Charges against two Bureau of Prisons guards who admitted to falsifying records on the night Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 have been moved to dismiss by Federal prosecutors in New York.
These two guards, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were on duty when Epstein died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, after which they entered into deferred prosecution agreements with Manhattan prosecutors in May.
According to a letter from federal prosecutors that was filed in court papers, the two guards agreed to provide “truthful information related to their employment by the Bureau of Prisons, including about the events and circumstances described in the Indictment.” After what they needed to complete 100 hours of community service.
Authorities said in May that it was required in the agreement that the guards cooperate with a Department of Justice Inspector General review, and since then, the guards fulfilled their part of the bargain.
“Under the agreements, prosecution was deferred for a period of six months during the term of Noel’s and Thomas’s good behavior, completion of community service, and satisfactory compliance with the terms of the agreement,” says a statement in the court document.
Even after the guards repeatedly failed to complete the required counts of prisoners on their watch in the specialized housing unit where Epstein was being held on the night he died, and instead, they were browsing the internet for furniture sales and sports news, and moving around the common area, according to the initial indictment, Noel and Thomas pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and filing false records in connection with their actions.
They allegedly signed false certifications saying that they had performed their duties. But there were not any count or round in the unit between 10:30 PM and 6:30 AM by any officer, at which time Noel and Thomas discovered Epstein’s body.