Initial Custody
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 8, 2019, at Teterboro Airport and transported to the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan. After the July 18 bail denial, he was held there without bail pending trial.
Housing Unit
Epstein was housed in the 9 South Special Housing Unit one of the MCC’s most secure units, which had previously housed El Chapo and other high-security federal detainees.
Daily Conditions
Court filings and reporting described Epstein’s daily conditions as difficult limited space, restricted movement, and the psychological pressure of awaiting trial. He had attorney visits and review of case materials.
Security Failures
The DOJ Inspector General’s 2023 report documented extensive security failures at MCC surrounding Epstein’s detention: the two correctional officers assigned to monitor his unit on the night of August 10-11 were asleep and falsified their records; no cellmate was present; and he had been removed from suicide watch weeks earlier.
Death
Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell on August 10, 2019, and pronounced dead. The official ruling was suicide by hanging.