Epstein prison guards overheard saying ‘you killed that dude’ and ‘we’re going to cover it up’, FBI files claim

JEFFREY Epstein’s prison guards were overheard plotting how to cover up the paedo financier’s death in a New York jail, an inmate told the FBI.

Fierce whispers were allegedly heard in the corridors outside the sex offender’s cell on the morning of August 10, 2019, the day Epstein was found hanged in an apparent suicide.

Jeffrey Epstein was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan at around 6.30am on August 10, 2019Credit: Department of Justice

Tova Noel, 37, was the federal jail guard responsible for monitoring him the night he killed himselfCredit: AP

Noel allegedly said ‘If he’s dead, we’re going to cover it up’Credit: DOJ

The inmate claims to have heard commotion inside the Special Housing Unit where he and Epstein were being held, according to a five-page handwritten FBI report.

He alleges that officers were frantically saying “Breathe” Breathe!” as they scrambled to resuscitate Epstein at 6:30am.

Moments later, the witness claimed one guard worried: “Dudes, you killed that dude.”

A woman’s voice then fired back: “If he’s dead, we’re going to cover it up and he’s going to have an alibi – my officers”, the inmate claimed, according to a report of the five-page interview.

The inmate believed the voice belonged to Tova Noel, according to the report , the prison guard who allegedly Googled Epstein in the hour before he was discovered hanged.

Noel, 37, and her colleague Michael Thomas were sacked after claims that they falsified records saying they checked on Epstein during the night of his death.

Prosecutors alleged the pair failed to conduct the mandatory checks on Epstein every 30 minutes during the overnight shift.

They were later charged over the claims, but the case was ultimately dropped.

In the aftermath of Epstein’s death, rumours quickly spread through the jail, with some inmates claiming “Miss Noel killed Jeffrey”.

The prisoner’s account has not been verified but has renewed questions about the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death behind bars.

Epstein’s death has been the source of conspiracy theories ever since it was officially ruled a suicide by New York’s medical examiner following an investigation by the US Department of Justice.

Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s estate who attended the autopsy, insisted the injuries he observed were more consistent with strangulation than suicidal hanging.

Separate DOJ documents also alleged Chase Bank flagged a series of cash deposits to Noel’s account  in a “suspicious activity report” sent to the FBI in November 2019.

The records reportedly show 12 deposits starting in April 2018, culminating in the largest – $5,000 (£3,743) – on July 30, 2019, just 10 days before Epstein died.

Files covering Noel’s bank activity from December 2018 list seven cash deposits totalling $11,880 (£8,892), while she was also making payments on a flashy new Range Rover.

Guards did not perform their scheduled checks of Epstein’s cell on the night of his deathCredit: 60 Minutes/CBS

Epstein’s cell was pictured in disarray after his body was removedCredit: 60 Minutes/CBS

She was not questioned about the cash deposits during her interview with the Department of Justice.

Noel’s search history also raised fresh questions about the chaotic night inside the federal lock-up.

According to an FBI record of Noel’s internet history, she searched “latest on Epstein in jail” at 5.42am and again at 5.52am.

Less than 40 minutes later, fellow correctional officer Thomas reportedly found Epstein dead in his cell.

When questioned during a sworn statement to the Department of Justice in 2021, Noel denied making the searches.

“I don’t remember doing that,” she claimed.

She added FBI records were not “accurate” and said: “I don’t recall looking him up.”

Instead of checking on Epstein, Noel reportedly shopped online for furniture and fell asleep on duty, while Thomas browsed motorcycle listings.

The FBI flagged Noel’s Epstein search as the only internet query highlighted in a 66-page forensic examination of the prison computers used by both officers.

Noel began working in the prison’s Special Housing Unit, where Epstein was held, on July 7, 2019 – weeks before his death.

A mysterious orange blob can be seen moving towards Epstein’s prison area the night he diedCredit: MCC New York

Police officers pictured in 2019 covering a medical examiner car outside New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital, where Jeffrey Epstein’s body was transported to from prisonCredit: Reuters

The files say investigators did not ask her about the cash deposits during the DOJ interview.

Another internal FBI briefing suggests Noel may have been the mysterious orange-coloured figure spotted in blurry surveillance footage near Epstein’s cell that night.

The report stated: “At approximately 10:40 pm, a correctional officer, believed to be Tova Noel, carried linen or inmate clothing up to the L-Tier, last time any correctional officer approached the only entrance to the SHU tier.”

Epstein was later found dead by hanging allegedly using strips of orange cloth.

But Noel denied handing out linen to inmates.

“I’ve never worked in the Special Housing Unit and actually done rounds every 30 minutes,” she told investigators.

She also claimed she “never gave out linen – ever” because it was typically distributed during the previous shift.

When asked directly if she had any part in Epstein’s death, Noel replied: “no.”