MCC: Epstein Conditions
From: Bureau of Prisons / Court FilingsTo: Public Record
MCC ConditionsSHUSpecial Housing
MCC MANHATTAN — EPSTEIN HOUSING AND CONDITIONS
Source: Bureau of Prisons / Court Filings / Defense Motions
Documentation of the conditions under which Jeffrey Epstein was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan from July 6, 2019 until his death on August 10, 2019.
HOUSING ASSIGNMENT:
- Held in the Special Housing Unit (SHU), 9 South
- Initially assigned a cellmate (Nicholas Tartaglione)
- Placed on suicide watch July 23-29, 2019
- Returned to general SHU population after suicide watch removal
- No cellmate assigned after Tartaglione was transferred
FACILITY CONDITIONS:
Defense attorneys described conditions at MCC as deplorable:
- Extreme heat with inadequate ventilation
- Rodent and insect infestations
- Non-functional plumbing in cells
- Inadequate lighting
- Limited access to legal materials
- Restricted communication with counsel
EPSTEIN'S DEFENSE ARGUMENTS:
Epstein's defense team filed multiple motions citing facility conditions as grounds for bail reconsideration. They argued that the conditions at MCC made it impossible for Epstein to adequately prepare his defense.
MCC Manhattan was subsequently closed in 2021 due to its deteriorated conditions.
Source: BOP / Defense Filings
Available at: https://www.bop.gov/
The Epstein Case in 2019
The year 2019 was the most consequential in the Epstein case. In July, Epstein was arrested by the FBI on federal sex trafficking charges in the Southern District of New York. He was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019, in a death ruled a suicide by the medical examiner but disputed by independent pathologist Dr. Michael Baden. The documents from 2019 are among the most extensive in the archive, including the indictment, bail hearing transcripts, autopsy reports, Bureau of Prisons records, and the beginning of the Maxwell investigation.
All 2019 documents in the timeline →