Jezebel | Prison Guards Were Googling Jeffrey Epstein Just Before He Was Found Dead, Files Say by Jim Vorel

Financier, pedophile and human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein died in New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on Aug. 10, 2019, and despite more than six years passing since that date, most of the pertinent questions and enduring mysteries of how the man–who once wrote to a friend that his lifelong peer President Donald Trump loved “young, nubile girls”–really died have remained unanswered. Even in the wake of the release of millions upon millions of additional files from the Department of Justice, all of which the Trump administration has fought tooth and nail to avoid releasing, each new piece of information only seems to raise more questions. When it comes to the actual circumstances of Epstein’s death, however, members of Congress are hoping to soon obtain more details via testimony from a source that is a long time coming: The prison guards who were tasked with watching over Epstein’s cell that night. You know, the same guards that documents included in the released files say were apparently running Google searches on Epstein less than an hour before he was discovered dead in his cell, via what the FBI still insists was a suicide by hanging.

The Epstein-Googling guard in question, a woman named Tova Noel, has been a source of intense speculation related to the case for years. She is now expected to testify before the House Oversight Committee; an interview that was supposed to happen today but has been postponed “due to scheduling issues.” She’s an Army veteran, and began working in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) of the prison at the beginning of July, 2019, the exact same week that Epstein was arrested for the second time on federal sex-trafficking charges and moved there. Along with fellow guard Michael Thomas, Noel was one of two guards who according to policy were meant to be checking on Epstein every 30 minutes. That seemingly did not happen, but it’s largely impossible to say what did happen thanks to a lack of functional cameras scattered throughout the facility, including the cameras near Epstein’s cell in the SHU. These camera issues were already known to the facility according to a 2023 DOJ report, and the entire Metropolitan Correctional Center announced in 2021 that it would be “temporarily” closing to address issues of degrading security and infrastructure. It has never reopened in the five years since.

The House committee that is investigating the case into Jeffrey Epstein is calling for the testimony of Tova Noel, the prison guard who was working the night of his death. Noel has said she believes she is the last person to have seen Jeffrey Epstein alive. #PINKS

Read more: https://www.jezebel.com/epstein-death-files-prison-guards-tova-noel-googling-suspicious-deposits-bribes-testimony-congress

#jeffreyepstein #tovanoel #houseoversightcommittee #fbi #metropolitancorrectionalcenter

qwant news | Prison Guards Were Googling Jeffrey Epstein Just Before He Was Found Dead, Files Say

Financier, pedophile and convicted sex‑trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019. Six years later, newly released Department of Justice files show that the two guards assigned to his Special Housing Unit – Tova Noel and Michael Thomas – were supposed to check on Epstein every thirty minutes, but the logs indicate an eight‑hour gap with no documented checks. Both guards were later charged with falsifying those logs, pleaded guilty, and received no jail time in exchange for cooperating with an Inspector General review. The files also reveal that, less than an hour before Epstein was discovered hanging, Noel’s computer recorded a Google search for “latest on Epstein in jail,” sandwiched between unrelated queries about furniture and law‑enforcement discounts. When questioned in a 2021 interview, Noel flatly denied making that search.

The released documents further expose suspicious financial activity tied to Noel. JP Morgan Chase filed a Suspicious Activity Report with the FBI in November 2019 after detecting twelve cash deposits she made between April 2018 and July 2019, the largest being $5,000 on July 30, 2019—just two weeks before Epstein’s death. Noel was never asked about these deposits during her 2021 interview, and investigators have not publicly pursued the matter. In addition, the files note that Epstein possessed extra clothing and linens in his cell—items normally prohibited for inmates on suicide watch—raising questions about how they got there, since Noel claimed she didn’t supply them.

Congressional investigators are now pressing the House Oversight Committee to summon Noel for testimony, hoping her answers will clarify the unanswered details surrounding Epstein’s final hours. The committee’s focus includes the Google search, the unexplained cash deposits, and the “moving orange flash” video captured that night, as well as broader security failures at the MDC, such as malfunctioning cameras and a half‑closed prison that has remained shuttered since 2021. While the new evidence fuels further speculation and conspiracy theories, it also provides a concrete avenue for lawmakers to seek a clearer account of how a man with vast wealth and powerful connections died behind bars.

Read more: https://www.jezebel.com/epstein-death-files-prison-guards-tova-noel-googling-suspicious-deposits-bribes-testimony-congress

#jeffreyepstein #metropolitancorrectionalcenter #departmentofjustice #fbi #houseoversightcommittee

yahoo news | Prison Guards Were Googling Jeffrey Epstein Just Before He Was Found Dead, Files...

Financier and convicted sex‑trafficker Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019, but a trove of newly released Department of Justice files has kept the case in the spotlight. Among the most unsettling details are the computer logs of two prison guards who were supposed to check on Epstein every 30 minutes in the Special Housing Unit. The logs show that one guard, Tova Noel, ran a Google search for “latest on Epstein in jail” less than an hour before he was found hanging, a query that she later denied making.

Noel, an Army veteran who began working at MCC in July 2019, and fellow guard Michael Thomas were later charged with falsifying records that claimed they had performed the required checks. Both pleaded guilty but avoided jail time in exchange for cooperating with a Justice Department inspector‑general review. In addition to the dubious search, the files reveal that Noel’s bank filed a Suspicious Activity Report after detecting twelve cash deposits—including a $5,000 deposit on July 30, 2019—just weeks before Epstein’s death. Neither the deposit nor the SAR was questioned during her 2021 interview, and lawmakers are now pressing the House Oversight Committee to have Noel testify about these anomalies.

The combination of missing camera footage, the extra linens found in Epstein’s cell, and the guards’ falsified logs has fueled endless conspiracy theories, but the new congressional hearing could finally provide a factual account of the final hours. As investigators sift through the revelations, many hope that Noel’s testimony will clarify whether negligence, misconduct, or something more sinister contributed to Epstein’s death, even as each answer seems poised to generate fresh questions.

Read more: https://www.jezebel.com/epstein-death-files-prison-guards-tova-noel-googling-suspicious-deposits-bribes-testimony-congress

#jeffreyepstein #metropolitancorrectionalcenter #departmentofjustice #tovanoel #congressionalhearing

yahoo news | Unanswered questions on Epstein's final hours: A "flash of orange," a Google...

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his Metropolitan Correctional Center cell on the morning of August 10, 2019, after guards discovered him hanging from a strip of orange‑colored cloth. Transcripts released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act show that Officer Michael Thomas entered the cluttered cell at about 6:30 a.m. and found Epstein unresponsive, while Guard Tova Noel called for help and attempted CPR. The medical examiner later ruled the death a suicide by hanging, but the official conclusion has been continually challenged by conspiracy theories that point to Epstein’s high‑profile connections and the inconsistencies revealed in the newly released DOJ documents.

The released files highlight several lingering mysteries. Surveillance video captured a “flash of orange” moving up a staircase in the unit just before 10:40 p.m. on August 9, a detail investigators variously interpreted as an inmate being escorted, a guard carrying linen, or an unidentified figure. Around the same time, a forensic analysis of Noel’s workstation showed she performed a Google search for “latest on Epstein in jail” at 5:42 a.m. on August 10, a search she later claimed she did not remember making. In addition, investigators noted an unusual accumulation of linens and clothing in Epstein’s cell—materials that could be fashioned into a ligature—yet Noel testified she never distributed linen during her shift, raising questions about how the extra bedding arrived.

Multiple officials, including the New York City medical examiner Kristin Roman, former prosecutor Dave Aronberg, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, have reiterated that the evidence supports a suicide, while forensic pathologist Michael Baden has argued that the neck fractures are more consistent with homicidal strangulation. Congressional oversight committees are now pressing former guard Noel to explain the Google search, the $5,000 cash deposit made shortly before Epstein’s death, and her role in the inmate‑count procedures. Despite the gaps and the lingering “orange flash” and linen questions, the prevailing consensus among investigators remains that Epstein killed himself, even as the extensive documentation continues to fuel public speculation.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/unanswered-questions-epsteins-final-hours-090040710.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

#jeffreyepstein #metropolitancorrectionalcenter #tovanoel #epsteinfilestransparencyact #doj

yahoo news | Epstein's final hours: A 'flash of orange,' a Google search and a makeshift...

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on the morning of Aug. 10, 2019 after two guards—Michael Thomas and Tova Noel—made their routine breakfast rounds. Thomas entered a cluttered cell and discovered Epstein hanging from a strip of orange cloth tied to a bunk‑bed, while Noel called for help and attempted resuscitation. Transcripts released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act show the guards’ frantic attempts to revive him and their fear of “getting in so much trouble,” as Thomas later told investigators.

The newly released documents have revived a raft of unanswered questions that Congress is now pursuing. Surveillance footage captured an “orange flash” moving up a staircase shortly before 10:40 p.m. on Aug. 9, a detail the Justice Department’s inspector‑general said could be a guard carrying linen or an inmate being escorted, but which remains unexplained. At 5:42 a.m. the next day, Noel’s work computer recorded a Google search for “latest on Epstein in jail,” and investigators are probing a series of cash deposits to her account, including a $5,000 deposit just days before Epstein’s death. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Noel to testify about these activities and the circumstances surrounding the extra linens found in the cell.

Medical examiners concluded that Epstein died by suicide from hanging, though forensic pathologist Michael Baden and some observers have highlighted unusual neck fractures and questioned the integrity of the noose evidence. The city’s chief medical examiner, Kristin Roman, expressed hesitation before officially labeling the death a suicide, noting the high‑profile nature of the case. Despite the lingering speculations and conspiracy theories, senior Justice Department officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, maintain that the accumulated evidence supports the suicide finding, even as the case continues to prompt new investigations and public scrutiny.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-unanswered-questions-final-hours-orange-flash-search-rcna264147

#jeffreyepstein #metropolitancorrectionalcenter #epsteinfilestransparencyact #justicedepartment #houseoversightcommittee

yahoo news | Unanswered questions about Epstein's final hours: A 'flash of orange,' a Google search, a makeshift noose

Around 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 2019, two Metropolitan Correctional Center guards made their usual morning rounds. Officer Michael Thomas knocked on Jeffrey Epstein’s cell door, found the billionaire unresponsive, and saw him hanging from a strip of orange‑colored cloth tied to a bunk‑bed. Thomas and his partner, Tova Noel, called for help and attempted CPR, but Epstein—66, awaiting trial on federal sex‑trafficking charges—was later declared dead by suicide. The Justice Department’s newly released “Epstein Files” show that the cell was unusually cluttered with extra blankets and linens, a detail that later fueled speculation about how a makeshift noose could have been assembled.

The files also reveal several puzzling moments that have kept conspiracy theories alive. Surveillance video captured a “flash of orange” moving up a staircase in Epstein’s tier just before 10:40 p.m. on Aug. 9; investigators could not determine whether the blur was an inmate, a guard carrying linen, or something else. Minutes later, at 5:42 a.m. on Aug. 10, a forensic examination of Noel’s workstation found a Google search for “latest on Epstein in jail.” Noel later told investigators she did not recall searching the news that morning, and her bank records showed a $5,000 cash deposit shortly before the death, prompting the House Oversight Committee to subpoena her testimony about the searches and deposits.

Congressional leaders, led by Rep. James Comer, are pressing the guards for answers as the DOJ’s inspector‑general report underscores a pattern of staffing failures, falsified time‑cards, and a malfunctioning video‑recording system that left key footage unavailable. While the New York City medical examiner and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche maintain that the evidence points to suicide, forensic pathologist Michael Baden and others have questioned the neck injuries and the integrity of the noose. The continued release of millions of pages of documents has amplified public scrutiny, but officials say the accumulated evidence still supports the conclusion that Epstein took his own life.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epstein-unanswered-questions-final-hours-orange-flash-search-rcna264147

#jeffreyepstein #metropolitancorrectionalcenter #justicedepartment #houseoversightcommittee #michaelbaden