Judge gives Jeffrey Epstein guards community service rather than jail time

Tova Noel and Michael Thomas failed to monitor the disgraced financier the night he killed himself

A federal judge has given two prison guards who failed to monitor notorious child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he killed himself with community service, allowing them to avoid jail time.

The ruling on Tuesday gives Tova Noel and Michael Thomas 100 hours of community service each, according to the deal.

"You shall complete 100 documented hours of community service, preferably related to the criminal justice system, including working with recently released inmates," Southern District of New York Judge Analisa Torres said.

The guards were charged with lying on prison records to make it appear that they had conducted mandatory checks on Epstein's cell.

Epstein appears to have killed himself in his cell.

The judge noted that the case against the guards will only be dismissed if the defendants comply with the terms of the agreement over the next six months.

The guards were accused of sleeping and spending time online instead of checking on Epstein. They were arrested in November 2019 following the incident.

Epstein was being held in a special cell meant for inmates who are at increased risk from other inmates in the facility at the time of his death.

Weeks before he was found dead, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell after an apparent suicide attempt. He was then placed on suicide watch for a short time.

Prior to the agreement the defendants had resisted entering into any deals with prosecutors, though it appears their position has since changed.

As part of the deal, the guards are required to cooperate with the US Department of Justice inspector general's probe into Epstein's death and the circumstances surrounding the event.

"The defendants will cooperate with a pending Department of Justice Office of Inspector General review by providing truthful information related to their employment by the Bureau of Prisons, including about the events and circumstances described in the Indictment," the ruling states.

The judge asked the guards if they "understand that you're admitting that you wilfully and knowingly completed materially false count and round slips, regarding required counts and rounds in the special housing unit of the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 9 and 10 of 2019?"

Both defendants replied "yes."

Senator Ben Sasse complained that the deal was a slap on the wrist, and said it was further evidence of the justice department “embarrassing itself” in the handling of Epstein.

“This is unacceptable. Epstein’s victims have been failed at every single turn. One hundred hours of community service is a joke — this isn’t traffic court,” Mr Sasse said in a statement.