New reports have emerged revealing that a prison guard stationed in the unit where now-deceased convicted pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was being held did a Google search of his name just minutes before he was found dead. Documents released by the Justice Department show the guard also made a $5,000 deposit a week before Epstein’s alleged suicide. The guard has been identified as Tova Noel.
In August 2019, Epstein was found dead inside his Manhattan jail cell where official reports claim he died by hanging himself. Noel, along with another guard, was accused of falsifying records in order to make it appear as if they had checked on the convicted pedophile during the night. Following the incident, both guards were fired; however, all charges against the pair were dropped.
“The [guards] had a duty to ensure the safety and security of federal inmates in their care,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman went on to say in 2019. “Instead, they repeatedly failed to conduct mandated checks on inmates, and lied on official forms to hide their dereliction.” FBI records state that Noel did an online search for “latest on Epstein in jail,” twice, just several minutes before correctional officer Michael Thomas found Epstein.
According to a report from Breitbart News, Noel had done a bit of online shopping prior to the discovery and even took a nap instead of checking on Epstein every 30 minutes, while Thomas also cruised around the internet. Later, Noel denied she searched for the disgraced billionaire, saying she couldn’t recall doing so and claiming the FBI records were inaccurate.
Chase Bank flagged several cash deposits in Noel’s bank account in a “suspicious activity report” to the FBI in November 2019. A series of 12 deposits, starting in April 2018, eventually culminated in a large deposit of $5,000 on July 30, 2019. Epstein’s body was found on August 19, 2019. Another inmate housed at the jail where Epstein was being held spoke with the FBI, revealing that he heard guards talking about covering up Epstein’s death after his body was found.
“Breathe! Breathe!” the inmate claims officers started shouting at 6:30 a.m. He then stated that he heard an officer say, “Dudes, you killed that dude.” He then claimed to hear a female guard reply, “If he’s dead, we’re going to cover it up and he’s going to have an alibi — my officers.” The inmate said the whole wing overheard the conversation. Upon discovering that Epstein was dead, he said inmates said, “Miss Noel killed Jeffrey.”
Epstein’s cell was only 15 feet away from the guard’s desk. Adding more mystery to the billionaire’s death, Epstein was seen by multiple psychologists before his alleged suicide, including the jail’s chief psychologist, who determined three times he was not at risk for suicide and had “no mental health concerns and did not appear to be in any distress.”
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But weeks before his death, Epstein was found with a piece of orange cloth around his neck and several abrasions on his skin. The incident prompted the jail to place him on suicide watch. However, Epstein himself said it was the result of a situation involving his cellmate. According to Forbes, the Bureau of Prisons launched a probe into the incident, but was not able to determine whether Epstein harmed himself or was assaulted by another inmate.
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