Epstein Files Reveal Prosecutors' Announcement Dated Before His Death

Newly released records show draft statements from federal prosecutors about the sex trafficker's death, one dated the day before he died.

Feb. 7, 2026 at 11:55pm

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Newly released Epstein files include a draft statement attributed to federal prosecutors that is dated the day before Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell. The circumstances surrounding Epstein's death have been repeatedly scrutinized, with his former cellmate claiming Epstein was deliberately left unprotected in federal custody. Newly released records have also intensified questions about activity near Epstein's cell the night before his body was discovered.

Why it matters

The release of these draft statements from federal prosecutors, dated before Epstein's death, has further fueled questions and conspiracy theories around the circumstances of his demise while in federal custody. The discrepancies in the surveillance footage and official accounts have also undermined public trust in the government's handling of this high-profile case.

The details

The draft statement appears among at least 23 documents in the disclosure labeled as statements from the Southern District of New York's U.S. Attorney's Office. A review of the records shows multiple versions of similar statements with inconsistent redactions. One draft bears a date of August 9, 2019, the day before Epstein was found dead. Newly released Justice Department documents also show investigators reviewing jail surveillance footage flagged an orange-colored figure moving up a staircase toward the locked tier housing Epstein's cell at about 10:39 p.m. on August 9, 2019, hours before his body was discovered the next morning.

  • On August 9, 2019, a draft statement attributed to federal prosecutors was dated, a day before Epstein was found dead.
  • On August 9, 2019, at around 10:39 p.m., surveillance footage showed an orange-colored figure moving towards Epstein's cell, hours before his body was discovered the next morning.

The players

Jeffrey Epstein

A disgraced financier who was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Nicholas Tartaglione

Epstein's former cellmate, a former police officer convicted of multiple murders, who claimed in a pardon petition that Epstein was deliberately left unprotected in federal custody.

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

The federal prosecutors' office that had been handling the case against Epstein.

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What they’re saying

“Epstein was deliberately left unprotected in federal custody.”

— Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein's former cellmate

What’s next

The Justice Department and the Office of the Inspector General are expected to continue investigating the discrepancies in the surveillance footage and the draft statements from federal prosecutors, in an effort to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death.

The takeaway

The release of these new Epstein files has further eroded public trust in the government's handling of this high-profile case, raising more questions than answers about the circumstances leading up to Epstein's death and the transparency of the investigation.