The Department of Justice on Monday released nearly 11 hours of surveillance footage from outside Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell, asserting the video supports the conclusion that the financier and convicted sex offender died by suicide in 2019, The Hill reported.
The Justice Department made public extended surveillance footage this week as part of a renewed push to dispel conspiracy theories surrounding the 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein, who was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges at the time.
The video, recorded overnight on Aug. 9–10, 2019, shows the exterior of Epstein’s cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. Though the footage does not include the inside of the cell, no individuals are seen entering or exiting the area during the nearly 11-hour span.
“After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019,” the DOJ wrote in a memo cosigned by the FBI. “This conclusion is consistent with previous findings.”
Epstein’s death, ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner, has remained a source of widespread speculation, with many questioning whether foul play was involved. Epstein had longstanding ties to influential figures, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, fueling public suspicion.
Epstein, a wealthy New York socialite, was known for his high-profile connections, private jet, and exclusive island retreat. He was facing renewed federal sex trafficking charges when he was found dead in his cell in the Special Housing Unit (SHU).
The DOJ’s newly released video footage captures the area outside Epstein’s cell door and the tier within the SHU during the final hours of his life.
“As DOJ’s Inspector General explained in 2023, anyone entering or attempting to enter the tier where Epstein’s cell was located from the SHU common area would have been captured by this footage,” the memo states.
“The FBI’s independent review of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at around 10:40 pm on August 9, 2019, until around 6:30 am the next morning, nobody entered any of the tiers in the SHU.”
Despite the government’s effort to close the case, renewed skepticism arose when observers noticed a timestamp discrepancy. The video, as well as an FBI-enhanced version, appears to jump ahead one minute at exactly midnight on Aug. 10, an anomaly that was not explained in the memo.
In addition to the video release, federal officials stated Monday that Epstein’s rumored “client list” does not exist, nor does the government intend to publish any further documents related to the case.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi oversaw the release of a widely publicized document regarding the Epstein investigation. However, many of the records had already been made public, leading to criticism that the effort was more symbolic than substantive.
Bondi later claimed she had been misled about the contents of the documents.
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