FBI Scrambles to Explain Missing Minute in Epstein Jail Footage

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Newly released documents show the FBI's scramble to explain why it released a screen recording with a missing minute from the night Jeffrey Epstein died in jail, instead of the original footage. The discrepancy fueled conspiracy theories about a cover-up after the FBI promised to release the original surveillance footage 'so you don't think there are any shenanigans.' The agency eventually destroyed the master recording, then had to reconstruct the video from other sources, leading to further discrepancies and questions about the final footage that was released.

Why it matters

The missing minute in the Epstein jail footage has been a source of intense speculation and conspiracy theories since the video was first released. This new information sheds light on the FBI's internal process and struggles to provide a satisfactory explanation for the discrepancy, which has further eroded public trust in the government's handling of the high-profile case.

The details

According to the documents, an FBI agent sought and was granted authorization in June 2024 to destroy an evidence item labeled 1B60, which was described as the master recording of 'tapes containing the archive of [Manhattan Correctional Center] video images.' In February 2025, another agent explained the justification, stating the case was already closed and a prosecutor had concurred with the agency's evidence handling procedures. However, by mid-2025, the Justice Department needed the destroyed evidence reconstructed, leading to a complicated scramble to rebuild the video files. The effort involved obtaining another copy of the footage from a NiceVision digital video recorder, but 62 seconds of footage couldn't be captured, leaving a gap from 11:58 and 58 seconds, to 12:00.

• In June 2024, an FBI agent sought and was granted authorization to destroy an evidence item labeled 1B60, which was the master recording of the Epstein jail video.
• In February 2025, an agent explained the justification for destroying the video, stating the case was already closed and a prosecutor had concurred with the agency's evidence handling procedures.
• By mid-2025, the Justice Department needed the destroyed evidence reconstructed, launching a complicated scramble to rebuild the video files.
• On May 21, 2025, an agent used a screen capture tool to re-record the footage from the NiceVision digital video recorder, but 62 seconds of footage couldn't be captured, leaving a gap from 11:58 and 58 seconds, to 12:00.
• In July 2025, the reconstructed video was released, and members of the public noticed the jump from about 11:59 to midnight.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Justice Department has not replied to questions about the video files, and the full footage, including the missing minute, was made public by Congress in September. It showed that nothing notable or unusual appeared on the recording during that minute.