Newly released Justice Department files have exposed a stunning timeline discrepancy in the federal government’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, raising fresh questions about what really happened inside a Manhattan prison cell in August 2019.
At the center of the revelation is a federal statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, dated Friday, August 9, 2019, a full day before Epstein was officially discovered unresponsive.
The document states that Epstein had already been found unresponsive and pronounced dead.
In the statement, then–Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:
“Earlier this morning, the Manhattan Correctional Center confirmed that Jeffrey Epstein, who faced charges brought by this Office of engaging in the sex trafficking of minors, had been found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
“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.
“To those brave young women who have already come forward and to the many others who have yet to do so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing for you, and our investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment.”
However, prison records and official accounts tell a different story.
According to those records, Epstein was not discovered until the morning of August 10, when a corrections officer delivering breakfast found him inside his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
Official Timeline Immediately Raises Red Flags
Epstein, 66, had been jailed since July 6, 2019, after federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking minors and conspiracy.
He pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial when he supposedly died in custody just over a month later.
Officials say he was discovered shortly after 6:30 a.m. on August 10, when medical personnel attempted resuscitation but pronounced him dead soon afterward.
The New York City medical examiner later ruled the death a suicide by hanging.
Yet the newly surfaced August 9 federal statement appears to contradict that timeline, suggesting knowledge of Epstein’s death before his body was officially found.
Cascade of Security Failures Inside Federal Jail
Epstein’s death unfolded amid a series of extraordinary breakdowns inside one of the federal government’s most secure detention facilities.
Records show guards assigned to monitor him failed to conduct required overnight checks, missing scheduled rounds at 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.
At the same time, surveillance cameras outside Epstein’s cell were not functioning properly, with investigators later confirming that at least two cameras malfunctioned, leaving critical gaps in visual monitoring.
Because of these failures, officials were unable to establish a definitive timeline of Epstein’s final moments, and no precise official time of death has ever been determined.
Mysterious Movement Captured on Surveillance
The newly released DOJ files also detail surveillance observations reviewed after Epstein’s death.
Investigators from the FBI and the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General identified footage showing what appeared to be an unidentified figure moving toward the floor where Epstein was housed.
The video reportedly captured an orange-colored shape ascending a staircase near Epstein’s housing unit during the overnight hours.
Investigators documented the movement.
However, they never publicly determined whether the figure had any connection to Epstein or his death.
There is no record of any inmates or staff members being in that area at that time.
With malfunctioning cameras and incomplete footage, authorities were left unable to reconstruct a full visual record of activity in the unit.
Death That Halted a Global Scandal
Epstein’s sudden death ended one of the most closely watched federal criminal cases in modern history.
Prosecutors had accused him of running a years-long international sex-trafficking operation involving underage girls.
Victims allege years of abuse by Epstein and his powerful associates spanning multiple states and countries.
His July 2019 arrest came after years of outrage over a controversial 2008 cushy plea deal in Florida that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution.
The most recent New York charges exposed Epstein to decades in prison if convicted.
Instead, his death terminated the criminal case while leaving unanswered questions about possible co-conspirators and the circumstances surrounding his final hours.
Due to his death while awaiting trial, details of Epstein’s child sex trafficking operation, including the identities of his clients, were never exposed in court.
And now, with a federal death announcement dated before he was officially found dead, those questions are only growing louder.
READ MORE – New Evidence Supports Witness Claim That Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself
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