Epstein death draws scrutiny of jail

Medical officials have performed an autopsy, but details yet to be released

The death of Jeffrey Epstein has brought scrutiny to a federal jail in New York that, despite chronic understaffing, houses some of the highest-security inmates in the country.

Epstein's death is also the latest black eye for the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, the jail's parent agency that already was under fire for the October death of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, who was fatally beaten at a federal prison in West Virginia shortly after his arrival.

Taken together, the deaths underscore "serious issues surrounding a lack of leadership" within the BOP, said Cameron Lindsay, a former warden who ran three federal lockups, including the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

A defense attorney for Epstein, Marc Fernich, also faulted jail officials, saying they "recklessly put Mr Epstein in harm's way" and failed to protect him.

The Bureau of Prisons did not respond to repeated requests for details about Epstein's death. But Attorney General William Barr demanded answers, saying he was appalled by the apparent suicide and announcing a pair of federal inquiries by the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general.

Epstein, 66, was not on suicide watch, even though on July 23 he was found in his cell with bruises on his neck that indicated a suicide attempt or the result of an assault.

The New York City Medical Examiner's Office completed an autopsy on Sunday, but has not yet released the results.

At the correctional center, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed throughout the night, according to a source. Guards are also required to check every 15 minutes on prisoners on suicide watch.

The FBI and US Department of Justice's inspector general have opened investigations.

A person familiar with the jail's operations told The Associated Press on Sunday that one guard in Epstein's unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another was working mandatory overtime.

Epstein had been charged by federal prosecutors in New York of grooming teenage girls for sexual purposes. He jetted between opulent residences in Manhattan, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands.

"Today's events are disturbing, and we are deeply aware of their potential to present yet another hurdle to giving Epstein's many victims their day in court," Geoffrey Berman, the US attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.

"Our investigation of the conduct charged in the indictment - which included a conspiracy count - remains ongoing."

The news of Epstein's death fueled conspiracy theories and made its way into the 2020 presidential election contest.

What makes the case intriguing to so many is that Epstein socialized with famous politicians and celebrities.

About 2,000 pages of documents related to a since-settled case against Epstein by one of his accusers were made public by a federal appeals court on Friday.

Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and former US senator George Mitchell of Maine were mentioned in the documents. Both men denied any wrongdoing.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congresswoman from New York City, tweeted: "We need answers. Lots of them."

White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway said investigation of Epstein should continue despite his death.

More than a decade ago, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to charges of solicitation of prostitution from a minor in a deal with prosecutors that was widely criticized as too lenient.

Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on July 6, and pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls as young as 14, from 2002 to 2005.

A November expose by the The Miami Herald helped renew public pressure on Epstein.

hengweili@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 08/13/2019 page12)