Jeffrey Epstein could be murdered in jail by 'powerful friends' who don't want their secrets out, says victims' lawyer

The life of embattled millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, 66, could be at risk of his "powerful friends" if he is released from prison or allowed into the jail's general population, a lawyer has said. 

The lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, who represented three women victims during Epstein's criminal trial over a decade ago, said he felt the multi-millionaire financier would not live to see trial. Epstein is housed in the high-security SHU wing of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan known as '10 South' since his arrest in July and was recently denied bail by U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.

Following that ruling, news broke that Epstein had been found unconscious with neck injuries in his prison cell and it is still unclear whether it was a suicide attempt or an assault by other inmates. 

Speaking to the Sun, Spencer Kuvin said he does not think it was a suicide attempt. "I do question whether it was a true suicide attempt," he said. "I mean how do you choke yourself? It doesn't make any sense. There are reports someone came after him but that could just be because he's a pedophile. Those types of individuals don't last long in prison."

It is unclear where Kuvin learned that Epstein's injuries were sustained as a result of choking as the Federal Bureau of Prisons has not released any details on the incident. The lawyer also did not offer any explanation as to how someone could have gotten into the multi-millionaire's cell after lockdown. He said the incident could be the result of one of the 66-year-old's powerful friends attempting to get rid of someone who could prove to be quite problematic.

"If he goes on trial, everyone he’s been in contact with will ultimately be fair game," he explained. "There’s no doubt in my mind that no jail will protect you when there’s powerful people that want to reach you - wherever you are. If he’s going to implicate anyone in power that has the ability to reach in and somehow get to him - his life is definitely in jeopardy," he added.

The area of the prison where Epstein had been found unconscious is its most secure region — inmates are kept in their cells for 23 hours a day and CCTV cameras track their every move —and had housed Sinaloa Cartel supremo Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman until he was moved to a super-max prison in Colorado.

Epstein had been briefly moved to the general population after Guzman's departure but was immediately shifted back to 10 South after he was threatened. Kuvin said the move into the general population was foolhardy. "They will have to seal him down in the jail. But even then there are still people who can get to him ultimately", he said. 

Epstein's lawyers have submitted an appeal in connection to Berman's decision to deny their client house arrest pending his trial.