FBI Explains Missing Minute in Epstein Jail Footage

Newly released documents detail the agency's efforts to reconstruct the surveillance video from the night of Epstein's death.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Newly released documents show the FBI scrambled to explain a missing minute in the surveillance footage from the night Jeffrey Epstein died in jail. The agency had destroyed the original master recording, forcing them to piece together the video from other sources. This led to discrepancies, including a missing minute near midnight, which fueled conspiracy theories about a cover-up. The FBI ultimately provided an explanation, though experts have questioned the validity of their claims.

Why it matters

The missing minute in the Epstein jail footage became a major point of contention, with many accusing the FBI of a cover-up. The newly released documents shed light on the agency's efforts to reconstruct the video, providing more transparency around the issue and potentially dispelling some of the conspiracy theories.

The details

The FBI had destroyed the original master recording of the surveillance footage, citing standard evidence handling procedures. This forced them to piece together the video from other sources, including a NiceVision digital video recorder system used in the jail. However, 62 seconds of footage couldn't be captured, leaving a gap from 11:58:58 to 12:00. Rather than explain the video had been reconstructed, the FBI claimed the prison recording system had a nightly reset that resulted in a lost minute, a theory that experts have questioned.

  • In June 2024, an FBI agent was granted authorization to destroy the master recording of the surveillance video, labeled as evidence item 1B60.
  • In August 2024, a prosecutor concurred with the FBI's decision to destroy the evidence.
  • In February 2025, an FBI agent explained the justification for destroying the video, stating the case was already closed.
  • In mid-2025, the Justice Department needed the destroyed evidence reconstructed, launching a complicated effort to rebuild the video files.
  • On May 21, 2025, an agent used a screen capture tool to re-record the footage from the NiceVision system.

The players

Dan Bongino

Former Deputy FBI Director who promised the agency would release the original surveillance footage from Epstein's Manhattan jail.

Pam Bondi

Former Attorney General who announced the FBI's explanation for the missing minute in the Epstein jail footage.

Jeffrey Epstein

Financier who died in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

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What they’re saying

“There was a minute that was off that counter, and what we learned from Bureau of Prisons was every year, every night, they redo that video. Every night is reset, so every night should have that same missing minute. So we're looking for that video as well, to show it's missing every night.”

— Pam Bondi, Former Attorney General (CBS News)

What’s next

The full footage, including the missing minute, was made public by Congress in September, showing nothing notable or unusual during that time.

The takeaway

The missing minute in the Epstein jail footage became a major point of contention, with the FBI's initial explanation raising more questions than answers. The newly released documents provide more transparency around the agency's efforts to reconstruct the video, though some experts remain skeptical of the FBI's claims.