The two guards responsible for watching Epstein (the ones who “fell asleep”) are being charged by federal prosecutors. Charges were filed on Tuesday, November 19 in federal court.
A grand jury charged Tova Noel and Michael Thomas with conspiring to defraud the United States and making false records while working at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
After Epstein was found “suicided” in his jail cell (he didn’t kill himself) the guards had stated that they fell asleep due to being overworked. They are being accused of falsifying documents that they were conducting their checks on inmates.
For “substantial portions of their shifts, Noel and Thomas sat at their desk, browsed the Internet, and moved around the common area†of the section of the jail where Epstein was held, known as the Special Housing Unit, or SHU, the grand jury charged.
After reviewing surveillance footage (hmmm… the same cameras that just happened to not be working that night?) showed they did not move from their seats, or at all, for approximately two hours indicating they were asleep.
If you remember back on July 23 Epstein “attempted to kill himself”. His cell mate Nicholas Tartaglione had called out for help telling officers that Epstein had a bed sheet around his neck and was trying to kill himself. Epstein denied this and said he was attacked. His cell mate denied this.
Thomas was one of the guards on that day. You would think he would take his charge a bit more seriously than browsing the computer and sleeping.
Tova Noel actually is willing to help the Inspector General’s investigation with information about the night Epstein was “suicided.”
