of Epstein's arrest in July, the sources said.

One of the sources said the probe remains at an early stage.

The sources declined to give further details or identify the people they are looking at apart from Maxwell. However, they said the FBI has no current plans to interview <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/latest-epstein-accuser-calls-on-prince-andrew-to-talk-to-us-authorities-263156">Britain's Prince Andrew</a>, a friend of Epstein's who stepped down from his public duties in November because of what he called his "ill-judged" association with the well-connected money manager.

A spokeswoman for the FBI declined to comment.

A representative for the British royal family said that whether the agency interviewed Andrew was "a matter for the FBI."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/psychologist-approved-jeffreys-epsteins-removal-from-suicide-watch-245240">Epstein’s suicide</a> in August, at age 66, came a little over a month after he was arrested and charged with trafficking dozens of underage girls as young as 14 from at least 2002 to 2005. Prosecutors said he recruited girls to give him massages, which became sexual in nature.

He had pleaded not guilty.

Following Epstein's arrest, the FBI urged anyone who had been victimized by Epstein or had additional information to call the agency's hotline.

US&nbsp;Attorney General William Barr vowed to carry on the case against anyone who was complicit with the financier.

"Any co-conspirators should not rest easy," he said in August.

The sources said they had received numerous tips from the hotline, which they are looking into.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-victims-express-outrage-over-sex-trafficker-jeffrey-epsteins-death-us-lawmakers-push-for-investigation-for-any-foul-play-242305">Virginia Giuffre</a>, one of Epstein's alleged victims, has said in a civil lawsuit that Maxwell recruited her into Epstein's circle, where she claims Epstein forced her to have sex with him and friends including Andrew.

Maxwell has called Giuffre's allegations lies. Giuffre in response filed a defamation suit against Maxwell in 2015.

Giuffre repeated the claims about the prince in a BBC interview that aired this month.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uks-prince-andrew-denies-having-sex-with-epstein-accuser-262718">Andrew</a>, 59, also categorically denies the accusations and has said he has no recollection of meeting Giuffre, who was previously named Virginia Roberts.

The two law enforcement sources said the FBI's principal focus is on people who facilitated Epstein and that Andrew does not fit into that category. They did not rule out the possibility that the FBI would seek to interview Andrew at a later date.

The FBI is investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and several other people linked to US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.

The FBI is investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and several other people linked to US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation. They said a principal focus of the FBI's investigation is Maxwell, a longtime associate of Epstein, and other "people who facilitated" Epstein's allegedly illegal behavior. Maxwell has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. The FBI also is following up on many leads received from women who contacted a hotline the agency set up at its New York field office in the wake of Epstein's arrest in July, the sources said. One of the sources said the probe remains at an early stage. The sources declined to give further details or identify the people they are looking at apart from Maxwell. However, they said the FBI has no current plans to interview Britain's Prince Andrew, a friend of Epstein's who stepped down from his public duties in November because of what he called his "ill-judged" association with the well-connected money manager. A spokeswoman for the FBI declined to comment. A representative for the British royal family said that whether the agency interviewed Andrew was "a matter for the FBI." Epstein’s suicide in August, at age 66, came a little over a month after he was arrested and charged with trafficking dozens of underage girls as young as 14 from at least 2002 to 2005. Prosecutors said he recruited girls to give him massages, which became sexual in nature. He had pleaded not guilty. Following Epstein's arrest, the FBI urged anyone who had been victimized by Epstein or had additional information to call the agency's hotline. US Attorney General William Barr vowed to carry on the case against anyone who was complicit with the financier. "Any co-conspirators should not rest easy," he said in August. The sources said they had received numerous tips from the hotline, which they are looking into. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's alleged victims, has said in a civil lawsuit that Maxwell recruited her into Epstein's circle, where she claims Epstein forced her to have sex with him and friends including Andrew. Maxwell has called Giuffre's allegations lies. Giuffre in response filed a defamation suit against Maxwell in 2015. Giuffre repeated the claims about the prince in a BBC interview that aired this month. Andrew, 59, also categorically denies the accusations and has said he has no recollection of meeting Giuffre, who was previously named Virginia Roberts. The two law enforcement sources said the FBI's principal focus is on people who facilitated Epstein and that Andrew does not fit into that category. They did not rule out the possibility that the FBI would seek to interview Andrew at a later date.

FBI investigates Briton, others for Epstein links: Sources

A woman who accuses Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her as a child on Monday said Britain’s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britains-prince-andrew-sparks-backlash-after-disastrous-tv-interview-262746">Prince Andrew</a> should tell US&nbsp;authorities what he knows about the financier.

"Prince Andrew, and any others who were close to Epstein, should come forward and give a statement under oath on what information they have," the woman, calling herself Jane Doe 15, said at a news conference with her lawyer Gloria Allred.

The woman on Monday became the latest of more than a dozen women to sue Epstein's estate, saying in her lawsuit that he subjected her to a "vicious, prolonged sexual assault" at his New Mexico ranch when she was 15.

Epstein, 66, hanged himself in jail in August while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. Two days earlier he signed a will and put his estimated $577 million estate into a trust.

The financier once counted among his friends US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.

In an interview on Saturday, Prince Andrew <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uks-prince-andrew-denies-having-sex-with-epstein-accuser-262718">denied having sex with Virginia</a> Giuffre, another of Epstein's alleged victims, who said in a previously filed lawsuit that she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17.

Lawyers for the estate's executors could not be reached for comment.

Epstein's brother and his lawyers have questioned a medical examiner's conclusion that his death was a suicide. Doe on Monday wore a bracelet with the words, "Epstein didn't kill himself."

Doe, who grew up in a poor family in the Midwest, met Epstein's secretary during a 2004 school trip to New York City. The secretary later invited her to view a magic show in Las Vegas and then fly to Epstein's New Mexico ranch in his private jet, the lawsuit said.

The secretary said Epstein was interested in helping girls who were in difficult circumstances, and when Doe arrived, Epstein summoned her to give him a massage alone, and then sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit said.

The executors Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn last week said they would seek to create a compensation fund for victims. The proposal must be approved by a court in the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands, which is overseeing the estate.

A woman who accuses Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her as a child on Monday said Britain’s Prince Andrew should tell US authorities what he knows about the financier.

A woman who accuses Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her as a child on Monday said Britain’s Prince Andrew should tell US authorities what he knows about the financier. "Prince Andrew, and any others who were close to Epstein, should come forward and give a statement under oath on what information they have," the woman, calling herself Jane Doe 15, said at a news conference with her lawyer Gloria Allred. The woman on Monday became the latest of more than a dozen women to sue Epstein's estate, saying in her lawsuit that he subjected her to a "vicious, prolonged sexual assault" at his New Mexico ranch when she was 15. Epstein, 66, hanged himself in jail in August while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded not guilty. Two days earlier he signed a will and put his estimated $577 million estate into a trust. The financier once counted among his friends US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew. In an interview on Saturday, Prince Andrew denied having sex with Virginia Giuffre, another of Epstein's alleged victims, who said in a previously filed lawsuit that she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17. Lawyers for the estate's executors could not be reached for comment. Epstein's brother and his lawyers have questioned a medical examiner's conclusion that his death was a suicide. Doe on Monday wore a bracelet with the words, "Epstein didn't kill himself." Doe, who grew up in a poor family in the Midwest, met Epstein's secretary during a 2004 school trip to New York City. The secretary later invited her to view a magic show in Las Vegas and then fly to Epstein's New Mexico ranch in his private jet, the lawsuit said. The secretary said Epstein was interested in helping girls who were in difficult circumstances, and when Doe arrived, Epstein summoned her to give him a massage alone, and then sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit said. The executors Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn last week said they would seek to create a compensation fund for victims. The proposal must be approved by a court in the US Virgin Islands, which is overseeing the estate.

Latest Epstein accuser calls on Prince Andrew to talk to US authorities

A psychologist at the federal detention centre in New York City where<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-opens-epstein-linked-rape-abuse-probe-245196"> financier Jeffrey Epstein</a> was jailed on sex-trafficking charges had approved his removal from suicide watch before he killed himself, the US Justice Department said on Friday.

The disclosure came in a letter dated on Thursday from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd and addressed to the leaders of the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives, seeking details about the circumstances surrounding <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jeffrey-epstein-wrote-will-two-days-before-death-puts-578-million-in-assets-into-trust-with-unnamed-beneficiaries-report-244262">Epstein`s death</a> earlier this month.

Epstein, who was 66, was found dead August 10 in his cell inside a segregated housing unit of the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Lower Manhattan. An autopsy concluded that he hanged himself. 
His death triggered investigations by the FBI, the Justice Department`s Office of Inspector General and the US Bureau of Prisons, which runs the detention facility.

The Boyd letter, provided to Reuters on Friday, confirmed that Epstein had been placed on suicide watch in July, a status under which the designated prisoner is held in a special cell under constant observation by staff or "inmate companions."

Epstein was "later removed from suicide watch after being evaluated by a doctoral-level psychologist who determined that a suicide watch was no longer warranted," Boyd wrote in the three-page letter.

The letter did not state precisely why a suicide watch had been ordered for Epstein. But Epstein in July had been found unconscious on the floor of his cell with marks on his neck, and officials had been investigating that incident as a possible suicide attempt or assault.

In addition to being housed in a special chamber affording an unobstructed view of the occupant and easy entry from the outside, inmates on suicide watch are evaluated daily by a psychologist, the letter said.

Typically imposed as a short-term restriction, suicide watch in Bureau of Prisons facilities can only be terminated by a bureau psychologist following a face-to-face evaluation of the inmate, Boyd wrote. No reason was given for Epstein`s removal.

At the MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed overnight, a source has told Reuters.

US Attorney General William Barr last week ordered the reassignment of the warden in charge of the Lower Manhattan detention facility, along with a temporary replacement and the placement of two corrections officers assigned to Epstein`s unit on administrative leave for the duration of the probes.

The staff shakeup came hours after President Donald Trump called for a full investigation of the matter.

Epstein, who once counted Trump and former President Bill Clinton as friends, was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of girls as young as 14.

Just two days before his death, Epstein had signed a will placing all of his property, worth more than $577 million, in a trust called the 1953 Trust, after the year of his birth, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters.

A psychologist at the federal detention centre in New York City where financier Jeffrey Epstein was jailed on sex-trafficking charges had approved his removal from suicide watch before he killed himself, the US Justice Department said on Friday.

A psychologist at the federal detention centre in New York City where financier Jeffrey Epstein was jailed on sex-trafficking charges had approved his removal from suicide watch before he killed himself, the US Justice Department said on Friday. The disclosure came in a letter dated on Thursday from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd and addressed to the leaders of the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives, seeking details about the circumstances surrounding Epstein`s death earlier this month. Epstein, who was 66, was found dead August 10 in his cell inside a segregated housing unit of the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Lower Manhattan. An autopsy concluded that he hanged himself. His death triggered investigations by the FBI, the Justice Department`s Office of Inspector General and the US Bureau of Prisons, which runs the detention facility. The Boyd letter, provided to Reuters on Friday, confirmed that Epstein had been placed on suicide watch in July, a status under which the designated prisoner is held in a special cell under constant observation by staff or "inmate companions." Epstein was "later removed from suicide watch after being evaluated by a doctoral-level psychologist who determined that a suicide watch was no longer warranted," Boyd wrote in the three-page letter. The letter did not state precisely why a suicide watch had been ordered for Epstein. But Epstein in July had been found unconscious on the floor of his cell with marks on his neck, and officials had been investigating that incident as a possible suicide attempt or assault. In addition to being housed in a special chamber affording an unobstructed view of the occupant and easy entry from the outside, inmates on suicide watch are evaluated daily by a psychologist, the letter said. Typically imposed as a short-term restriction, suicide watch in Bureau of Prisons facilities can only be terminated by a bureau psychologist following a face-to-face evaluation of the inmate, Boyd wrote. No reason was given for Epstein`s removal. At the MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed overnight, a source has told Reuters. US Attorney General William Barr last week ordered the reassignment of the warden in charge of the Lower Manhattan detention facility, along with a temporary replacement and the placement of two corrections officers assigned to Epstein`s unit on administrative leave for the duration of the probes. The staff shakeup came hours after President Donald Trump called for a full investigation of the matter. Epstein, who once counted Trump and former President Bill Clinton as friends, was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of girls as young as 14. Just two days before his death, Epstein had signed a will placing all of his property, worth more than $577 million, in a trust called the 1953 Trust, after the year of his birth, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters.

Psychologist approved Jeffrey's Epstein's removal from suicide watch

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wants a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-fbi-now-justice-department-probing-jeffrey-epstein-death-242081">full investigation into the circumstances</a> surrounding financier Jeffrey Epstein`s death at a federal detention facility in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/serious-irregularities-at-prison-where-epstein-died-us-attorney-general-242548">Epstein </a>was found dead on Saturday morning, having apparently hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan.

"Basically what we`re saying is we want an investigation. I want a full investigation, and that`s what I absolutely am demanding. That`s what our attorney general, our great attorney general is doing. He`s doing a full investigation," Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey.

Trump made the comments a day after U.S. Attorney General William Barr vowed to carry on the Epstein investigation even after the wealthy and well-connected money manager`s death. Barr has ordered the Justice Department`s inspector general to look into the matter.

Trump also defended his decision on Saturday to retweet an unfounded conspiracy theory from a conservative comedian named Terrence K. Williams that former President Bill Clinton was involved in Epstein`s death.

"He`s a very highly respected conservative pundit," said of Williams. "He`s a big Trump fan. And that was a retweet. That wasn`t from me. ... So I think I was fine."

Epstein, who once counted Trump and Clinton as friends, was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls as young as 14.

The 66-year-old financier had been on suicide watch, but a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity said he was not on watch at the time of his death.&nbsp;

At the MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed overnight, according to the source.

New York City`s medical examiner has said an autopsy on Epstein was completed on Sunday, but the cause of death remained pending. 
A growing chorus of lawmakers has demanded that the government hold responsible people who allegedly helped Epstein engage in sex trafficking.

Senator Ben Sasse, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee, on Tuesday called on Barr to void a 2008 agreement that Epstein entered into with federal prosecutors in Florida that has been widely criticized as too lenient.

Under that deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges and served 13 months in jail, but was allowed to leave the detention facility regularly for his office.

'Crooked deal'

Some of Epstein`s accusers have called on the federal judge overseeing that case to scrap portions of the agreement, which provided immunity to Epstein`s alleged co-conspirators. In a letter to Barr, Sasse said the agreement should be thrown out altogether.

"This crooked deal cannot stand," and should be voided to "ensure that some measure of justice is finally delivered to Epstein`s victims who have been let down time and time again by their government," Sasse said.

One of the prosecutors involved in the 2008 agreement, Alexander Acosta, resigned as Trump`s labor secretary in July as the Epstein deal came under fresh scrutiny after the financier`s arrest in New York.

Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, and Doug Collins, the panel`s top Republican, on Monday sent a letter to the acting director of the federal Bureau of Prisons regarding Epstein`s death, saying the "competency and rigor of our criminal justice system" have been marred.

The lawmakers said if the allegation about mistakes made at the facility is true, it would demonstrate "severe miscarriages of or deficiencies in inmate protocol and has allowed the deceased to ultimately evade facing justice."

A representative for the agency and its acting director, Hugh Hurwitz, were not immediately available to comment.

The Epstein scandal has also enmeshed Leslie Wexner, the billionaire chairman and chief executive behind Victoria`s Secret and Bath &amp; Body Works parent L Brands Inc , who had previously entrusted Epstein to manage his personal finances and serve as trustee of his charitable foundation.

Wexner recently hired white-collar defense lawyer Mary Jo White, a partner at Debevoise &amp; Plimpton LLP and former US attorney in Manhattan, according to a person familiar with the matter, as scrutiny of Epstein`s finances intensifies.

Wexner has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

White, who previously chaired the US Securities and Exchange Commission, has reached out to prosecutors working on the case, the person familiar with the matter said. It was not clear what they discussed.

Neither White nor a representative for Wexner immediately responded to requests for comment. A spokesman for US Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan declined to comment.

Last week, Wexner said Epstein had "misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family."

Wexner also said he and his family had decided Epstein should step back from managing their finances by the fall of 2007 after sexual misconduct allegations emerged, and severed ties after discovering that their money was misused.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wants a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding financier Jeffrey Epstein`s death at a federal detention facility in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wants a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding financier Jeffrey Epstein`s death at a federal detention facility in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Epstein was found dead on Saturday morning, having apparently hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan. "Basically what we`re saying is we want an investigation. I want a full investigation, and that`s what I absolutely am demanding. That`s what our attorney general, our great attorney general is doing. He`s doing a full investigation," Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey. Trump made the comments a day after U.S. Attorney General William Barr vowed to carry on the Epstein investigation even after the wealthy and well-connected money manager`s death. Barr has ordered the Justice Department`s inspector general to look into the matter. Trump also defended his decision on Saturday to retweet an unfounded conspiracy theory from a conservative comedian named Terrence K. Williams that former President Bill Clinton was involved in Epstein`s death. "He`s a very highly respected conservative pundit," said of Williams. "He`s a big Trump fan. And that was a retweet. That wasn`t from me. ... So I think I was fine." Epstein, who once counted Trump and Clinton as friends, was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls as young as 14. The 66-year-old financier had been on suicide watch, but a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity said he was not on watch at the time of his death. At the MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed overnight, according to the source. New York City`s medical examiner has said an autopsy on Epstein was completed on Sunday, but the cause of death remained pending. A growing chorus of lawmakers has demanded that the government hold responsible people who allegedly helped Epstein engage in sex trafficking. Senator Ben Sasse, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Oversight Subcommittee, on Tuesday called on Barr to void a 2008 agreement that Epstein entered into with federal prosecutors in Florida that has been widely criticized as too lenient. Under that deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges and served 13 months in jail, but was allowed to leave the detention facility regularly for his office. 'Crooked deal' Some of Epstein`s accusers have called on the federal judge overseeing that case to scrap portions of the agreement, which provided immunity to Epstein`s alleged co-conspirators. In a letter to Barr, Sasse said the agreement should be thrown out altogether. "This crooked deal cannot stand," and should be voided to "ensure that some measure of justice is finally delivered to Epstein`s victims who have been let down time and time again by their government," Sasse said. One of the prosecutors involved in the 2008 agreement, Alexander Acosta, resigned as Trump`s labor secretary in July as the Epstein deal came under fresh scrutiny after the financier`s arrest in New York. Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic chairman of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, and Doug Collins, the panel`s top Republican, on Monday sent a letter to the acting director of the federal Bureau of Prisons regarding Epstein`s death, saying the "competency and rigor of our criminal justice system" have been marred. The lawmakers said if the allegation about mistakes made at the facility is true, it would demonstrate "severe miscarriages of or deficiencies in inmate protocol and has allowed the deceased to ultimately evade facing justice." A representative for the agency and its acting director, Hugh Hurwitz, were not immediately available to comment. The Epstein scandal has also enmeshed Leslie Wexner, the billionaire chairman and chief executive behind Victoria`s Secret and Bath & Body Works parent L Brands Inc , who had previously entrusted Epstein to manage his personal finances and serve as trustee of his charitable foundation. Wexner recently hired white-collar defense lawyer Mary Jo White, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and former US attorney in Manhattan, according to a person familiar with the matter, as scrutiny of Epstein`s finances intensifies. Wexner has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. White, who previously chaired the US Securities and Exchange Commission, has reached out to prosecutors working on the case, the person familiar with the matter said. It was not clear what they discussed. Neither White nor a representative for Wexner immediately responded to requests for comment. A spokesman for US Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan declined to comment. Last week, Wexner said Epstein had "misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family." Wexner also said he and his family had decided Epstein should step back from managing their finances by the fall of 2007 after sexual misconduct allegations emerged, and severed ties after discovering that their money was misused.

Trump says he wants full investigation into financier Epstein's death

The United States government launched an investigation Saturday into the apparent suicide in his prison cell of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Attorney General Bill Barr said he was "appalled" to hear of the death and had instructed the Department of Justice's inspector general to probe its circumstances. The FBI is also investigating Epstein's death.

"Mr Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered," Barr said in a statement.

Epstein, 66, had been charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.&nbsp;

Epstein, who denied the charges and faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted, was denied bail last month in a New York court because he was deemed a flight risk.

He was discovered unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York around 6:30 am (1030 GMT) on Saturday, the US Department of Justice said.

Epstein was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The New York Times and other media quoted officials as saying Epstein hanged himself.&nbsp;

His death comes just over two weeks after the 66-year-old was found unconscious in his cell with marks on his neck after an apparent suicide attempt.

It is not clear whether Epstein was on suicide watch following the first attempt.&nbsp;

The United States government launched an investigation Saturday into the apparent suicide in his prison cell of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The United States government launched an investigation Saturday into the apparent suicide in his prison cell of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Attorney General Bill Barr said he was "appalled" to hear of the death and had instructed the Department of Justice's inspector general to probe its circumstances. The FBI is also investigating Epstein's death. "Mr Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered," Barr said in a statement. Epstein, 66, had been charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. Epstein, who denied the charges and faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted, was denied bail last month in a New York court because he was deemed a flight risk. He was discovered unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York around 6:30 am (1030 GMT) on Saturday, the US Department of Justice said. Epstein was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The New York Times and other media quoted officials as saying Epstein hanged himself. His death comes just over two weeks after the 66-year-old was found unconscious in his cell with marks on his neck after an apparent suicide attempt. It is not clear whether Epstein was on suicide watch following the first attempt.

First FBI, now Justice Department probing Jeffrey Epstein death

Alex Acosta announced his resignation as US Labour secretary Friday, amid criticism of a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls, reported news agency AFP.

"I called the president this morning and told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside," Acosta said in a joint appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House. &nbsp;

On Monday, US prosecutors in New York accused Epstein, 66, of sex trafficking in an indictment that detailed how he lured dozens of girls, some as young as 14, to his luxury homes and coerced them into performing sex acts. Epstein has pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutors said they were not bound by the 2008 Florida deal struck by Acosta, then the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, that allowed Epstein to plea to a lesser offence. Epstein served 13 months in jail with leave during the day and registered as a sex offender.

Epstein's case drew renewed attention earlier this year after a Miami Herald report highlighted the plea deal and victims' ongoing struggle for justice. In February, a federal judge in Florid ruled that the agreement between Acosta and Epstein violated the victims' rights.

The White House at the time said it was looking into the matter.

Acosta's role in the Florida deal for Epstein was raised at his confirmation hearing in the Republican-led Senate. He has served as Labour secretary since April 2017.

(With inputs from agencies)

Alex Acosta announced his resignation as US Labour secretary Friday, amid criticism of a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls, reported news agency AFP.

Alex Acosta announced his resignation as US Labour secretary Friday, amid criticism of a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls, reported news agency AFP. "I called the president this morning and told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside," Acosta said in a joint appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House. On Monday, US prosecutors in New York accused Epstein, 66, of sex trafficking in an indictment that detailed how he lured dozens of girls, some as young as 14, to his luxury homes and coerced them into performing sex acts. Epstein has pleaded not guilty. The prosecutors said they were not bound by the 2008 Florida deal struck by Acosta, then the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, that allowed Epstein to plea to a lesser offence. Epstein served 13 months in jail with leave during the day and registered as a sex offender. Epstein's case drew renewed attention earlier this year after a Miami Herald report highlighted the plea deal and victims' ongoing struggle for justice. In February, a federal judge in Florid ruled that the agreement between Acosta and Epstein violated the victims' rights. The White House at the time said it was looking into the matter. Acosta's role in the Florida deal for Epstein was raised at his confirmation hearing in the Republican-led Senate. He has served as Labour secretary since April 2017. (With inputs from agencies)

US Labour Secretary Alex Acosta announces resignation over Epstein affair

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