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he did not know that Inmate 3 was removed from MCC New York on August 9, and that Epstein was without
a cellmate during his shift on August 10.
IV. Epstein is Allowed to Make an Unmonitored Telephone Call on August 9
For safety and security reasons, BOP policy requires that all inmate telephone calls be made through the
Inmate Telephone System. BOP records reflect that Epstein placed an unrecorded, unmonitored telephone
call to a telephone number in the local 646 area code using a non-Inmate Telephone System line on
August 9, 2019, from 6:58 p.m. to 7:19 p.m. No other BOP records exist regarding the unmonitored call,
including identity of the person called or a summary of the conversation. The OIG found no evidence that
Epstein signed an Acknowledgement of Inmate form, as required by BOP policy and necessary for him to
use a non-Inmate Telephone System line. The Acknowledgement of Inmate form provides, among other
things, that the BOP reserves the authority to monitor and record non-attorney conversations on any
telephone located within the institution to preserve the security and orderly management of the institution
and to protect the public. The OIG did not find that any notification was made to the MCC New York's
Special Investigative Services staff advising the telephone call had been made, the date and time of the
telephone call, the name of the person being called, Epstein’s name and register number, or a brief
statement explaining the purpose of Epstein’s telephone call, as BOP policy requires.
The Evening Watch Operations Lieutenant told the OIG that when he was preparing to escort Epstein back
to the SHU from the attorney conference room on August 9, 2019, a Unit Manager said to the Evening Watch
Operations Lieutenant that he was going to escort Epstein, so he could provide Epstein with the opportunity
to place a telephone call using an unrecorded legal telephone line that is utilized by inmates to call their
attorneys. The Unit Manager was the Institutional Duty Officer the week of Epstein’s death. The Northeast
Regional Director told the OIG that an Institutional Duty Officer is a supervisor who monitors the facility on
non-duty hours on behalf of the Warden when the Warden is not present.
The Captain told the OIG that he had authorized the Unit Manager to provide Epstein with a telephone call
from the SHU on August 9, 2019, because he wanted to accommodate Epstein’s request for a telephone call
since Epstein was assigned to the SHU and had limited ability to place telephone calls. The Captain
explained that when the Unit Manager was escorting Epstein from his attorney visit back to the SHU, he told
the Unit Manager in the elevator that Epstein could place a telephone call from the SHU, but it had to be
monitored and logged.
The Unit Manager told the OIG that he worked on August 9 from approximately 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Unit
Manager explained that on August 9, Epstein asked to call his mother and that it was his understanding that
Epstein had not been able to obtain the necessary documentation to use the Inmate Telephone System for
various reasons, including the fact that Epstein was with his attorneys during normal working hours. As
described below, Epstein had, in fact, completed the requisite BOP paperwork that allowed him to place
calls through the Inmate Telephone System. The Unit Manager said the decision to allow Epstein to place
the call was his alone as the Unit Manager and because, as the Institutional Duty Officer, he was
representing the Warden, who was not physically within MCC New York at that time. The Unit Manager said
he did not recall having a conversation with the Captain about permitting Epstein to make the call, and he
would have allowed the call even if the Captain did not want him to, given it was his decision to make as the
Unit Manager. The Unit Manager explained that he viewed ensuring that inmates had family socialization as
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DOJ-OGR-00023425
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00023425.tif |
| File Size | 70.8 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.3% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 3,963 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:38:15.697887 |