Epstein, 66, was found hanging in his New York jail cell on August 10 while awaiting trial over abuses involving girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean
Epstein, 66, was found hanging in his New York jail cell on August 10 while awaiting trial over abuses involving girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean New York State Sex Offender Registry / -

The guards who were supposed to be watching Jeffrey Epstein when he took his own life at a correctional facility in New York, would be facing criminal charges this week for falsifying prison records, reports said.

Epstein, who was awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing teenage girls, died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York on Aug. 10.

It is suspected that the guards who were expected to check in on Epstein every 30 minutes failed to do so and then fabricated the prison log entries to falsely claim that they did check on him. The guards were offered a plea bargain but they rejected it.

The federal charges against the correctional officers could come as soon as Tuesday, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Federal prosecutors who have been investigating Epstein’s death will be filing the charges. The officers were placed on administrative leave while the investigation was being carried out.

Epstein was placed on a suicide watch after he was found on July 23, lying on the floor in his cell with bruises on his neck. Sources familiar with the jail operations said that Epstein was taken off suicide watch a week before his death. Also due to staffing shortages, the guards who were watching Epstein were working overtime.

Investigators looking into Epstein’s death believed he wasn’t watched for several hours, until being discovered with a bedsheet tied around his neck.

Epstein’s death, which was ruled as a suicide, put a halt to the trial which would otherwise have involved prominent figures. Federal prosecutors, however, continued to investigate the charges against Epstein even after his death.

The wealthy financier’s death also gave rise to a slew of conspiracy theories.

A forensic pathologist who observed Epstein’s autopsy after being hired by his family had asked the authorities to be more transparent and clear up things. Accusers also complained that the police hadn’t done enough after witnesses from a related investigation in Paris were not tracked down properly.

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