The leaders of the House Judiciary Committee on Monday sent a letter to the Federal Bureau Prisons raising several questions about the death in federal custody of billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, New York Democrat, and the top Republican, Doug Collins, Georgia, co-authored the letter to Hugh Hurwitz, acting director for the BOP.
“The apparent suicide of this high profile and — if allegations are proven to be accurate — particularly reprehensible individual while in the federal government’s custody demonstrates severe miscarriages of or deficiencies in inmate protocol and has allowed the deceased to ultimately evade facing justice,” the lawmakers wrote.
Mr. Epstein was found dead in his cell Saturday morning of an apparent suicide. He was awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors.
Mr. Nadler and Mr. Collins asked the BOP for details on its assessment on Mr. Epstein’s possible risk of suicide and if the facility he was at has rooms specifically for inmates on suicide watch. They also requested information on Mr. Epstein’s confinement and the nature and frequency of his check-ins.
“Any victims of Mr. Epstein’s nations will forever be denied proper recourse and the scintilla of recompense our justice system can provide in the face of such alleged atrocities; the competency and rigor of our criminal justice system has been marred by this apparent oversight,” the lawmakers wrote.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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