MCC Guards Indicted for Falsifying Records Night of Epstein Death
Guards Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were indicted on charges of falsifying prison records and sleeping during their shift the night Jeffrey Epstein died. Both entered deferred prosecution agreements in 2021.
People Involved
On November 19, 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced the indictment of two Metropolitan Correctional Center correctional officers — Tova Noel and Michael Thomas — on charges of falsifying prison records and making false statements related to the night of Jeffrey Epstein’s death.
The indictment alleged that Noel and Thomas had been assigned to the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was held but had instead slept during portions of their shift and falsified mandatory check logs to indicate they had conducted required inmate welfare checks.
Epstein had been placed in the SHU after an earlier incident in his cell and had been on suicide watch before that watch was lifted. He was found unresponsive on the morning of August 10, 2019.
In May 2021, both guards entered deferred prosecution agreements — the charges were set aside pending their completion of community service. If requirements were met, charges would be dismissed. Both were removed from their Bureau of Prisons positions.