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TRUSCOPE, but that it was primarily the SHU Officer in Charge’s responsibility to do so. The Evening Watch
SHU Officer in Charge told the OIG that he and other staff members did not conduct any cell searches
during his shift in the SHU on August 9. Additionally, the OIG determined that there was an excessive
amount of bed linen within Epstein’s cell. The Captain reviewed photographs of Epstein’s cell and told the
OIG that the excessive linens were a security issue because they could give inmates materials to fashion an
improvised noose or use as escape paraphernalia.
The OIG found that on August 9, 2019, the Day Watch SHU Officer in Charge either failed to conduct the
required cell searches or failed to document the cell searches that he conducted in the SHU, and that the
Evening Watch SHU Officer in Charge failed to ensure that MCC New York staff assigned to the SHU
conducted cell searches and himself failed to log cell searches in violation of BOP policy and MCC New York
SHU Post Orders. Additionally, the OIG found that it was a performance failure for the Day Watch SHU
Officer in Charge, the Evening Watch SHU Officer in Charge, and Noel, who served as the SHU Officer in
Charge during their respective shifts on August 9 and 10, 2019, to have permitted Epstein to have an
excessive amount of linens in his cell.
E. MCC New York Staff Failed to Ensure that the Institution’s Security Camera
System was Fully Functional Resulting in Limited Recorded Video Evidence
This investigation and review revealed longstanding deficiencies with MCC New York's security camera
system. These deficiencies resulted in nearly all of the cameras in and around the SHU where Epstein was
being housed to not record video starting in late July 2019 and continuing through the date of Epstein’s
death on August 10, 2019. According to forensic analysis conducted by the FBI after Epstein’s death, on
July 29, 2019, a disk failure in MCC New York's DVR 2 system caused approximately half of the institution's
cameras—including nearly all of the cameras in and around the SHU—to display only a live video feed with
no video recording. MCC New York personnel did not learn of this system failure until 11 days later on
August 8, 2019. MCC New York personnel determined that the DVR 2 system needed to be rebuilt to restore
recording functionality. Despite the lack of recording functionality, this repair was not completed until after
Epstein’s death.
The Warden told the OIG that he was generally aware that there were problems with the camera system.
The Warden sought and received approval from BOP to replace the entire camera system and in
September 2018, BOP entered into contracts totaling over $730,000 to purchase new equipment for the
camera replacement project. Although MCC New York management procured new DVR components
approximately 9 months prior to Epstein’s death, the new system was not installed in a timely manner. The
new cameras required new conduit and wiring to be installed before the camera installation. Management
faced staffing shortages, temporary rotating facility managers, and other competing priorities that did not
allow for completion of the installation of the wiring or the new camera system. The OIG determined that as
of August 2021—nearly 3 years after MCC New York contracted for replacement camera equipment—the
system upgrade still had not been completed.*’
87 The BOP temporarily closed MCC New York in October 2021 due to substandard conditions that are unrelated to this
investigation and review.
109
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Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00023476.jpg |
| File Size | 1013.3 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.1% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 3,571 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:39:05.177089 |