DOJ-OGR-00023424.tif
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had left MCC New York. The Acting Evening Watch Activities Lieutenant did not receive the August 8 USMS
email regarding Inmate 3's transfer. The Morning Watch Operations Lieutenant, who was the Operations
Lieutenant from approximately 10 p.m. on August 9 until 6 a.m. on August 10, told the OIG that she did not
know that Epstein was required to have a cellmate, and that the Captain never spoke with her about this
issue. The Captain confirmed that he did not specifically tell the Morning Watch Operations Lieutenant that
Epstein needed a cellmate; however, the Captain said he believed that the Morning Watch Operations
Lieutenant should have known of the requirement, and she was one of the recipients of the email from the
Psychology Department on July 30, 2019, that informed MCC New York staff that Epstein needed to have an
appropriate cellmate. The Morning Watch Operations Lieutenant also received the August 8 USMS email
notifying MCC New York supervisory staff of Inmate 3’s scheduled transfer out of MCC New York. The
Morning Watch Operations Lieutenant told the OIG that if SHU staff knew that Epstein required a cellmate
and did not have one, they should have informed her when she visited the SHU at approximately 4 a.m. on
August 10, as part of her Lieutenant rounds.
The Material Handler said the SHU was not his regular post and he had not attended SHU training, but he
had worked in the SHU approximately 10 to 20 times. According to the Material Handler, on August 9 he
reported for a voluntary overtime shift from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. and then worked his regular 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
shift in the warehouse. At some point during the day shift, the Day Watch Operations Lieutenant called and
asked the Material Handler if he could work overtime in the SHU, and he agreed. The Material Handler said
he worked the 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. shift in the SHU with the Evening Watch SHU Officer in Charge and Noel.
The Material Handler told the OIG that he felt pressured to work the third shift, which resulted in him
working 24 hours straight, from 12 a.m. on August 9 through 12 a.m. on August 10. After the Evening Watch
SHU Officer in Charge left at 10 p.m., the Material Handler and Noel were the only employees working in the
SHU from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. The Material Handler recalled that Epstein came back to the SHU from meeting
with his attorneys at approximately 8 p.m., which was later than the rest of the inmates, and was returned
to his cellon L Tier. After the Material Handler and Noel gave Epstein his food, the Material Handler said
they left the L Tier area. The Material Handler said Epstein was alone in his cell, but he was unaware that
Epstein needed a cellmate.
Noel told the OIG that she worked in the SHU from approximately 4 p.m. on August 9 until 8 a.m. on
August 10, which was a double shift of 16 hours. Noel said the SHU was her regular post during the time
that Epstein was housed within the SHU. According to Noel, inmates housed within the MCC New York SHU
were typically assigned cellmates, but she did not know if they were required to have cellmates. Noel said
Epstein was assigned a cell mate while he was housed within the SHU but said that no one spoke with her
about a requirement that Epstein have a cellmate. Noel said she did not know that Inmate 3 had been
removed from MCC New York on August 9, and stated she was not aware that Epstein should have been
assigned a new cellmate if Inmate 3 had been removed from MCC New York.
Material Handler Michael Thomas told the OIG that he worked a shift in the SHU on August 10 from 12 a.m.
until 8 a.m. Thomas said the SHU was not his normal post, but he had worked in the SHU on numerous
previous occasions and was familiar with the SHU protocols and procedures. Thomas said he knew that if
an inmate came off suicide watch or psychological observation, they should be assigned a cellmate, and he
said he was aware that Epstein had previously been on suicide watch and psychological observation.
Therefore, Thomas assumed that Epstein was required to have a cellmate but said no one had spoken with
him about that requirement. Thomas said the SHU staff should have notified the Operations Lieutenant as
soon as they knew that Epstein’s cellmate had departed MCC New York on August 9. However, Thomas said
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DOJ-OGR- 00023424
Extracted Information
Dates
Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00023424.tif |
| File Size | 77.0 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.3% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 4,320 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:38:15.795392 |