Odd.
Jeffrey Epstein was found nearly unconscious in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) on Tuesday afternoon – with injuries to his neck.
There are several theories on what happened:
Epstein was the victim of an attack either by a disgruntled or angry inmate.
He was the victim of someone hired to silence him permanently to prevent him from telling all he knows about various individuals who might have joined in his pervy lifestyle. It was made to appear to be a suicide.
Epstein made and failed at a genuine attempt at suicide.
He staged the stunt in order to get transferred out of the prison and into a hospital or mental institution.
A Real Attempt?
“Jeffrey did attempt suicide by hanging,” a source told Radar Online, who first broke the story of Epstein’s suicide attempt. “He was in the act of trying to take his own life when the guard found him.”
Radar wrote that a witness described Epstein as being “blue in the face” and “sprawled out on the floor” while jail staff tended to him.
“It wasn’t staged and he wasn’t attacked by another inmate,” the source insisted. “He was alone in his cell and was found by a guard as Jeffrey was attempting to hang himself. Any talk that he did this to get a transfer is also misinformed.”
Sources close to the investigation who spoke to NBC New York said Epstein, 66, was found in a fetal position inside his cell with marks on his neck.
There are numerous unnamed sources with conflicting information.
According to Refinery 29, “While one source claimed his injuries weren’t serious and that Epstein may be attempting to get a transfer, two sources said Epstein may have attempted to hang himself. A fourth source speculated he may have been assaulted by another inmate.
“According to two sources, investigators questioned inmate Nicholas Tartaglione in relation to the occurrence. Tartaglione is a former Westchester County police officer who is accused of killing four men in 2016 as part of a cocaine distribution conspiracy.”
Epstein reportedly has met with his attorneys since the incident.
He has been incarcerated at MCC since July 6th after he was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey as he arrived back from France in his private jet. He was denied bail.
He is facing federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges for allegedly abusing underage girls at his homes in New York City and Palm Beach, FL between 2002 and 2005.
Epstein Likely Now On Suicide Watch At MCC
The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which runs the facility, said Epstein is “…currently housed at MCC New York and not in a local hospital as has been reported. As with all inmates, for privacy and security reasons, we do not share information on an inmate’s medical status or their conditions of confinement.”
Epstein will be likely held in MCC’s Suicide Watch Unit for a few days – where he’ll be outfitted in a Safety Smock.
One-Size-Fits-All Safety Smock
There, he will be housed by himself in an isolation cell that is approximately 8’ by 10”.
Prisoners in the Suicide Watch Unit are under observation 24/7 by other prisoners who been trained for that duty.
Prisoners in the Suicide Watch Unit are also visited daily by prison psychologists – and many are put on some sort of drug regimen while they are there.
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Keeping Pre-Trial Prisoners Safe Is High Priority
Most prisons – especially federal ones – are focused on keeping pre-trial prisoners healthy and safe.
That’s because the prosecution doesn’t want jurors to see defendants who have been beaten up or who are suffering from untreated illnesses. And it is extremely embarrassing – and would bring heightened scrutiny on a facility – if a prisoner died prior to getting to trial.
If a prisoner dies after being sentenced, that is just how things go. But awaiting trial, that is not a good time to let a prisoner die or get beaten.
The same is true for pre-sentencing prisoners – especially as their sentencing dates get closer (That’s why Keith Raniere will likely be housed in the Special Housing Unit at the Metropolitan Detention Center until he’s sentenced in the Fall).
Mk10Art painting of Keith Raniere imprisoned by his own brand.
Once a prisoner is sentenced, they are usually transferred to their assigned prison within a few days.
And once they arrive at their assigned prison, the staff there will decide whether to place them in general population or some sort of special unit.
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Speculation Concerning Epstein’s Injuries
It’s possible, of course, that Epstein did, in fact, try to commit suicide. He wouldn’t be the first prisoner to do so. Almost 300 inmates in state and federal prisons commit suicide each year. But there are other equally plausible explanations for Epstein’s injuries.
Perhaps he injured himself as part of a ploy to get U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman to reconsider allowing him out on bail until his trial next year.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman
It’s also possible that he was attacked by someone else – either someone who doesn’t like pervy old guys who sexually abuse young girls or someone who was carrying out a directive from others who want Epstein silenced.
The interesting thing is that Epstein was being housed in MCC’s 10 South Unit, a block of six cells known as the “terror wing” because it’s where the city’s most dangerous federal inmates, including alleged terrorists, are held (El Chapo was held there until he was transferred to the federal supermax prison in Colorado). All the prisoners in that unit are housed separately – and they’re in their cells 23 hours per day.
Given those facts, the most likely person that would have access to Epstein would be a Correctional Officer (CO) at MCC rather than another prisoner.
Would a federal CO do such a thing?
Let’s take a look at a few recent examples of federal COs who have done bad things (A simple Google search will reveal many similar stories):
– Former Federal Prison Guard Guilty of Sex Crimes Against Inmates
– Federal Prison Guard Indicted for Beating Inmate in Texas
It’s also a well-established fact that COs are the ones who usually provide inmates with drugs, cell phones, liquor, and all the other contraband readily available in prison for a price.
Is it impossible to think that a CO might be hired for a handsome dollar figure to ensure Epstein’s silence and, of course, to make it appear to be a suicide?
In the US, we have the word “Suicided.”
It is most often used when people suspect intelligence agencies silenced someone forever.
It means that a person is seen to be the victim of an apparent suicide, but actually was the victim of an assassination.
It has been rumored that Epstein worked for an intelligence agency, perhaps a foreign one – and that blackmailing the rich and famous was his MO and part of his value to the intelligence agency.
Lesser men than Epstein have had their lives ended abruptly in the past and no one knows if they committed suicide or were suicided.
Either way, I would be careful to give odds that Epstein will make it to trial.
Since he was essentially in solitary confinement, it seems almost impossible that anyone could get to him except someone paid to able to be near him.
That means either he injured himself or it was an assassination attempt.
He was found injured. Who found him? Who was there first? Who was there second? How much of a time lag was there?
We do know this: it will be a horrible blot on the warden’s reputation if Epstein fails to make it to trial.
Without ruling out the other possibilities, if it was an assassination attempt, they might have blown their chance. Now the world is watching. A second stab at Epstein will be awfully hard to get.
You would almost need a Jack Ruby type, an assassin who would be willing to get caught and not care.
If the walls could talk, they might be able to tell us what happened to Jeffrey Epstein.
