Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were the two Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) guards assigned to the Special Housing Unit where Jeffrey Epstein was held on the night of August 9–10, 2019.
What they did: Both guards falsified prison records, claiming they had conducted mandatory checks on Epstein at regular intervals when they had not. Surveillance footage showed that neither guard checked on Epstein for approximately three hours during the critical window when he died. During that time, Noel was browsing the internet and Thomas was sleeping at his desk.
The indictment: In November 2019, Noel and Thomas were indicted on federal charges of falsifying prison records and conspiracy. If convicted, they faced up to 25 years in prison.
Deferred prosecution agreement: After lengthy proceedings, federal prosecutors offered both guards deferred prosecution agreements in 2021. Under the deals, charges would be dismissed if the guards completed community service, cooperated with investigations, and avoided further criminal conduct for a period of time. Critics argued this was insufficient accountability given that their failures occurred on the night of a high-profile death in custody.
Status: By 2022–2023, the charges against both guards had effectively been discontinued. Neither was ultimately convicted of any crime related to Epstein’s death.
The episode underscored the broader management failures at MCC, which was chronically understaffed, relied heavily on mandatory overtime, and had systemic supervision problems that a DOJ Inspector General report later documented in detail.