Update 8/10/19 at 1:52pm EST: The Federal Bureau of Prisons released a press release that states: “On Saturday, August 10, 2019, at approximately 6:30 a.m., inmate Jeffrey Edward Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in the Special Housing Unit from an apparent suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York, New York. Life-saving measures were initiated immediately by responding staff. Staff requested emergency medical services (EMS) and life-saving efforts continued. Mr. Epstein was transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, and subsequently pronounced dead by hospital staff. The FBI is investigating the incident.
“Mr. Epstein was a 66-year-old male who arrived at MCC New York on July 6, 2019 under
pretrial status after being indicted for sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy.
MCC New York is an Administrative security facility that currently houses 763 male offenders in New York, New York.”
Jeffrey Epstein, the financier indicted on sex trafficking charges in July 2019, was found dead in his New York jail cell on Aug. 10, officials said, according to The New York Times. Here are five things you should know about the convicted sex offender:
1. He committed suicide. Epstein hanged himself and his body was found at about 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He was 66 years old. He was transported from the jail to a hospital in Lower Manhattan. He was in cardiac arrest upon arrival, people familiar with the matter said, according to NBC News.
2. He was arrested on sex trafficking charges. Manhattan federal prosecutors charged Epstein with sex trafficking of young girls – some as young as 14 years old. He was arrested on July 6, 2019, at Tereboro Airport in New Jersey.
3. He avoided criminal charges in 2008. For decades, Epstein was at the center of accusations that he had paid dozens of girls for sexual acts in Florida. In 2005, the Palm Beach police began investigating him after a parent claimed he molested her 14-year-old daughter. Prosecutors brokered a widely criticized deal that allowed him to plea guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor and serve 13 months in jail.
4. He appeared to attempt suicide before. The month before he died of suicide, Epstein was found unconscious in his cell at the Manhattan jail with marks on his neck, the NYT reported. Prison officials were investigating the incident as a possible suicide attempt. It wasn’t immediately clear on Aug. 10 if authorities had put in additional safeguards to watch him after the initial incident.
5. He was a millionaire financier. He began his career in finance at the investment bank Bear Stearns. He later formed his own firm, J. Epstein & Co. He owned luxurious homes and a private jet. He also had connections to elite circles.