'Serious irregularities' at prison where Jeffrey Epstein died
Attorney-General Barr vows to investigate further
By SYDNEY DENNENA still image taken of William Barr speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2005. He testified about the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay detention facility, about investigations into allegations of abuse by U.S. officials stationed at the facility, and recent media reports on(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
More questions than answers as days continue to pass after convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell.“We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and that demand a thorough investigation,” US Attorney-General William Barr said Monday. “The FBI and the Office of the Inspector-General are already doing just that.”Epstein, awaiting trial for sex trafficking and conspiracy, was found dead in his cell early Saturday morning.“Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein,” Barr said while addressing the Fraternal Order of Police in New Orleans. “Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice, and we will ensure they get it.”Authorities believe it was suicide. However, New York City's chief medical examiner has not yet listed an official cause of death after an autopsy was performed, according to the Washington Times.“We will get to the bottom of what happened at the MCC and we will hold people accountable for this failure,” the attorney-general said.Epstein had been placed on suicide watch earlier in July, so many are skeptical as to how Epstein was able to kill himself.The New York Times reported that although Epstein had been taken off suicide watch, officials were supposed to check on him every 30 minutes, but failed to do so.One person familiar with the incident told AP that the morning of Epstein's apparent suicide, the guards were working overtime because of staffing shortages.Now, not only is the attorney-general looking into Epstein's death, but members of Congress from both sides of the aisle are also raising questions about the death.
The House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the Federal Bureau Prison asking multiple questions about his death.Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat, and Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican, asked for details on Epstein's assessment about his risk of suicide and whether or not the facility had rooms specifically for inmates on suicide watch. The committee also asked for information on his confinement and how often guards checked in on him.Epstein was found dead a day after a judge unsealed thousands of pages of court records from a lawsuit that alleged he had recruited and prostituted a 17-year-old girl to wealthy friends.
