Newly released Department of Justice records have added a puzzling layer to the circumstances surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s passing in federal custody, which have long fueled questions about what happened inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
Documents revealed that one of the correctional officers responsible for monitoring the predator searched for news about him online just minutes before his body was discovered.
Highlights
- Newly released DOJ records revealed that a prison guard searched for "latest on Epstein" just minutes before his body was discovered.
- Forensic investigators flagged a series of suspicious cash deposits into a guard's account, including a $5,000 payment days before the incident.
- Two guards admitted to sleeping and browsing furniture websites instead of conducting the mandatory life-safety checks required every 30 minutes.
The searches were highlighted in a 66-page forensic examination conducted by the FBI, which reviewed computer activity from the Bureau of Prisons’ systems inside the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was held.
The revelations come years after Epstein’s demise on August 10, 2019, which authorities ruled a su*cide.
Newly released DOJ files showed a prison guard searched for Epstein online shortly before his passing
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According to Department of Justice documents and FBI computer forensics records, correctional officer Tova Noel searched the internet for updates about Epstein on the morning of his passing.
The FBI’s analysis of prison computers claimed Noel searched “latest on Epstein in jail” at 5:42 a.m., and again at 5:52 a.m. on August 10, 2019.
Less than 40 minutes later, Epstein was found lifeless in his cell.
Image credits: AP Archive
Also, correctional officer Michael Thomas, Noel’s colleague on duty that night, discovered Epstein hanging in his cell at approximately 6:30 a.m., as per the federal records.
When questioned under oath by DOJ investigators in 2021, Noel denied making the searches. “I don’t remember doing that,” she said in a sworn statement.
She further claimed the FBI records were inaccurate, adding, “I don’t recall looking him up.”
Besides searching for Epstein’s name, guards admitted they failed to conduct mandatory checks on Epstein the night he passed away
Image credits: DoJ
Image credits: DoJ
Epstein was placed inside the Special Housing Unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center after his arrest on July 6, 2019.
Under prison policy, guards were required to check on inmates every 30 minutes.
However, prosecutors later alleged that Noel and Thomas did not conduct those checks during the overnight shifts before Epstein’s demise.
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Image credits: CBS19
Additionally, court documents revealed that the two guards spent portions of the night sleeping and browsing the internet, despite Epstein being housed only a few yards from their desk.
According to federal prosecutors, Noel browsed furniture websites, while Thomas searched for motorcycle deals and sports news.
Both guards later admitted falsifying prison records, claiming they had completed inmate checks when they had not.
Image credits: CBS19
In a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, Noel and Thomas acknowledged they had “willfully and knowingly” filed false reports.
Instead of prison time, they were required to complete 100 hours of community service, and U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres eventually dismissed criminal charges.
Furthermore, FBI investigators also flagged suspicious cash deposits in the guard’s bank account
Image credits: DoJ
Separate records released by the Justice Department revealed another unusual detail tied to Noel’s finances.
A Chase Bank suspicious activity report sent to the FBI in November 2019 flagged a series of cash deposits into Noel’s bank account.
According to the documents, 12 cash deposits began in April 2018, culminating in a $5,000 deposit made on July 30, 2019, just 10 days before Epstein’s d*ath.
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The DOJ files show seven deposits totaling $11,880 recorded between December 2018 and July 2019.
The records also noted that Noel had started working in the Special Housing Unit on July 7, 2019, only weeks before Epstein was found lifeless.
Despite the flagged activity, the newly released documents indicate that investigators did not question Noel about the deposits during her DOJ interview.
At the time, Noel was reportedly driving a 2019 Land Rover Range Rover valued at around $62,000.
Surveillance footage also captured a mysterious figure near Epstein’s cell hours before his passing
Image credits: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Another detail from the newly disclosed records involves a blurred figure seen on surveillance footage inside the prison the night before Epstein passed away.
Investigators previously described the figure as an “unidentified correctional officer.”
However, an internal FBI briefing included in the latest DOJ files suggested the person could have been Tova Noel.
“At approximately 10:40 p.m., a correctional officer, believed to be Tova Noel, carried linen or inmate clothing up to the L-Tier,” the FBI briefing stated.
This moment was described as the last time any correctional officer approached the entrance to Epstein’s cell block that night.
Epstein was later found to have used strips of cloth to hang himself, according to the official medical examiner’s ruling.
In her sworn testimony, Noel denied giving Epstein any additional linen or clothing.
“I never gave out linen — ever,” she told investigators.
"She got some Trump money," wrote one user
