Last night we reported from CBS News that two guards had falsified records showing that they had checked on Epstein when they really hadn’t. Well now we are learning more about this from the NY Times:
The two staff members who were guarding the jail unit where Jeffrey Epstein apparently killed himself fell asleep, failed to check on him for about three hours and falsified records to cover up their mistake, according to several law enforcement and prison officials with knowledge of the matter.
Those disclosures came on Tuesday as the two employees were placed on administrative leave and the warden of the jail, the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, was temporarily reassigned, pending the outcome of the investigation into Mr. Epstein’s death, the Justice Department announced.
The two staff members in the special housing unit where Mr. Epstein was held — 9 South — falsely recorded in a log that they had checked on the financier, who was facing sex trafficking charges, every 30 minutes, as was required, two of the officials said. Such false entries in an official log could constitute a federal crime.
In fact, the two people guarding Mr. Epstein had been asleep for some or all of the three hours, three of the officials said.
It seems odd that both guards would have been asleep for the entire time, but I guess that’s not completely implausible.
Given the gravity of Epstein’s case, however, it does seem like a convenient excuse.
If it turns out to be true, the question then becomes whether they were given incentive to fall asleep…
UPDATE: According to what I just heard on Fox News, one of the guards was way overworked, like close to 80 hours. And the other my have been too…