Newly released Justice Department documents are adding another layer of scrutiny to the final hours before Jeffrey Epstein’s death in federal custody, revealing that a prison guard believed to be the last person to see him alive had received several cash deposits flagged as suspicious in the days leading up to the incident.
The documents do not establish a direct link between the money and Epstein’s death. Still, the revelations are likely to intensify questions about the circumstances surrounding the influential financier’s death in August 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. (RELATED: Former Norwegian Prime Minister Hospitalized Amid Epstein-Linked Corruption Probe)
Cash deposits flagged before Epstein’s death
According to the records, correctional officer Tova Noel made a $5,000 cash deposit into her bank account on July 30, 2019 — just 10 days before Epstein was found dead in his cell while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges involving minors.
Bank officials had already flagged Noel’s account for unusual activity. Investigators later identified seven separate cash deposits totaling about $11,880 in the weeks leading up to Epstein’s death.
The documents do not explain where the money came from. It is also unclear whether investigators ultimately determined the purpose of the deposits. (RELATED: Epstein Maintained Multiple Storage Units That Authorities Reportedly Never Searched)
Guard seen near Epstein’s cell
Internal FBI materials indicate Noel may have been the last correctional officer captured on surveillance footage approaching Epstein’s isolation cell while he was still alive.
According to the records, security footage shows Noel near the area at roughly 10:40 p.m. on the night before Epstein’s body was discovered.
Hours later, prison staff found Epstein unresponsive in his cell. Authorities later ruled his death a suicide by hanging, though the case has remained the subject of intense public scrutiny. (RELATED: Ghislaine Maxwell’s Laywer Sets Off Conspiracy Frenzy On CNN)
Internet search before discovery
The newly released files also show Noel conducted an internet search about Epstein shortly before his body was discovered.
Investigators say she typed “latest on Epstein in jail” into Google less than an hour before prison staff found him.
Noel later told investigators she did not remember making the search and questioned whether the FBI’s digital records were accurate.
Failures during the overnight shift
At the time of Epstein’s death, Noel and another guard, Michael Thomas, were responsible for monitoring inmates housed in the facility’s Special Housing Unit.
Prosecutors later said both guards failed to conduct required checks on inmates every 30 minutes. Instead, they allegedly falsified prison records to show the inspections had taken place.
Both Noel and Thomas were later charged with falsifying federal records. The case was eventually resolved without either guard serving jail time.
Renewed scrutiny of the case
The newly disclosed documents were released after Congress ordered the Justice Department to make public additional material related to Epstein’s death.
While investigators have never tied the cash deposits to Epstein’s death, the revelations are likely to renew questions about security failures inside the jail and the circumstances surrounding one of the most controversial deaths in federal custody in U.S. history.
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