Prison Guards On Duty When Jeffrey Epstein Committed Suicide Reach Plea Deal To Avoid Jail Time
The correction officers on duty at the Metropolitan Correctional Center when Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide have reached a deal.
According to authorities, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas have entered into agreements with Manhattan prosecutors and will avoid jail time.
Instead, they will get a slap on the wrist and 100 hours of community service.
Both guards pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and filing false records in connection to the suicide by hanging death of the convicted sex offender.
According to a letter from federal prosecutors -- that was filed in court on Friday -- Noel and Thomas have agreed to give "truthful information related to their employment by the Bureau of Prisons, including about the events and circumstances described in the Indictment."
Both guards are due in court on Tuesday to approve the agreement.
New York's chef medical examiner ruled Epstein's 2019 death a suicide by hanging but the ex-businessman's legal team disagreed.
Epstein was awaiting trial after being accused of running a sex trafficking ring with some girls as young as 14.
He plead not guilty.
On the night of Epstein's death, Noel and Thomas failed to complete their duties -- which included checking on prisoners every 30 minutes, according to the indictment.
Instead of completing their rounds, the prison guards browsed the Internet for sports news and furniture sales.
For a period of two hours Noel and Thomas "sat at their desk without moving, and appeared to have been asleep," the indictment read.
After Epstein's death, the two tried to hide the fact that they did not perform the duties that were expected of them by signing false certifications saying they did their jobs.
The night of Epstein's death neither officer made their rounds past his cell from 10:30 PM to 6:30 AM, at which they discovered his body, according to the indictment.
The indictment makes it clear -- Epstein "had committed suicide overnight while unobserved."