Criminal Case Against Jeffrey Epstein's Prison Guards Dropped By Prosecutors: Report

Charges against Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, who were reportedly online shopping and sleeping while Epstein committed suicide, have been dropped.

BYHayley Hynes
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Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, the two correctional officers on duty when Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in August of 2019, are no longer facing a criminal case from federal prosecutors, Complex reports. The news comes just a few days after the late financier's accomplice and ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was found guilty on five of six counts of enticing minors for the predator and his friends to take advantage of. 

On Thursday, a judge was asked by U.S. prosecutors to dismiss the charges against the two men, who are said to have "falsified government records on the night Epstein killed himself on their watch." It's also been noted that the guards were "shopping online and falling asleep instead of checking on [the criminal] every thirty minutes."

Before his death on August 10th, Epstein is said to have been placed on suicide watch in July, following an incident where he was found unconscious with a bedsheet around his neck. Despite this, a post-suicide watch report painted the late 66-year-old as "a cooperative inmate who had no intentions of killing himself."

The inconsistencies in the New York native's passing have sparked tons of conspiracy theories, with some people insisting that Epstein didn't kill himself, and instead, promoting theories that he "was murdered to prevent his testimony against his high-profile associates," such as Donald Trump, who he is said to have acted as something of a "wingman" for.

Criminal Case Against Jeffrey Epstein's Prison Guards Dropped By Prosecutors: Report
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If you're interested in reading more about Epstein and Maxwell, check out our story on the socialite's recent day in court here.

[Via]


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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.