EFTA00141221.pdf

INTRODUCTION My name is and I am a Senior Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office, Boston Area Office This interview with Federal Bureau of Prisons Associate Warden is being conducted as part of an official U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) investigation. Today's date is December 2, 2021 and the time is This interview is being conducted by telephone. Also present is DOJ OIG Special Agent (identify all persons present, including union representatives, attorneys, and other agents). This interview will be recorded by me, SSA Could everyone please identify themselves for the record and spell your last name? To start, again, I am Dal OIG Senior Special Agent (spell last name) DOJ OIG witness: Interviewee: This is an official DOJ OIG investigation into the death of inmate Jeffrey Epstein and the surrounding circumstances, and you are being asked to voluntarily provide answers our questions. Will you agree to a voluntary interview with the DOJ OIG? Were you able to review the voluntary interview form that I sent to you via email, DOJ OIG Form III — 226/2? Thank you for sending it back to me a few minutes ago? I see that you signed and dated it. Do you understand the OIG form? Review form. OATH Before starting the interview, I would like to place you under oath. AW Edge, can you please raise your right hand? EFTA00141221 Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth during this interview? INTERVIEW What is your current home address? What is your DOB? What is your SSN? How long did you work for the BOP? What is your current position? What are your duties and responsibilities? What position did you hold in July and August 2019? What were your duties and responsibilities? Were you ever interviewed by the DOJ OIG or FBI regarding the Epstein matter? Are you familiar with inmate Jeffrey Epstein, who was housed within the MCC in July and August 2019, until his death on August 10, 2019? What was your involvement? July 23rd Incident Do you recall an incident involving Jeffrey Epstein and inmate Tartaglione on July 23rd, 2019? EFTA00141222  - What is your understanding of what transpired? - Did you have any involvement in selecting Tartaglione as Epstein's cellmate? How was the selection made? - Do you know if Tartaglione attempted to harm Epstein? - Do you believe that Tartaglione was an appropriate choice for a cellmate? Suicide Watch/Psych Observation It is our understanding that following the July 23'd incident, Epstein was placed on suicide watch and/or psychological observation. Following Epstein's time on suicide watch/psych observation, he was placed back in the SHU. Is that correct? - Was Epstein authorized Attorney Visits while on Psychological observation? - Were there any specific instructions provided by you, the Warden, or other MCC Executive staff with regard to Epstein being placed in the SHU? Did you, the MCC Executive Staff, or anyone at the MCC receive any calls or was anyone contacted by lawyers or judges asking for Epstein to be removed from suicide watch and/or psychological observation? - Were you or Executive staff involved with the decision to have Epstein removed from suicide watch and/or psychological observation ( 302 says she discussed the decision to "step down" Epstein with Dr. and AW - Were you or other MCC Executive Staff consulted when the decision was being made to move Epstein back to the SHU? - It is our understanding that after Epstein was placed back in the SHU, psychology recommended that Epstein be housed with a cellmate. Is that accurate? - Was Epstein required to have a cellmate while he was assigned to the SHU? - Do you know who made the decision that would be Epstein's cellmate? - Were you involved in that decision? EFTA00141223 Did you work at the MCC on August 9 and 10, 2019? Cellmate Requirement - Since Epstein was required to have a cellmate, who was ultimately responsible to make sure that all the SHU staff were aware of this requirement? - Were any plan made on how to address the situation if was removed as Epstein's cellmate? - What happened with inmate on August 9, 2019? - What does WAB mean? Review USMS Transfer emails and Documents obtained by AW Edge for Warden - Did you know that was transferred from the MCC? - What is a court production list? - Do you know what happened to the court production list that listed as WAB? - Is that that court production list the document that you reference in the document you provided to the Warden on August 10, 2019? - Do you know what happened to that court production list? - Do you have that court production list? - Since was listed as WAB when he departed the MCC, didn't that mean that he wasn't returning to the MCC? Were you aware that the USMS had sent emails to the MCC on August 8, 2019, saying was being transferred to GEO Prison on August 9, 2019? EFTA00141224  - Being that Epstein was required to have a cellmate, what should have happened once the notification was made that was being transferred? - Who was responsible to make sure that Epstein had a new cellmate assigned to him after departed on the morning of August 9, 2019? Counts AND Rounds Are you aware if the SHU counts and rounds were or were not conducted by the SHU staff on August 9 and 10, 2019? What did you learn with regard to the accuracy of the MCC SHU counts and rounds on August 9 and 10, 2019? Lt. Round - What is a SHU Lieutenant round? That is, what does it consist of? When a Lieutenant conducts a round in the SHU, are they required to conduct a round of the inmates, or does their round consist of checking in with the officers to make sure everything is okay? Cameras Were the SHU cameras recording on August 9 and 10, 2019? If not, why not? When did you become aware that they SHU cameras were not recording? On August 8, 2019, did you and SIS LT attempt to review video footage only to learn that you were not able to review the footage? What happened? Did you and/or LT speak with Com Tech about the matter? What was said? Did agree to fix the cameras immediately? Explain in detail what happened vs what should have happened. EFTA00141225 Was anyone notified? Was the captain? Did LT write a memo regarding the matter? Did you follow-up with on either the 8th or 9th to see if the cameras were working? Did anyone? Should you have follow-up? Who was responsible for making sure the cameras got back up and running? - Were you aware if the MCC cameras were scheduled to be replaced? Based on the work orders and email communications that we reviewed, the MCC ordered new cameras, DVRs, and other system parts and had them delivered to the MCC in approximately October 2018. These were the cameras that were installed immediately after Epstein's death in August 2019. Is that accurate? - When should the new camera system that was already on site at the MCC have been installed? - Who was responsible to have the new system installed? What are your thoughts on the fact that the new camera system was there since October 2018, but it wasn't installed until after the Epstein incident that occurred on August 10, 2019? Cell Assignment Are you aware that on August 9 and 10, 2019, Epstein was not is his assigned cell as documented within in his BOP cell assignment history? Why wasn't Epsein in his assigned cell? What happened and who was responsible? How should have the discrepancy have been caught? EFTA00141226 Cell Searches On August 9 and 10, 2019, how often were SHU staff supposed to conduct cell searches? Is it acceptable that only one cell was entered as being searched in TRUSCOPE? Does that mean that only one search was conducted? Who was responsible for conducting the searches and entering them into TRUSCOPE? Phone Call What is your understanding of what transpired with Epstein being provided a phone call on the night of August 9, 2019? It is our understanding that on August 9, 2019, Epstein made a request to MCC Unit Manager to provide him with a phone call, so that he, Epstein, could call his mother. checked Epstein's pack and pin and found out it was not set up yet. Therefore, took Epstein to a shower area in the SHU and plugged a phone into a legal line. dialed the number, a man answered, he handed the phone to Epstein, and then left for the day. stated the SHU COs were around and he did not specifically instruct any one of them to monitor the phone call. Instead, he called the SHU after he departed from the MCC to make sure that the phone was taken away from Epstein after his allotted time. Is that correct? - Is it standard practice to allow inmates to make personal calls as had done? - What are your thoughts on this matter? - Is this a serious concern and safety violation? If so, why? - Did the SHU have a phone line that was recorded that didn't require a pin? Epstein Incident What is your understanding of what occurred in Epstein's cell on August 10, 2019? Did Epstein take his own life? Do you have any information with regard to anyone else taking Epstein's life? EFTA00141227 Had you heard that Epstein's cell door was left open on the night of August 9, 2019, and/or the morning on August 10, 2019? Have you heard that any cellmate of the SHU's door was left open on the night of August 9, 2019, and/or the morning on August 10, 2019? Did anyone harm Epstein? Epstein's Will - Do you know anything about Epstein changing his will just prior to his death? - How did you learn that information? - What action should have been taken when it was learned that Epstein had changed his will? AFTER ACTION REPORT Timeline August 10, 2019 6:33 AM — A body alarm is activated in the Special Housing Unit (SHU). SHU staff reported Inmate Epstein was unresponsive in cell 206-220LAD (SENTRY does not reflect this accurately). Staff entered the cell and attempted to wake Inmate Epstein. Control Center announced a medical emergency and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) was initiated. From what you know, did the staff act appropriately? Should have entered Epstein's cell prior to anyone arriving on scene? What did encounter and what actions did he take? 7:36 AM — Inmate Epstein pronounced dead by the emergency room physician. Was Epstein "alive" or did he show any signs of life when he was found unresponsive within the MCC New York on August 10, 2019, at approximately 6:33 am? EFTA00141228 "SHU has multiple cells equipped with video recording capability. Inmate Epstein was not housed in one of these cells and there appears to be no set guidance on when to utilize these cells." Why wasn't Epstein placed in one of those cells? Should he have been placed in one of those cell? Based on your conversations and this after-action report, what are the failures of the BOP that allowed for Epstein to die? Is there anything we missed or anything else you'd like to add? EFTA00141229