WASHINGTON–Two federal prison staffers were in custody Tuesday in New York and are expected to face charges related to their alleged failure to conduct regular checks on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein before he hung himself inside his Manhattan cell, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Epstein's sudden death triggered a wave of recriminations from his many victims who had anticipated his trial on sex trafficking and related conspiracy charges.
It also prompted a leadership shakeup at the federal Bureau of Prisons. Attorney General William Barr ordered multiple investigations into the 66-year-old's suicide, focusing on the operations at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan where Epstein was being held in federal custody.
Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, who Barr appointed to take over the agency, was expected to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the matter.
Prosecutors alleged that Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls" at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, and at other locations from at least 2002 to 2005.
Before New York's chief medical examiner concluded that Epstein had hanged himself with a bed sheet, the disgraced financier's sudden death was shadowed by conspiracy theories, some suggesting he had been murdered.
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For months, federal authorities have examined whether the staffers assigned to Epstein's unit slept through mandatory checks on his cell in the hours before he was found dead, and whether the guards falsified logs accounting for their time on duty.
Prison union representatives have long warned that staff shortages and frequent overtime shifts have taken their toll on officers and compromised security at the Manhattan facility.
Poster Comment:
So now these guys will end up Arkancided, too, is my guess.