Background
Michael Thomas was a correctional officer and union delegate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. On the night of August 9-10, 2019, Thomas was assigned to a unit that included Jeffrey Epstein’s cell.
The Night in Question
Federal prosecutors alleged that Thomas failed to conduct the required 30-minute checks on Epstein during his shift. Prosecutors said he instead spent time at a computer and in other areas of the facility.
The Charges
Thomas was charged with making false records and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The charges alleged that he falsified prison logs to show he had completed inmate checks that he had not actually performed.
Defense Position
Thomas’s defense argued that chronic MCC understaffing made it impossible for guards to fulfill all their duties adequately. He had been working a fifth consecutive night shift, a grueling schedule that made attentiveness difficult.
Resolution
In 2021, charges against both Thomas and co-defendant Tova Noel were dropped through a deferred prosecution agreement after they cooperated with federal investigators and completed community service.