At a rapid pace, new information continues to emerge daily about both the turbulent life of Jeffrey Epstein, the people with whom he had even minimal contact, and even his final moments in prison.
A new document that surfaced from more than 3.5 million files released by the U.S. Department of Justice—specifically, an official federal announcement—reports the death of the financier, yet bears a date that appears to precede the moment when he was officially found dead in his cell at a New York prison.
The document, issued by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and dated Friday, August 9, 2019, states that Epstein had already been found unconscious and that his death had been confirmed.

However, prison records and official announcements indicate that the financier was not found unconscious until the morning of August 10, 2019, when a correctional officer distributing breakfast discovered him in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
In the prosecutorial announcement that came to light, the then–U.S. Attorney for Manhattan, Geoffrey S. Berman, stated:
“Earlier this morning, the Metropolitan Correctional Center confirmed that Jeffrey Epstein, who was facing charges brought by our Office for engaging in sex trafficking of minors, was found unconscious in his cell and was later pronounced dead. Today’s events are disturbing, and we are acutely aware of the potential that they may pose yet another obstacle to providing Epstein’s many victims the opportunity to be heard in court. To the courageous young women who have already spoken out and the many others who have not yet done so, I want to reiterate that we remain committed to standing with you and continuing our investigation into the conduct charged in the indictment.”
The 66-year-old Epstein had been held at the Manhattan jail since his arrest on July 6, 2019, after federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy.
He pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial when he decided to take his own life about one month after his arrest. According to official statements, Epstein was found unconscious in his cell shortly after 6:30 a.m. on August 10 by a correctional officer.

Medical personnel attempted to revive him, but his death was pronounced shortly thereafter. The New York City medical examiner later ruled that his death was a suicide by hanging.
The financier’s death occurred amid a series of serious failures at one of the federal government’s most secure detention facilities.
Prison records show that the guards assigned to monitor him did not carry out the required checks during the overnight hours prior to the discovery of his body.
According to official findings, scheduled patrols at 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. were not conducted.

In addition, the cameras installed outside Epstein’s cell were not functioning properly that night. Investigators later confirmed that at least two surveillance cameras had malfunctioned, leaving critical gaps in visual monitoring of the area. Because of these failures, authorities were unable to determine with certainty a complete timeline of the financier’s final moments.
To this day, the exact time of death has not been officially established.
Earlier this week, recently released Department of Justice files included additional details reviewed by investigators after Epstein’s death, including observations from the prison’s internal surveillance system.
According to the documents, FBI investigators and the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General identified footage showing what appeared to be an unidentified figure moving toward the floor where Epstein was being held.
The footage reportedly captured an orange-colored figure ascending a staircase near Epstein’s housing unit during the night.

Investigators recorded the movement but did not publicly conclude whether the figure had any direct connection to Epstein or to his death.
Limitations and malfunctions in the surveillance system prevented investigators from fully reconstructing the visual record of activity in that wing.
Epstein’s death abruptly ended one of the most widely discussed federal criminal cases in recent years.
Prosecutors accused him of having organized, over many years, a sex trafficking network involving underage girls, with alleged victims describing abuse spanning multiple states and countries.
His arrest in July 2019 followed years of scrutiny and criticism over a 2008 plea deal in Florida that had allowed him at the time to avoid federal prosecution.
The new charges brought against him in New York exposed him to the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence had he been convicted.
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