Prosecutors revealed on Thursday that surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s cell during his attempted suicide “was destroyed,” according to a report from the New York Daily News.
This is just the latest in a series of bizarre circumstances surrounding Epstein’s incarceration and eventual death.
The revelation in a letter filed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maurene Comey and Jason Swergold is the latest head-spinning disclosure from the feds about the footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center on July 22 and 23. Epstein attempted to hang himself that night while sharing a cell with accused quadruple murderer Nick Tartaglione, officials have said.
Swergold initially said last month in White Plains Federal Court that the video had not been preserved. He reversed himself less than 24 hours later, saying it had been archived.
Now, the feds say that due to a record-keeping error, MCC staff preserved footage from outside the wrong cell.
According to prosecutors, “The requested video no longer exists on the backup system and has not since at least August 2019 as a result of technical errors.” The video had been requested to be preserved by Tartaglione’s attorney, who said that Tartaglione acted “admirably,” and possibly saved Epstein’s life during that incident. Epstein would later be found dead in a different cell under suspicious circumstances.
_____
Matt Margolis is the author of Trumping Obama: How President Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama’s Legacy and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
Join the conversation as a VIP Member