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D. Failure to Assign Epstein a New Cellmate on August 9
1. Day Watch Staff Actions on August 9
The SHU Lieutenant told the OIG that he worked at MCC New York on August 8, 2019, from approximately
6 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m., and that he was off on August 9, 2019. The SHU Lieutenant, whose shift
ended over an hour before the USMS sent the second email regarding Inmate 3’s impending transfer, told
the OIG he was not aware that Inmate 3 was scheduled to be transferred out of MCC New York, and
therefore he did not notify the Captain that Epstein would require a new cellmate. According to the SHU
Lieutenant, as soon as the SHU staff learned that Inmate 3 would be transferred, they should have notified a
Lieutenant on duty. The Day Watch Operations Lieutenant and the Day Watch Activities Lieutenant told the
OIG that on August 9, 2019, they had oversight of the SHU from approximately 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. due to
their position descriptions and because of the SHU Lieutenant’s absence.
According to the MCC New York Staff Roster, on August 9, 2019, SHU Officer #1 was listed as Senior Officer
Specialist 5. Although SHU Officer #1 is typically the Officer in Charge, another Senior Officer Specialist told
the OIG that, in actuality, he was the Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge on August 9 from approximately
6 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge said that since he had the most experience and
seniority, he was considered by everyone to be the SHU Officer in Charge, which the SHU Lieutenant
confirmed. The Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge told the OIG that he knew that Epstein had to have a
cellmate. He said that, as a general practice, every inmate who is transferred from suicide watch and/or
psychological observation to the SHU is placed with a cellmate. He also confirmed that the SHU Lieutenant
had instructed him that Epstein was to be housed with a cellmate at all times. According to the Day Watch
SHU Officer in Charge, between July 30 and August 9, 2019, he told all other MCC New York staff members
who worked in the SHU of Epstein’s cellmate requirement and further stated that everyone who worked in
the SHU should have known that Epstein was required to have a cellmate due to their knowledge, training,
and experience.
The Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge confirmed that on the morning of August 9, 2019, the SHU staff
received an inmate call out list that listed Inmate 3 as “WAB,” which he explained meant that Inmate 3 was
being removed from MCC New York. He told the OIG that sometime between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., he escorted
Epstein from the SHU to the attorney conference room for Epstein’s daily legal visit, during which time
Epstein joked around with him. The Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge said that he and Epstein were
accompanied by CO 1, who was escorting Inmate 3 to Receiving and Discharge. The Day Watch SHU Officer
in Charge and CO 1 both told the OIG that Inmate 3 was escorted to Receiving and Discharge with all of his
belongings, and both said that during the escort the Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge informed Epstein that
he would be assigned a new cellmate due to Inmate 3’s departure and the requirement that Epstein have a
cellmate. In his interview with the OIG, CO 1 confirmed this conversation between the Day Watch SHU
Officer in Charge and Epstein, but he did not provide any additional information regarding notifications
made either by him or the Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge. The Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge told the
OIG that when he and CO 1 left the SHU with Epstein and Inmate 3, both the Day Watch Operations
Lieutenant and the Day Watch Activities Lieutenant should have been physically present in the Lieutenants’
Office and should have seen that Inmate 3 was departing the institution when they passed the office.
The Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge said that while he did not expect Inmate 3 to return to MCC New York,
there had been times when inmates had been escorted to Receiving and Discharge as an expected removal,
only to be returned to the SHU later that same day due to unforeseen circumstances. According to the Day
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00023420.jpg |
| File Size | 1141.7 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.3% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 4,148 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:38:11.533281 |