Epstein found semi-conscious with neck injuries in New York jail cell in possible suicide attempt; placed under suicide watch
Millionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, 66, was found unconscious with neck injuries in his New York prison cell early on July 24. Prison authorities said it could be a possible suicide attempt or an assault by other inmates.
He is being held in custody at Manhattan's Metropolitan Correctional Center ahead of his trial for sex trafficking, Daily Mail reported. Speaking to Radar Online, witnesses said prison guards rushed to treat Epstein after he was "blue in the face" and was "sprawled out on the floor" early Wednesday morning. It is being said he lost consciousness at one point before eventually being carried away for medical attention. He has now reportedly been placed on prison suicide watch.
Speaking to NBC News, sources said Epstein was found with marks on the neck after possibly trying to hang himself. Now, authorities are investigating whether he was attacked or tried to commit suicide. Epstein is locked up in his jail cell for about 23 hours a day in federal custody at the same facility where Mexican drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán was held during his trial.
Speaking to The Daily Beast, a source said the hedge fund honcho was initially held in the "general population" category at the maximum-security prison but was later moved to solitary confinement following multiple threats from fellow inmates.
According to Daily Mail, jail bosses spoke to former police officer Nicholas Tartaglione, an inmate accused of killing four men in a cocaine deal gone awry. However, he reportedly told them he hadn't touched Epstein.
The former cop's attorney has since insisted that his client got along well with Epstein and had not attacked him. According to other sources in law enforcement, Epstein's injuries were not critical. Instead, they speculated it could be his way of trying to get a transfer out of prison.
Epstein recently appealed a federal judge's decision to keep him remanded in custody at the Manhattan facility pending trial. He will reportedly appeal the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the judge's rejection of his request to remain under house arrest in his lavish $77 million mansion on Manhattan's Upper East Side, per a court notice made public on Tuesday.
Epstein has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking of several underage girls. The said charges were announced more than a decade after Epstein pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges in Florida back in 2008.
The government had produced convincing evidence that Epstein would pose a danger to the community if released pending trial considering his influence and resources, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan ruled while denying him bail.
"Epstein's alleged excessive attraction to sexual conduct with or in the presence of minor girls — which is said to include his soliciting and receiving massages from young girls and young women perhaps as many as four times a day — appears likely to be uncontrollable," Berman said.
Epstein is accused of arranging girls under the age of consent to perform "massages" of a sexual nature and other sex acts, as well as paying some girls to recruit other minors.
According to prosecutors, Epstein poses a high risk of flight due to his wealth and influence. His estimated net worth is close to $600 million, and he owns multiple homes in Paris and the U.S. Virgin Islands, aside from a private jet. However, Epstein's lawyers have claimed he has a clean record following his 2008 guilty plea, which was part of an agreement he negotiated quietly with then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta in Miami.
After pleading guilty, Epstein served 13 months in jail but was allowed to leave the facility for work as part of the deal.