1
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3
4 DIGITALLY RECORDED
5 SWORN STATEMENT
6 OF
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9 OIG CASE #:
10 2019-010614
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18 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
19 OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
20 OCTOBER 27, 2021
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RESOLUTE DOCUMENTATION SERVICES
28632 Roadside Drive, Suite 285
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Phone: (818) 431-5800
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1 APPEARANCES:
2
3 OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
4 BY:
5 BY:
6
7
8 WITNESS:
9
10
11
12 OTHER APPEARANCES:
13 NONE
14
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16
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1 : My name is
2 I'm a Special Agent with the U.S. Department of
3 Justice, Office of the Inspector General, New
4 York Field Office, and these are my
5 credentials.
6 : Okay.
7 : This interview with the
8 Federal Bureau of Prisons psychologist, Dr.
9 Did I get that right?
10 : Yes.
11 : Is being conducted as part of
12 an official U.S. Department of Justice, Office
13 of the Inspector General investigation.
14 Today's date is October 27, 2021. And the time
15 is 9:20 a.m. This interview is being conducted
16 at the OIG New York Field Office located on the
17 29th floor of One Battery Park Plaza, New York,
18 New York. Also present is:
19 : DOJ/OIG Senior Special
20 Agent . And these are my
21 credentials. Oops. Here you go.
22 : This interview will be
23 recorded by me, Special Agent
24 Could everyone please identify themselves for
25 the record, and spell your last name? To
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1 start, again, I am DOJ/OIG Special Agent
2
3 : My name is DOJ/OIG Senior
4 Special Agent
5
6 -: please introduce
7 yourself.
8 : Yeah. So, my name is Dr.
9 . I am the chief psychologist at
10 MCC New York.
11 : Thank you.
12 : And your last name. Can
13 you just spell that --
14 : Yes.
15 : -- for the record?
16 : I'm sorry about that.
17
18 : Thank you.
19 : This is an official DOJ/OIG
20 investigation into the death of inmate Jeffrey
21 Epstein. And you are being asked to
22 voluntarily provide answers to our questions.
23 Will you agree to a voluntary interview with
24 the DOJ/OIG?
25 : Yes.
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1 : Thank you. I'm going to
2 provide you with the OIG form 11I-226/2. It
3 states the following, "United States Department
4 of Justice, Office of the Inspector General.
5 Warnings and Assurances to Employee Requested
6 to Provided Information on a Voluntary Basis.
7 You are being asked to provide information as
8 part of an investigation being conducted by the
9 Office of the Inspector General. This
10 investigation is being conducted pursuant to
11 the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.
12 This investigation pertains to job
13 performance failure, and security failure.
14 This is a voluntary interview. Accordingly,
15 you do not have to answer any questions. No
16 disciplinary action will be taken against you
17 if you choose not to answer any questions. Any
18 statement you furnish may be used as evidence
19 in any future criminal proceedings, or agency
20 disciplinary proceeding, or both." The waiver
21 states, "I understand the warnings and
22 assurance stated above, and I am willing to
23 make a statement and answer questions.
24 No promises or threats have been made to
25 me, and no pressure or coercion of any kind has
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1 been used against me." Please review it. And
2 if you agree, can you please sign where it
3 says, "Employee Signature"? Also, print your
4 name right below that.
5 : Please.
6 : Mm-hmm.
7 : Thank you. Thank you. I am
8 signing on the signature of the Office of
9 Inspector General, Special Agent.
10 : Okay. And I will --
11 : Agent -.
12 : -- sign as the witness,
13 and place the date, and time, and place on
14 there. On the form.
15 : Thank you. Before starting
16 the interview, I would like to place you under
17 oath.
18 : Yes.
19 -: can you please
20 raise your right hand? Do you swear to tell
21 the truth and nothing but the truth during this
22 interview?
23 : Yes.
24 : Thank you. Please let me
25 know if you did not understand any questions,
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1 and I will try to repeat it, or try to rephrase
2 it for you. What is your current home address?
3 -: , New
4 York.
5 : Okay. And what is your date
6 of birth?
7 -:
8 : Actually, you showed us your
9 ID. Can you show that one more time? I just
10 want to --
11 : Yes.
12 has provided me
13 with the U.S. Department of Justice law
14 enforcement officer ID, and it has her picture
15 on it, and her signature. Thank you. What is
16 your current cell phone number?
17 -:
18 : Thank you. Do you recall
19 being interviewed by the FBI and the OIG in
20 August 2019, regarding inmate Jeffrey Epstein?
21 : Yes, I do.
22 : What I have here is called
23 the FBI 302. It's their report of the
24 investigation. It's a summary of your
25 statements that you made in the interview with
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1 them. I'm going to go -. I'm going to read it
2 out to you. Please let me know if there is any
3 discrepancies, or you feel that anything is
4 inaccurate, and we will correct it.
5 : Okay.
6 : On the record. Anything else
7 before we start?
8 : Nope.
9 : Okay. "Dr.
10 date of birth: , was interviewed at 1
11 Saint Andrews Plaza, New York, New York, 10007.
12 U.S. Attorney's Office. Southern District of
13 New York. Present at the interview was the
14 Office of Inspector General Special Agent
15 ; Assistant U.S. Attorney
16 (Phonetic Sp. *00:04:54), and FBI
17 Special Agent
18 After being advised of the identity of the
19 interviewing agents, and the nature of the
20 interview, provided the following
21 statement. is the chief
22 psychologist at the Metropolitan Correctional
23 Center (MCC). Her background includes a
24 bachelor's degree in criminology, a master's in
25 mental health counseling, a master's in
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1 clinical counseling, and a doctorate." What is
2 the doctorate in?
3 : Oh. The second master's is
4 in clinical psychology, not counseling
5 psychology. And the doctorate is in clinical
6 psychology.
7 : Okay. Thank you for
clarifying that. was the
9 for
10 two years. And she completed a one-year post-
11 doctoral fellowship and internship working at
12 an in and out - in/outpatient mental health
13 treatment center. And she did that externship
14 at , working
15 with the battered woman's program." Is that
16 accurate? Go ahead.
17 : Okay. My post-doc was at a
18 private forensic practice, forensic psychology
practice.
20 That was my post-doctoral
21 internship. My internship was at the
22 . Jackson Memorial Medical
23 Center. That's where I did inpatient and
24 outpatient rotations, with a minor in
25 forensics. And my externship, when I was in
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doctoral program, was at the
2
3 : Okay.
4 : Okay.
5 : Thank you.
6 : Sure.
7 worked as a staff
psychologist at th
9 from 2003 to 2006."
10 : Mm-hmm.
11 "And as a forensic
12 psychologist from 2006 to 2008."
13 : Correct.
14 has been the
15 at MCC for the last 11
16 years."
17 : Well, now, more. Probably
18 close to 13.
19 : 13.
20 : More than 13, probably.
21 : So, that is still your role
22 at the MCC?
23 Uh-huh. Yes. And now that
24 it's closed. You know --
25 : Okay.
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1 -- I'm no longer the chief
2 psychologist there. But up until a day ago,
3 yes.
4 : Okay. And so, what is the
5 new role with the -?
6 : Well, I am awaiting a
7 position, likely in central office.
8 : Okay. And what, do you know
9 what your role would be? What your title would
10 be?
11 : A mental health treatment
12 coordinator. But it's going through the
13 paperwork right now. So, it hasn't, you know,
14 I haven't received official notification
15 : Okay.
16 : -- as of yet.
17 : Then -.
18 : Will you be able to stay
19 in New York?
20 : Yes.
21 : Okay. Great.
22 : But I am doing my TDY work
23 right now, at
24 : Okay.
25 : So, I am just seeing a lot of
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1 patients over there now.
2 : Anything else on that?
3 : Hmm-mm.
4 oversees three
5 forensic psychologists." This is talking about
6 the time period when you were interviewed.
7 : Yes.
8 : I guess, before we do,
9 don't think it said. When did you first start
10 working with the BOP? When was your enter on
11 duty?
12 : In 2003.
13 : Okay. Great. Thank you.
14 . oversees three
15 forensic psychologists, one staff psychologist,
16 a drug abuse coordinator, and a drug treatment
17 specialist. Her duties include ensuring all
18 patients are seen, and the appropriate
19 documentation is completed. She consults on
20 individual cases, as needed. She ensures the
21 forensic reports are out on time. She reviews
22 all the reports she signs off on. At this
23 time, is seeing patients, is seeing
24 more patients than she normally does, due to
25 staffing. Her typical hours are 7:00 a.m. to
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1 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday."
2 : Okay.
3 provided
4 information on the intake process as it relates
5 to psychological services at MCC. All inmates
6 complete the psychological services intake
7 questionnaire" - that's PSIQ - "themselves. It
8 asks for the inmates mental health history, as
9 well as any symptoms they are feeling at the
10 time. Based off the PSIQ, inmates are rated a
11 care code reading."
12 : Okay. First, we interview
13 them. What we do is, we review the PSIQs once
14 they are filled out. If significant items are
15 marked, we will interview the inmate. After we
16 complete the intake screening, we will classify
17 them with a care code. And that will determine
18 how frequently the inmate will be seen.
19 : Okay. I think it goes into
20 the codes itself.
21 : Oh, okay. All right.
22 : "Code one means there are no
23 concerns about the inmate's mental health
24 status. They have no needs and will not be
25 followed up with, unless requested to, by
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1 either the inmate themselves, or staff."
2 : Okay.
3 "Code two means there is some
4 history of mental health issues, but the inmate
5 has them under control. Psychological services
6 will follow up with these individuals monthly."
7 : Yes.
8 "Code three are more severe
9 cases, and they are seen every week by
10 psychological services, to ensure the inmate is
11 stable. If the inmate isn't stable in general
12 population, they will be moved to observation.
13 If they continue to deteriorate, they will go
14 to the hospital."
15 : We will try to send them to a
16 BOP medical center. Or we will try to
17 stabilize them in the facility. We have a
18 psychiatrist who is actually, he is a central
19 office psychiatrist, but he was actually
20 located at MCC New York. So, if they started
21 to decompensate the interview, and they were
22 that acute, we would have the psychiatrist see
23 them, and potentially medicate them, and try to
24 stabilize them at our facility. If we cannot
25 do so, then we will try to do an emergency,
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1 what is called a 770, and have them designated
2 to one of our medical centers for
3 stabilization. We don't have a contract with
4 the hospital here in New York.
5 : I don't know if you - what's
6 - what decompensating means?
7 : Oh, that means that their
8 symptoms become more acute, their mental health
9 functioning is deteriorating to the point where
10 they display evidence of either severe mood
11 symptoms, like acute mania, or psychosis, where
12 they are actively hallucinating, or have
13 delusions. Or maybe they just stopped taking
14 care of ADLs, as well.
15 : Okay.
16 : And that would cause harm to
17 them. Because of their illness.
18 : Thank you.
19 : Okay.
20 : Do you have any questions on
21 that? Okay. "Code four inmates are seen every
22 day by psychological services, and are under
23 constant psychological observation."
24 : Mm-hmm.
25 pointed out that
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1 a code one can be on suicide watch. Often
2 times, those cases involve manipulation
3 techniques used by inmates to get what they
4 want from staff. For example, if an inmate is
5 not getting along with the guard, or they want
6 a new cellmate, they will claim to be suicidal
7 to get out of their housing area. If an inmate
8 does this two or three times, they will be
9 bumped to a code two, so that a psychologist
10 will meet with them monthly. Suicide watch
11 means an inmate is eminently suicidal. If an
12 inmate is placed on suicide watch, they are
13 under constant watch by staff. They have a
14 special mattress, blanket, and smock to wear.
15 And their cell lights are on 24/7."
16 : Correct.
17 "Suicide observation is
18 lower classification."
19 : Psychological observation.
20 : Correction. "Psychological
21 observation is a lower classification. It is
22 not at all Bureau of Prisons facilities.
23 Everything is the same with suicide observation
24 inmates - psychological observation inmates,
25 except that they are allowed to have their
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1 clothing, and some materials, such as books.
2 Suicide watch can be detrimental if a person is
3 left on it for too long. So, observation is
4 used to see how an inmate is doing before
5 releasing them back to general population."
6 : Correct. So, psychological
7 observation, they are observed constantly, with
8 regard to what they have, they can obtain.
9 They can have those things that you listed.
10 But we have to determine, and sometimes it
11 might be one thing at a time. Like, we might
12 give them their underwear, and see how they do
13 with that. And then, we will, you know, give
14 them a book. But it's not like once you get
15 stopped down, you get all of those items.
16 : Okay.
17 : Okay. It's determined by a
18 psychologist, and it is notated on their
19 logbook, what they can and cannot have.
20 : Okay. "Any psychologist at
21 jail can take an inmate off suicide watch, but
22 they do consult with on occasion.
23 Many times, the executive staff at the jail
24 meet, and inmate psychological status and
25 services are discussed."
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1 : Yes.
2 : Can you explain to us a
3 little bit more about the meeting? What
4 exactly is discussed?
5 : Yes. So, we have, like,
6 Mondays, we have an opening meeting, and
7 Fridays, we have a close out meeting. And
8 Tuesdays, the days may have changed from then
9 to now. I think it used to be Thursdays, used
10 to be a SHU meeting. And so, certain members,
11 all the members of the executive staff are
12 there. And then, certain department heads
13 attend these meetings. And during the
14 meetings, they will ask me, you know, is there
15 anything for psychology.
16 And then, I will discuss the inmates that
17 are on suicide watch. And what my plans is for
18 those inmates. Or if we were discussing the
19 Special Housing Unit, I'll discuss inmates that
20 I feel need to be observed closely. Should
21 have cellmates. Or may suffer from mental
22 health problems that I feel we just need to
23 keep an eye on, or make sure they are in more
24 visible, highly visible cells. Any mental
25 health concern I have in the SHU, I would
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1 mention at the SHU meeting.
2 : Okay. Anything else?
3 : Yeah. I mean, do they
4 have input into psychology? Like, does the
5 executive staff, do they get to provide
6 recommendations, or ask, you know, can this
7 person be taken off, or this person taken off,
8 or this person taken on, or is it -?
9 : Well, we make the decisions
10 as far as, we're the only ones that make the
11 decisions whether someone goes on watch, or off
12 watch.
13 : Right.
14 : They may, you know, not agree
15 or whatever, but that's our decision because
16 that is our profession.
17 : Right.
18 : But with regard to the
19 logistics in the prison, and how, where the
20 inmates are housed, and things like that. We
21 will make suggestions to executive staff.
22 : Okay.
23 : A lot of times - and most of
24 the time - they do listen to psychology. There
25 may be times they disagree for maybe
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1 correctional reasons that, you know, they may
2 have their own ways of viewing where they
3 housed someone. Maybe there will be an inmate
4 up there, or too many that they are separated
5 from, or maybe they are a gang member. I mean,
6 there may be other reasons why they can't
7 follow our recommendations.
8 And so, there might be exceptions to that
9 rule. So, now, pretty much what we do is, if,
10 like, let's say we have to house somebody alone
11 in SHU. We have to - we put whether we
12 recommend or not recommend. Now, we do that.
13 And I never recommend an inmate be single
14 celled. Ever. So, if they decide, that's on
15 them. And usually, it's because an inmate may
16 be too violent, or may be sept out from all
17 other inmates in the facility because they are
18 so, in all these gangs, and they are
19 cooperating.
20 And there is just too many bloods, let's
21 say, and there are blood, and they may have to
22 be by themselves, or they may have assaulted
23 other inmates, or officers, and they just can't
24 be celled with somebody. For whatever reason.
25 Or the U.S. Attorney's Office has said this
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1 person needs to be by themselves. We're afraid
2 for their life, at that facility. So, I'm
3 never going to recommend somebody be by
4 themselves because it's never a good idea. But
5 there might be extenuating circumstances where
6 someone needs to be housed alone, and in that
7 case, you know, we would recommend an increase
8 rounds, or, you know, keeping an eye on that
9 inmate.
10 : Now, as far as I
11 understand, what you are talking about is when
12 they come off of psychological observation or
13 suicide watch, but when they actually go in and
14 come off of both suicide watch and
15 psychological observation, do they get to
16 provide an input into that, or is that solely a
17 psychology issue?
18 : Whether they come off?
19 : Go in or come off.
20 : No. Just a psychology.
21 : Okay. So, they don't
22 have any input into that?
23 : No.
24 : Okay.
25 : I mean, they may make some
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1 statements, but if we don't agree,
2 : Yeah, that's your
3 : -- those decisions are up to
4 us.
5 : Okay.
6 : Yes.
7 : Thank you.
8 : Just a question, as a follow
9 up. You said that sometimes you might make
10 recommendations on housing an inmate by
11 themselves, based on a threat or whatever it
12 is. So, my understanding, based on that
13 statement, is that means every inmate is housed
14 with a cellmate, unless specifically
15 recommended by psychology, that they be housed
16 by themselves?
17 : Never by psychology.
18 : Yeah.
19 : Psychology
20 : That's (Indiscernible
21 *00:17:38).
22 : -- is always going to
23 recommend.
24 : Recommend.
25 : Yeah.
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1 : A cellmate. But there might
2 be custodial issues.
3 : Okay.
4 : Which preclude them from
5 being housed with another inmate.
6 : So, any inmates that has a
7 history of possibly having suicide watch, or
8 any, or psychological observation, psychology
9 recommends that they be - recommends that they
10 be housed with a cellmate.
11 : Yes.
12 : Now, psychology --
13 : Okay.
14 : -- always they be housed
15 with a cellmate.
16 : Right.
17 : It's the custody may say
18 that they want them with a single cell.
19 : Got it.
20 : Correct?
21 : Correct.
22 : Thank you. "Meetings are
23 held on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
24 Generally present at those meetings are Dr.
25 , the warden, two associate wardens, the
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1 captain, supervisory attorney, duty officer,
2 and the executive assistant. Department head
3 meetings are held on Wednesdays.
4 (Phonetic Sp. *00:18:27)?"
5 : Mm-hmm.
6 "Completed the PSIQ for
7 Jeffrey Epstein on July 8, 2019. Epstein did
8 not mark anything on his PSIQ. And had it not
9 been Epstein, he would have been sent to
10 general population, and rated a care code one.
11 consulted with Dr.
12 about Epstein's risk factors, aside from his
13 psychological health, including high-profile
14 case and sex offense charges." Who is Dr.
15
16 : He was the suicide prevention
17 coordinator in central office. Now, he has
18 been moved up to a higher position, but he is
19 in central office, and he called me right away,
20 when Epstein came, because of his risk factors.
21 We call those static risk factors. Those are
22 risk factors for suicidality that can't be
23 changed. So, in other words, if you come in
24 and you are a sex offender, and you are high-
25 profile, like Jeffrey Epstein was, that is
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1 going to take place throughout his
2 incarceration.
3 It is not like he would just come in
4 depressed; we could give him medication; he
5 could get better. Those factors would always
6 be there. So, you know, he was concerned.
7 Also, when he came to the facility, that we
8 should keep, you know, a close eye on him.
9 And, you know, he was reviewing our notes and
10 everything, from afar. So, he did call us when
11 he was placed on watch and everything, and he
12 oversaw.
13 : Okay.
14 : So, he has access to your
15 notes? Does that go into some kind of a
16 database?
17 : Yes. The psychology data
18 system.
19 : Okay.
20 : I don't know if he reviewed
21 the notes, but he called -. I'm trying to
22 remember. I remember him calling me and just
23 being in touch with me. You know, is
24 everything okay? And, you know, making sure we
25 assessed certain things.
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1 : Okay. So, all throughout
2 Epstein's stay, he was kind of reviewing your
3 notes, and --
4 : Uh-huh.
5 : -- his status.
6 : Or calling me and checking
7 in.
8 : And who would have access
9 to that database, in those notes?
10 : All the psychologists in the
11 department. Central office personnel would
12 have access to it. Other psychologists at
13 other institutions can access the notes
14 because, let's say he was transferred to
15 another facility, and they wanted to see his
16 notes from the BOP. They would have access.
17 : Okay. And when you say
18 central office, you're talking about just
19 psychology central office, or do you mean
20 everyone that is -?
21 : Yeah.
22 : So, only --
23 : Psychology.
24 : -- only psychology --
25 : As far as --
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1 : -- personnel.
2 -- I know. Yes.
3 : Okay. So, no one outside
4 of psychology?
5 : Not that I know of.
6 : Okay.
7 : Because I don't work up
8 there. But I wouldn't think so.
9 : Great.
10 : Okay.
11 : You might have stated
12 already. I might have missed it.
13 : Okay.
14 : Did Dr. make any
15 recommendations to you? Regarding Mr. Epstein.
16 : No. Just to keep a close eye
17 on, when I put him on watch. He just called
18 and just, he asked me various questions on how
19 he was doing, and everything like that. So, he
20 just wanted to make us aware that, you know, he
21 was very high-profile. I mean, obviously, we
22 knew that. But, you know, also to keep an eye
23 on him, and to keep us alert to his risk
24 factors.
25 : Okay. "When Epstein returned
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1 from court that day, ordered he be
2 placed on watch status, to allow psychology to
3 make a complete - to complete a thorough
4 suicide risk assessment." Is that correct?
5 : Right.
6 : Okay.
7 : And that was on
8 : And that was precautionary.
9 : -- okay.
10 : Because of his risk factors.
11 I wanted him assessed. So, I remember he was
12 placed on watch, and he was waiting for me to
13 come in and do his interview. And, you know, I
14 came into the watch area, and he was, like, are
15 you ? And he's, like, get me out of
16 here. You know? Because he didn't endorse
17 anything. He didn't say he was suicidal. He
18 had just come from court, and he was just
19 waiting to come off of watch because, you know,
20 watch is very depriving, like we said, you
21 can't have anything there.
22 Like, not even clothes. It's just You
23 know, so, for him to be put in that situation.
24 He was really unhappy about it. And then, you
25 know, I explained, it was for his safety, and
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1 precautionary, and I just wanted to make sure
2 he was, he would be celled appropriately, and
3 that he was okay. So, it wasn't that he had
4 endorsed anything, or said he was suicidal. It
5 was strictly precautionary.
6 : And that was --
7 : When he first came in.
8 : -- yeah. That was July
9 8th, 2019?
10 : Yes.
11 : Just --
12 : Yes.
13 -- for the record. Okay.
14 completed the
15 suicide risk assessment the next day. Epstein
16 was angry he was placed on observation, but he
17 continued to report no history of -", suicide-
18 aly?
19 : Suicidality. Yeah. Yeah.
20 : Suicidality. "No substance
21 abuse. No major medical concerns. And no
22 overt risk factors. Epstein was polite, but
23 annoyed with ."
24 : True.
25 : "Epstein was kept in
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1 observation, pending a suitable housing
2 placement, given his risk factors of being an
3 alleged sex offender. High-profile, and having
4 one living brother relative. She quoted
5 Epstein as saying, `Being alive is fun.'
6 believed it was a genuine statement."
7 Is that accurate?
8 : A what?
9 : A genuine --
10 : Genuine.
11 -- genuine statement.
12 : Yeah.
13 : Okay. provided
14 the interviewing agents with a copy of the
15 suicide risk assessment, which was placed into
16 this case as reference three. On July 10th,
17 2019, met with Epstein in
18 observation. Epstein was still in observation,
19 due to housing concerns. He continued to be
20 psychologically stable at that time. Epstein
21 was aware, even if he got bail, he would be at
22 MCC for several more weeks." That statement,
23 "Epstein was aware even if he got bail." Was
24 your understanding that he was going to get
25 bail?
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1 : If I recall, I remember he
2 was hopeful. Now, I don't have my notes in
3 front of me, so I don't want to swear to what
4 was in each note --
5 : Yeah.
6 : -- because when I don't have
7 them in front of me, but from my recollection,
8 yes, he was hopeful that, you know, he would be
9 able to get out of jail.
10 : Okay. So, based on
11 : At that time.
12 : -- your conversations with
13 him, he was expecting - hopeful - to get bail -
14
15 : Yes.
16 -- from being -. Okay.
17 "Epstein made several demands and voiced many
18 complaints to , which she passed onto
19 executive staff." What kind of demands?
20 : I remember a lot of, like,
21 even his laxative, like, he wanted Colace
22 (Phonetic Sp. *00:24:50), and he didn't like
23 the laxative he was getting. And, you know, he
24 just made a lot of demands. I would have to
25 refer to my notes, but it was just --
EFTA00058715
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1 : Okay.
2 : -- you know, individual, his
3 individual needs. Things that he wanted.
4 : What about --
5 : You know?
6 complaints? It mentions
7 that he voiced many complaints, also.
8 : Maybe that he was on watch.
9 I mean, I remember he didn't want to be on
10 there to begin with. Things about the jail, in
11 and of itself, I guess he wanted, I remember
12 him wanting to go to the Cadre unit (Phonetic
13 Sp. *00:25:23), because at that time, we had
14 Paul Manafort (Phonetic Sp. *00:25:25) there.
15 : Okay.
16 : And he wanted to be - he knew
17 those people were in the prison - so, he wanted
18 to go be placed on a Cadre unit, which are
19 inmates that have already been sentenced, and
20 are serving small amounts of time.
21 : Okay.
22 : At which we couldn't put him
23 in, because he was pre-trial. But he wanted to
24 be with, like, other inmates he knew that were
25 there, that were more high-profile.
EFTA00058716
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1 : Okay.
2 : I remember him complaining
3 about that.
4 : Anything else on that?
5 : We have all of your notes
6 and the notes, you know, from psychology.
7 Would you want those for while we are
8 discussing, or do you think they are not
9 needed?
10 : Well, if there is anything
11 think --
12 : Okay. Just let us --
13 : -- you know, I have a pretty
14 good --
15 : -- know if --
16 : -- memory.
17 : -- sure.
18 : But I mean, if you are going
19 to ask me on this exact date, did he say this
20 exact --
21 : Absolutely.
22 : -- then I would need my
23 notes.
24 : No. I just --
25 : Yeah.
EFTA00058717
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1 : I just --
2 : Yeah.
3 : -- wanted to know if you
4 would actually prefer them in front of you.
5 So, while we are talking, you can reference
6 them. Because if you can, we could easily get
7 them for you.
8 : Okay. I will see how the
9 questions --
10 : Sure.
11 : -- proceed. And if I am
12 uncomfortable with one, I will let you know.
13 Yeah.
14 : Absolutely.
15 : Okay.
16 "Epstein's cellmate for the
17 Special Housing Unit was decided by the warden
18 and the associate warden. was not
19 included on that decision. Her thought was
20 decided upon cellmate, Tartaglione, had a -."
21 Sorry. I don't know if that wording is wrong.
22 "Her thought was decided upon cellmate,
23 Tartaglione, had a lot to lose -."
24 : Just before we go on.
25 So, you said that it was decided by the warden
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1 and the associate warden. Do you know what the
2 names are of those individuals? Like,
3 would be the warden.
4 was the warden.
5 : Do you know who the
6 associate warden was?
7 : I don't know who, but I know
8 he meets with the associate wardens. I don't
9 know which one. I know was there
10 during that period of time. And I'm trying to
11 remember the other one.
12 : Was it
13 : Yes. Yes. No. took -.
14 Yeah.
15 : I don't know if was
16
17 -'
18 : -- there that early.
19 -: came after.
20 : Yeah. I think it was a
21 different AW.
22 : Who was before
23 That's crazy.
24 : But regardless, they were
25 the ones --
EFTA00058719
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1 : Yeah. They --
2 okay.
3 : -- they make the housing
4 decisions.
5 : Okay.
6 : You know, and who they felt
7 he should be placed with.
8 : And then, let me just
9 read that sentence for you --
10 : Yeah.
11 : -- so that -. It says,
12 "Her thought was the decided upon cellmate,
13 Tartaglione, had a lot to lose given his
14 history and charges, which made him a low-risk
15 to Epstein."
16 : Right. I guess that was more
17 of an opinion.
18 : Mm-hmm.
19 : You know, because my thought
20 was the reason they placed him with that inmate
21 is, you know, he is facing the death penalty or
22 life. Tartaglione. For these alleged murders.
23 And when you are pre-trial, and you are in that
24 situation, you are on your best behavior, and
25 not looking to hurt somebody, and get yourself
EFTA00058720
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1 into more trouble.
2 : Okay. So, he was
3 : So, a lot of times --
4 : -- he was facing --
5 yeah.
6 : -- life in prison?
7 : Yeah.
8 : Okay.
9 : I think he was facing the
10 death penalty.
11 : Was he? Okay. And c.c,
12 you know what he was --
13 : I don't know what his
14 situation is now. I know his attorney, you
15 know, fight, has been fighting for him for a
16 long time.
17 : Okay.
18 : You know, to I think not get
19 the death penalty.
20 : And do you know if,
21 anything else about him? Was he law
22 enforcement --
23 : Yes.
24 : -- or anything? Okay.
25 : He was law enforcement, and
EFTA00058721
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1 it was some drug related thing, and there was
2 four bodies, I think, and I don't know that
3 much about his case. I have met with him on a
4 couple of occasions.
5 : Okay.
6 : But, you know, he doesn't
7 come off as being, you know, he's not, like, a
8 gang member, or violent, or trying to prove
9 anything, per se.
10 : So, his goal was to stay
11 clean and to do what was right, so he could
12 potentially beat his case?
13 : That's what most people do,
14 pre-trial.
15 : Right.
16 : You know, it's not until they
17 go to pens that they become that way, unless,
18 you know, you are very young and antisocial,
19 you will act out.
20 : Right.
21 : But -.
22 : So, just to clarify, he was
23 pre-trial, or was he already facing a life in
24 prison?
25 : Yeah, I think he was --
EFTA00058722
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1 : You said life in prison, and
2 death penalty?
3 : -- he was still pre-trial.
4 They both were pre-trial.
5 : Okay. So, he was trying to
6 avoid the death penalty
7 : Yes.
8 : -- and trying to get life in
9 prison?
10 : Right. Or maybe just get off
11 all together.
12 : Got it.
13 : Yeah.
14 : Okay.
15 : In his mind, he felt he could
16 get off all together, but that is unrelated,
17 but
18 : Okay. Thank you. "On July
19 11th, 2019, Epstein was taken off of
20 observation, and housed in the SHU.
21 met with Epstein in the attorney conference
22 rooms that day, because Epstein was there all
23 day. Both Epstein and his attorney were
24 mocking for thinking Epstein was
25 suicidal. Epstein continued to make demands,
EFTA00058723
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1 such as wanting to wear a brown uniform to his
2 attorney meetings. continued to
3 pass those concerns onto the SHU Lieutenant
4
5 : I think so.
6 : Okay.
7 : Yeah.
8 "On July 16th, 2019, after
9 Epstein's bail hearing, he was called for," or,
10 "he called for to come to attorney
11 conference. Epstein didn't report any
12 psychological concerns, but chastised her
13 because his needs weren't being met. Dr.
14 felt Epstein thought of her as his
15 personal assistant. Epstein requested a kosher
16 diet, which she again passed on."
17 : Wait. Before we go on.
18 It says he chastised you because his needs
19 weren't being met.
20 : Okay. Well, this is, he, you
21 know, while he was on watch, and when I would
22 talk to him, he would tell me all these
23 different things that he wanted. Like I said,
24 the special laxative. A certain diet. Certain
25 housing arrangements. You know, he had a lot
EFTA00058724
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1 of requests. And I guess, in the beginning,
2 you know, I tried to help him as best as I
3 could, and when I say personal assistant, I
4 don't really like that word. But what I was
5 really trying to say is that the officers would
6 say he would always say, where is
7 where is ? You know, that, so that I
8 could, maybe I had pull and could get certain
9 needs for him met, within the prison setting.
10 Mm-hmm.
11 : So, let me put it that way.
12 It sounds a little better than that. And then,
13 you know what? I wanted to follow up with him,
14 and do a session, but he was in attorney
15 conference, like, eight hours a day, during my
16 entire shift. So, I would have to go up there
17 just to check on him, and make sure he was
18 doing okay. So, when I would ask if he was
19 suicidal, he would be, like, I was never
20 suicidal, and, you know, he would laugh, and
21 the attorney would laugh at me. You know, so,
22 it was just kind of - that's what I meant. And
23 then, when he would chastise, he would become
24 angry.
25 : Right.
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1 : You know, because he was very
2 demanding and entitled. So, if he got angry
3 when his needs weren't met, because he was used
4 to that kind of lifestyle, I assume. You know,
5 in the outside where, you know, at the snap of
6 his finger, he could have certain needs met.
7 And in the prison, it didn't work that way.
8 : And just so we are clear
9
10 : Right.
11 : -- when you say "needs,"
12 they are not actual needs that a person would
13 need. It's his wants, I guess, would be --
14 : Yes.
15 : -- better.
16 : Yes.
17 : Because did he have --
18 : Okay.
19 : -- did he have
20 : Okay.
21 : -- everything that he
22 needed?
23 : He had everything that basic
24 inmates had.
25 : Okay.
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1 : I guess one where
2 psychologists refer to, you know, people engage
3 in certain behaviors to get their needs met.
4 So, their wants and needs. So, yeah.
5 : Okay.
6 : Wants.
7 : But do you believe that
8 he had everything he needs? Like , he needed.
9 : Yes.
10 : Okay.
11 : For the most part. I mean, I
12 know he wanted a CPAP machine while he was on
13 watch. And I was, like, no. Because there was
14 cords, and things like that. So, you cannot
15 have your CPAP machine. And he wanted to get
16 off of watch at the end, because he wasn't
17 sleeping well, and he said he had sleep apnea,
18 and he wanted his machine. So, I wasn't going
19 to take him off until I felt he was ready, or
20 give him that, until he was off of watch.
21 : Okay.
22 "On July 18th, a SHU review
23 was attempted on Epstein, but he was not seen
24 because he was in attorney conference. On July
25 23rd, 2019, received a phone call
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1 regarding Epstein, because he was found in his
2 cell with a loose noose around his neck, and
3 had been placed on suicide watch. She ordered
4 a suicide risk assessment be completed on him.
5 Dr. ." Is that -? Did I -? "Completed
6 the suicide risk assessment later that morning.
7 During the assessment, Epstein told Dr.
8 he did not remember what happened. He
9 denied suicidality. Had future plans. And he
10 wanted to learn. He wanted to fight his case.
11 And he was acting like a big kid. Dr.
12 learned that Epstein had told staff that his
13 cellmate, Tartaglione, had tried to kill him.
14 Dr. kept Epstein on suicide watch." What
15 was your understanding, and did you have a
16 conversation with Epstein, after that point,
17 about his interaction with Tartaglione? What
18 exactly transpired --
19 : Yes.
20 : -- on that incident?
21 : And that was the issue.
22 mean, he never retracted that statement.
23 mean, he said that he thought he was a
24 pedophile, and that he had taken this piece
25 I don't know if it was a piece, or a piece of
EFTA00058728
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1 cloth, or whatever. And went like this around
2 his neck. And -.
3 : Now, he told you this?
4 : Yes. He told my staff that,
5 as well.
6 : So, he told both you and
7 your staff?
8 : Yes. I had seen him
9 subsequently. Again, I don't have my notes in
10 front of me --
11 : Sure.
12 : -- but I remember him telling
13 me that. So, at that point, when we were doing
14 the suicide risk assessment, and Dr. was,
15 we had to conceptualize what actually happened.
16 You know, whether this is something he
17 inflicted on himself, and you know, the
18 reasonings why he would do something like that.
19 Or whether it was there was indeed an assault
20 of some form. And so, then, you know, it was
21 referred to SIS, too. So, he wasn't ever
22 really forthright on what occurred, while he
23 was on watch that time.
24 : Did you ever believe - based
25 on your conversations with Mr. Epstein -.
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1 Sorry. I'll just end that. Based on your
2 conversations with Mr. Epstein, did you believe
3 what he stated, in terms of Tartaglione trying
4 to kill him?
5 : Honestly, I did not know what
6 to believe at that point. So, my mind was
7 opened that there were potentially three
8 things, different things going on, and a 33
9 percent chance of it being any one of those
10 things. Because you don't know what happens
11 behind closed doors, in the SHU, or whether
12 they did have a disagreement.
13 : You know what? It actually
14 goes into your hypothesis --
15 : Yes. Okay.
16 : -- let me read that --
17 : Okay.
18 : -- and maybe you can state
19 : Okay.
20 : -- if that's right. "Dr.
21 had three hypotheses, in no particular
22 order, regarding this incident, of what this
23 incident meant. One) it was gamey by either
24 Epstein, Tartaglione, or both. Meaning, there
25 was something they wanted, and they weren't
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1 getting. So, this is how they were going to
2 play the system to their advantage. Two) it
3 was rehearsal by Epstein, who really was
4 suicidal. Three) it was an assault committed
5 by Tartaglione." Was that the three? That is
6 your three hypotheses?
7 : Yes.
8 : Was there any one of those
9 that you were leaning towards?
10 : At that point, I didn't know
11 because --
12 : Okay.
13 -- you know, he was just
14 placed on watch. The SIS investigation hadn't
15 taken place. I had -. There was enough
16 evidence it could have been any one of those,
17 because the phone call I received in the
18 morning, when he was placed on watch, the
19 lieutenant at that time had told me it was
20 She was, like, this doesn't - because they have
21 been around a while - this isn't a real thing.
22 It was like a little string, and, you know, he
23 was, he seemed fine.
24 And then, when I turned around, he would
25 be rocking back and forth. So, she, you know,
EFTA00058731
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1 at that initial time, it almost looked a little
2 gamey. Like, that maybe he just went like this
3 with a piece of string, at that point. He had
4 lost his bail. I'm sorry.
5 : No problem.
6 : Let me just turn off my
7 phone. At that point, he had lost his bail
8 hearing. The judge denied him -. I'm sorry.
9 : Bail.
10 : The judge denied him bail.
11 : So, right before the
12 23rd, the judge denied him bail, and then this
13 happened?
14 : Right.
15 : Okay. So --
16 : So, there is, that is the
17 gamey piece. I mean, if you want my
18 conceptualization, that, you know, that maybe
19 he did, you know, this sends a message, I can't
20 take jail, put me on house arrest. I'm either
21 going to hurt myself or someone else is going
22 to hurt me. Get me out of here. Because he
23 came in very entitled. Like I said, he had a
24 lot of money. He was meeting with his
25 attorneys every day.
EFTA00058732
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1 He had a lot of money at that point. It's
2 not like he had lost trial. And Tartaglione
3 had a lot to gain, to save a life, because he
4 is facing life. You know, when you get a
5 letter that you save someone's life, that's
6 helpful in your case. I'm not saying that's
7 it, but I mean, I'm just trying to think of
8 hypotheses. So, that was where the gamey stuff
9 came in. That was the gamey piece.
10 The report from the lieutenant, the gains
11 that both of them could have by this behavior.
12 Could that be why that happened? Number two.
13 He is genuinely upset, and he was, it was a
14 rehearsal behavior, and perhaps he really
15 wanted to hurt himself. So, we need to be
16 cautious. So, it could be the gamey thing. It
17 could be the cautious thing. Or maybe Epstein
18 and Tartaglione had it out that night, and he
19 said something pompous or whatever, and the
20 other one got upset, and he did, you know, put
21 the rope around his neck, and that really
22 frightened Epstein, and that is why he went
23 into, like, this fetal position.
24 Maybe he was scared. You know, could it
25 have been any of those? And subsequently, I
EFTA00058733
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1 think one of his attorneys was convinced that
2 Tartagliione had assaulted him. Not because, I
3 guess he told his attorney the same attorney.
4 So, it could have been any -. I say 33 percent
5 chance it could have been any of those things.
6 : Now, I understand that
7 that's what you thought --
8 : Yeah.
9 : -- on the 23rd. Did that
10 33 percent chance change, after time, that you
11 believed it was one over the other?
12 : I never knew.
13 : No?
14 : I mean, I never --
15 : So, you still --
16 : -- knew.
17 : -- thought that they were
18 all equally plausible?
19 : Well, I guess towards the end
20 of watch, I thought the assault wasn't as
21 plausible. Because that he really wanted to
22 hurt Epstein, because later on, Epstein was
23 saying he would go back and cell with him. So,
24 why would you want to go back and cell with
25 somebody that was trying to hurt you? So, but
EFTA00058734
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1 again, I didn't do the SIS investigation. So,
2 and I never was privy to it.
3 : Mm-hmm.
4 : So, I don't know what the
5 findings were. But after that, that made that
6 one less plausible. So, made the other two
7 more plausible, at that point in time, which
8 was either it was a rehearsal behavior, or two)
9 it was a game - it was gamey - to get him out
10 of jail because he was just denied --
11 : Who did he
12 bail.
13 who did he make that
14 request to? That he wanted to go back within
15 the cell with Tartaglione? Was that to you
16 directly, or -?
17 : I think he might have
18 mentioned something like that, because when I
19 was trying to figure out where to house him
20 later, I remember him mentioning that to me. I
21 don't know if I put it in a note or not.
22 : Mm-hmm.
23 : Okay.
24 : But yeah. So, I began to
25 think that that was - it was less -. Why would
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1 you want to go back in a -? But maybe he's not
2 thinking clearly. I don't know. But that made
3 me feel less about that. When he said that.
4 : Mm-hmm.
5 : Anything else on that?
6 : Now, being that he just
7 lost bail, had you heard that Tartaglione was
8 actually the one that notified the SHU staff
9 that there was an issue with Epstein, and that
10 is what made them respond to the cell? Had you
11 heard that?
12 : I mean, I had heard that he
13 called out.
14 : That's what I mean.
15 : Yeah. I had --
16 : So --
17 -- I had heard that.
18 : -- with those --
19 : But I don't -.
20 : -- factors in play, does
21 that make you believe that, you know, aside
22 from the fact that he wanted to go back with
23 Tartaglione, you know, at the end of his watch,
24 or observation, does that also make you think
25 maybe it was less likely that he attempted to
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1 harm him, or does that play into your decision?
2 : Still, those two, I just will
3 never know. At that --
4 : Okay.
5 -- for that particular
6 circumstance. Was it, you know, a pact between
7 them, or maybe it wasn't even Tartaglione
8 trying to get any gain. Maybe it was Epstein
9 trying to call attention to himself, so that he
10 could be - so that he could go back to court,
11 and get that bail, and that they would feel
12 like he wasn't safe there.
13 : Right. I guess --
14 : And let him go home.
15 : -- my question maybe --
16 : Yeah.
17 : -- wasn't that clear.
18 : Yeah.
19 : So, I think you used the
20 example that Epstein, after he was coming off
21 of observation, and you were looking to see
22 where he was going to be housed, or who he was
23 going to be housed with, he mentioned that he
24 was going to go, you know, he would be willing
25 to go back with Tartaglione, and that was the
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1 reason why you thought, maybe, that one of the
2 three was probably less likely.
3 : Yes.
4 : What I'm saying is, do
5 the factors that Tartaglione called out to the
6 staff to say something is going on with
7 Epstein, come check him out, does that also
8 play into that, or no, you just placed that
9 simply in those other two, that -?
10 : Simply in those other two.
11 And that --
12 : Okay.
13 : -- that, I don't know what to
14 make of that.
15 : Okay. Sounds good.
16 : Whether it was going to be
17 something to help, whether he really was
18 worried about Epstein.
19 : Okay. I'll never know,
20 and -.
21 : Sounds good.
22 : This may not be something
23 that you might know. It's more towards health
24 services, but maybe you had a conversation with
25 health services. Do you know if they ever
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1 medically examined him for any broken bones,
2 anything, kind of damages? Just, I know he had
3 here, the ligature mark on his neck, right
4 after the July 23rd incident.
5 : Mm-hmm.
6 : Was there any -? Did they
7 examine him? Like, do you have an xray, MRI,
8 anything for broken bones in his neck?
9 : That --
10 : Any kind of injuries?
11 : I don't know.
12 : Okay.
13 : That, I don't know. You
14 would have to look in BEMR. Yeah. For that.
15 : In where?
16 : BEMR. B-E-M-R. BEMR.
17 : What's that?
18 : That's the medical record.
19 : Okay.
20 : Well, we have that.
21 : Okay.
22 : But as far as when you
23 are meeting him, though, at that time, did you
24 notice any injuries on him?
25 : Just the mark.
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1 : Just the mark.
2 : On the back of his neck.
3 Like -.
4 : Do you remember if he was
5 complaining about any potential broken bones,
6 or collar type issues, or anything?
7 : No.
8 : No?
9 : No.
10 : Okay.
11 "On July 24th, 2019, Dr.
12 met with Epstein. Epstein reported he
13 was fearful to return to his cell with
14 Tartaglione because Tartaglione had called him
15 a pedophile. Epstein reported Tartaglione had
16 put - had been playing with the bedsheet before
17 Epstein fell asleep. And then, next thing
18 Epstein remembered, he was waking up snoring.
19 Epstein denied being suicidal, and reported
20 being unhappy with this legal situation. He
21 had been eating, drinking, and sleeping. Dr.
22 took Epstein off suicide watch, and
23 placed on psychological observation."
24 : Now, on that, when the
25 inmate goes from suicide watch to psychological
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1 observation, is the executive staff conferred
2 with?
3 : Yes.
4 : They are? And do they
5 provide an opinion on that, or was it just to
6 let them know?
7 : No. We just let them know.
8 : Just to let them know.
9 Okay. So, they don't have to say, oh, yes, we
10 agree, or please keep him on suicide watch, or
11 anything like that?
12 : If they feel that way, they
13 can express it, and we will keep it in mind,
14 though, and again, we make those decisions.
15 : Okay.
16 : Okay.
17 : Now, being that this is July
18 24th, the next day, and he had possibly tried
19 to hang himself --
20 : Mm-hmm.
21 : -- on July 23rd, and they
22 took him off - Dr. takes him off suicide
23 watch and places him on psychological
24 observation. Is that normal practice?
25 : Yeah, because psychological
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1 observation is, he's in the exact same cell,
2 he's being constantly observed. She spent a
3 long time with him. I think she interviewed
4 him, like, over an hour, an hour and a half.
5 And she just felt that there was no eminent
6 risk of at that time. Like, while he was in a
7 suicide watch cell, he wasn't going to do
8 anything to harm himself. So, we stepped him
9 down. I think maybe gave him a -. I don't
10 know if she gave him underwear, or gave him
11 something, so that he was more comfortable.
12 So, it wasn't so depriving. Because he kept
13 adamantly denying wanting to harm himself.
14 And, you know, she came and talked to me. I
15 didn't sit in that interview because she's a
16 licensed psychologist, and she felt it was safe
17 to step him down, because he would still be by
18 himself in that cell, constantly observe with
19 the lights on all night. Nothing would have
20 changed.
21 : So, I guess --
22 : So.
23 : -- what he wants to know,
24 though, is, was that normal? Is that normal
25 practice --
EFTA00058742
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1 : Yeah.
2 -- for her to do that?
3 : We do that. I mean
4 Okay.
5 not all facilities have
6 the step down, the psychological observation.
7 Some people just have the suicide watch. And
8 then, they will give them privileges while they
9 are on suicide watch. But we have that, so, if
10 you want, because suicide watch is so strict,
11 that he couldn't even have a pair of underwear.
12 He couldn't, you know, have a piece of mail.
13 Nothing. So, we didn't feel he needed that
14 strict of supervision, but we still wanted him
15 constantly observed, to see, and we could
16 always step him back up, if he engaged in any
17 behavior, because he would be constantly
18 watched.
19 All right. So, suicide
20 watch and psychological observation are
21 extremely similar.
22 Very similar. Except that we
23 can give a little more privilege. Like I said,
24 we could give him a book to read. Or we could
25 give him a pair of - start with the underwear.
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1 Or, you know, he could have toothpaste, and
2 give it back to brush his teeth. That type of
3 thing. It wasn't as strict.
4 : And at the MCC, when an
5 inmate potentially attempts to harm themselves,
6 how long are they typically on suicide watch
7 versus observation, before --
8 : Well, that --
9 : -- they (Indiscernible
10 *00:47:51)?
11 : -- depends on how the inmate
12 presents.
13 : Okay.
14 : I mean, I have had people on
15 suicide watch for long periods of time because
16 they can't verbalize any protective factors,
17 which would be reasons they have for wanting to
18 be alive at the time. Reasons they have to
19 live. Factors that we would look at to say,
20 hmm, there is more factors here that suggest he
21 wants to be alive, and that he has reasons to
22 be alive versus not. Versus risk factors.
23 So, at that time, he had verbalized enough
24 protective factors that Dr. felt
25 comfortable stepping him down to psychological
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1 observation. I don't have her SRA in front of
2 me, but if you read it, it would have his
3 reasons for wanting to be alive, his
4 presentation of not exhibiting any acute mental
5 health symptoms, not being depressed. So, she
6 stepped him down at that point.
7 : Okay. Now, do you know,
8 when they are on psychological observation, are
9 they allowed to have attorney visits?
10 : They usually consult with us
11 to see if we feel comfortable with that. And I
12 do allow it. A lot of times, as long as, you
13 know, there is a lieutenant present, or there
14 is an officer present there.
15 : Okay. And in this case,
16 do you know if Epstein was allowed attorney
17 visits while he was on observation?
18 : I don't remember.
19 : Okay.
20 : To be honest.
21 : So --
22 : I don't remember.
23 so, it's --
24 : It's very possible.
25 : -- okay. And do you know
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1 if the institution was contacted by anyone,
2 such as Epstein's attorneys, or the judge,
3 asking that he be taken off of suicide watch
4 and placed on observation because he wasn't
5 being afforded attorney visits, or for any
6 other reason?
7 : No. I don't recall that
8 happening.
9 : Okay. And on that same
10 note, do you recall either the judge, an
11 attorney, or anyone from the outside,
12 contacting the institution when he was taken
13 off of observation and placed back in the SHU?
14 : I don't recall speaking to
15 any attorney about that.
16 : No, not you speaking with
17 them. But I mean, them contacting - I'm
18 assuming they would contact the warden.
19 : That, I don't know about.
20 : And the warden never had
21 that, or anyone, any of the executive staff, or
22 anyone had any conversation with you or staff,
23 saying, this is what we are getting from the
24 outside, the judge contacted us, or the
25 attorney, you know, the attorneys -?
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1 : I don't know.
2 : No?
3 : Hmm-mm.
4 : So, that was - you don't
5 believe that was at all factored into the
6 taking off of suicide watch?
7 : Oh, no. It would never be
8 factored anyway.
9 : Okay.
10 : Yeah.
11 : So, regardless, if they
12 contacted you, that wouldn't be a factor?
13 : No. I mean, that wouldn't
14 They would never influence our decision.
15 : Okay.
16 : One way or another.
17 : Okay. Great.
18 : You mentioned before, when
19 somebody is taken off of suicide watch and
20 placed back in psychological, step down into
21 psychological observation, they are given back
22 one piece of item at a time.
23 : Well, no, sometimes it could
24 be more than one. It depends on the situation.
25 : Okay.
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1 : But what I am saying is, when
2 you were reading the paper --
3 : Yeah.
4 -- it sounded like we just
5 give them everything. We make those decisions.
6 We may step them one at a time, if it is more
7 significant. We may give them a book. And a
8 pair of underwear. I mean, we may give them -.
9 It is just whatever, it is at the discretion of
10 the psychologists that interview them, on what
11 they are going to allow the inmate to have.
12 : Do you know how it worked
13 with Mr. Epstein? Was he given one item at a
14 time back -? One or two items, or was he given
15 everything back?
16 : I don't remember. I don't
17 think he was given everything back, initially.
18 That's for sure. But -.
19 : Okay. I'm going to keep
20 going.
21 : Yeah.
22 : "At that time, was
23 not any clearer on which of her hypotheses
24 might have been true. Epstein could have been
25 using his charm to breed doubt about what
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1 happened. Psychology had not been contacted by
2 Epstein's attorneys with concerns regarding his
3 mental health. On July 25th, 2019,
4 met with Epstein, who was in good spirits. And
5 greeted her by saying, `Welcome back.' Dr.
6 confronted Epstein on the attempted
7 suicide incident, in an attempt to get answers.
8 Epstein said he was baffled over it, and told
9 to give him some ques to help him
10 remember. He continued with his requests and
11 complaints, and did not want to go back to the
12 SHU. Epstein told , `I have a life,
13 and want to go back to living my life.' Dr.
14 kept him on observation because her
15 questions had not been answered, regarding
16 their suicide attempt."
17 : Or the suicide attempt.
18 "Regarding the suicide
19 attempt."
20 : True.
21 : "After a conversation with
22 Dr. , the national suicide prevention
23 coordinator from central office, got
24 involved in Epstein's housing. Dr.
25 recommended housing Epstein with a sex offender
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1 in SHU, which passed on via email to
2 executive staff. On July -."
3 : Do you know which
4 executive staff you sent that to?
5 : No. I know I gave a bunch of
6 documentation, when I had my last interview.
7 There may have been an email. I don't remember
8 who --
9 : Sure.
10 : -- it was so.
11 : And did you concur with
12 his recommendation?
13 : Yeah.
14 : Great.
15 : "On July 26th, 2019, Dr.
16 met with Epstein. Epstein said he
17 needed to establish trust with
18 What did he mean by that?
19 : He kept saying this thing, if
20 you want -. It was this weird thing he said,
21 something. "If you want my trust, I have to
22 trust you." And that was trust that, if he
23 asked for certain things, that I would follow
24 through with those wants. You know, if I said
25 I was going to do something, I would follow
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1 through with it type of thing. I just remember
2 that.
3 : Basically, he wanted you to
4 provide something, so he can reciprocate?
5 : Right.
6 : Basically, if you wanted
7 answers from him, you had to provide him with
8
9 : No.
10 : -- is that what -?
11 : It wasn't like that. It was
12 just - again, I probably would have to refer to
13 my notes for that one - but it was just a weird
14 thing that he used to say. Like, if you want,
15 if we want to have, like, this trusting
16 relationship type of thing, then, you know, I
17 have to trust that you are going to follow
18 through with your stuff, and you -. And then,
19 you can trust me. I don't know. It was
20 strange. I don't really know what he meant by
21 that.
22 : Okay. "He continued with
23 complaints and jokes, making reference to Dr.
24 being Jewish, like him. It is against
25 Jewish religion to commit suicide." Is that
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1 something he mentioned, or is that a statement
2 from you?
3 : No. He joked about it one
4 time, in attorney conference. I didn't know
5 how he knew I was even Jewish, but he said
6 something to me, like, what's a nice Jewish
7 girl like you doing here? You know, working in
8 - or some comment like that.
9 : Okay.
10 : And --
11 : But it is against the Jewish
12 religion to commit suicide. But he didn't say
13 anything until that one time in attorney
14 conference.
15 : And you were in there, in
16 the attorney conference, with him?
17 : Well, because I went to go
18 check on him, remember, because I --
19 : Mm-hmm.
20 : I know he was never in his
21 cell.
22 : Okay.
23 : He was never available.
24 : And he stated that?
25 : Yeah. He made, like, in
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1 front of the attorney, like, a little, a little
2 joke.
3 : Okay.
4 : Like that.
5 : And just the way that it
6 reads in there, it doesn't say that he stated
7 it, or you stated it. It just says, "It is
8 against the Jewish religion to commit suicide."
9 So, just --
10 : Maybe --
11 : -- for context.
12 : -- that might have been in
13 one of our notes. I don't know if he mentioned
14 that. But --
15 : But he --
16 : I don't --
17 : -- but he
18 : I don't know where that
19 came from.
20 : -- but he said it to you
21 in the attorney conference? He was with you
22 : Yeah. He didn't --
23 : -- in the attorney
24 : -- say anything about it's
25 against the Jewish -. Oh, maybe he did. I
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1 don't remember. He may have. He may have, in
2 a joking way, said something like that to me.
3 I don't remember, to be honest.
4 : Okay.
5 : I would have to see --
6 : Okay.
7 : -- if that is one of my
8 notes. Or if it is something that was just in
9 passing at attorney conference. I just
10 remember that one incident. About the Jewish
11 thing. Like, what's a Jewish girl like you
12 doing here? Or something.
13 : Okay.
14 "Epstein said he did not like
15 pain, and didn't want to hurt himself. Epstein
16 had been interacting with the companions
17 assigned to him regularly. On July 27th, 2019,
18 Dr. met with Epstein, who was anxious
19 about going back to SHU, due to the fact he did
20 not know how he got the marks. Epstein did not
21 answer Dr. questions about that night.
22 She had begun working more therapeutically with
23 him, and provided him with handouts to cope
24 with housing. Lieutenant Doctor's
25 investigation into a possible assault regarding
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1 this incident still had not returned any
2 answers. Dr. kept Epstein on
3 psychological observation."
4 : Just real quick on that.
5 It just says, "He was anxious about going back
6 to the SHU due to the fact he did not know how
7 he got the marks." So, he had changed his
8 story of how he got the marks, at that point?
9 : He didn't change the story.
10 He just didn't say anymore it was Tartaglione.
11 He was then, I don't know how I got the marks.
12 So, he --
13 : So, he went --
14 : -- he kept changing his
15 story.
16 : -- all right. So, he
17 went from Tartaglione did it, to I don't know
18 how I did it?
19 : Right.
20 : Or how it happened?
21 : Right.
22 : And do you know why that
23 happened, or did you question him about that?
24 : Yeah, but he just kept being
25 vague, like he didn't know anything, or that,
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1 like, he blacked out, or he doesn't recall how
2 it happened.
3 : Was he questioned, like,
4 well, before you said that Tartaglione did it,
5 and now you are saying you don't recall.
6 : I don't know if Dr.
7 confronted him in that way, because we are not,
8 like, investigators.
9 : Sure. Sure.
10 : You know, so, we don't -.
11 Psychologists don't always think that way.
12 : Okay.
13 : So, I don't know, but I
14 think, likely, she probably mentioned that, and
15 then, he was, like, oh, well, I don't, I don't
16 know. He was very vague.
17 : Okay.
18 : In giving us the reason.
19 : Okay.
20 : That happened.
21 "On July 28th, 2019, Dr.
22 met with Epstein, who appeared the same.
23 His logbook showed no signs of suicidality, and
24 he was participating in his legal meetings.
25 There had been no contact from Epstein's legal
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1 team regarding any mental health concerns."
2 : Okay. So, there it says
3 that he actually was meeting with his legal
4 team.
5 : Okay.
6 : Okay.
7 : So, being that he was on
8 psych ops, that he wasn't acutely, eminently
9 suicidal, that he had been denied any current
10 thoughts of hurting himself, and over the past
11 several days, while on watch, he hadn't
12 displayed any self-harm behaviors. Or any odd
13 or unusual behaviors. Likely, we didn't have a
14 problem with him going there, as long as there
15 were staff up there --
16 : Okay.
17 to watch him.
18 : So, he would actually go
19 from observation to the attorney conference
20 rooms?
21 : And then, be escorted back.
22 Yes.
23 : Okay. So, it wasn't that
24 they were meeting him at the suicide --
25 : No.
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1 : -- watch area.
2 : We never do that.
3 : Okay.
4 : Yeah.
5 : Okay.
6 : Do you know if those are all-
7 day meetings? Like, he normally had, or was it
8 just short meetings?
9 : I don't know how long the
10 meetings were.
11 : Okay.
12 : Yeah. Because if you
13 don't know, he was meeting with the attorneys
14 from, like, 7:00 or 8:00 a.m., up until, like,
15 7:00 p.m., every day. At least outside of this
16
17 : Yes. I knew that. Because
18 that's --
19 : -- but you don't know if
20
21 : -- that's why I could never
22 see him, but I don't remember, while he was on
23 watch, how many hours a day. I think he was
24 probably there for a significant period of
25 time.
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1 : While he was on
2 observation?
3 : Yes.
4 : Okay.
5 : But then, he would be
6 returned to psych ops while someone would sit
7 on him.
8 : But is that normal, though?
9 I mean, someone who is on psych ops be - you
10 mentioned that somebody who was in psych
11 observation should be monitored constantly.
12 Right? There's someone monitoring --
13 : Yeah.
14 : -- them?
15 : But he was right in front of
16 the officer that worked at attorney conference.
17 He was right there. And right by the
18 lieutenant's office. So, they could be
19 observing him the whole time.
20 : Okay. So, someone
21 : Right.
22 : -- is sitting there, watching
23 him --
24 : Yeah.
25 -- at all times?
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1 : Yeah. There was somebody
2 there. Like, the way our attorney. I don't
3 know. Have you been to our attorney conference
4 room?
5 : Mm-hmm.
6 : Do you know where the officer
7 sits there, there is an attorney conference
8 room right next to him, that has windows.
9 That's where Epstein was every day.
10 : So, you could see in?
11 : Full. Yeah. You could see
12 his, like, white - you come off the elevator -
13 you saw his white hair. Like, he was right
14 there.
15 : Okay.
16 : Like, he could be seen by the
17 attorney conference officer. At all times.
18 And he was with his attorneys. So, I mean, if
19 God forbid, he started banging his head for one
20 second, the officer was right outside his
21 window.
22 : Okay.
23 : Yeah. So, we felt, you know,
24 it was okay, and again, he wasn't on suicide
25 watch. We didn't think he was eminently
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1 suicidal. But precautionary, we had him on
2 psych ops, because we - the vagueness of his
3 responses.
4 : Okay.
5 : And not feeling completely
6 comfortable putting him in GP, until we
7 observed him over a period of time. So, that
8 is why.
9 : Okay.
10 : Because he wasn't on suicide
11 watch anymore. So.
12 : Anything else on that?
13 : No. I guess just on that
14 note, if he is meeting his, with his attorneys,
15 while he was on observation, are his
16 psychological needs being met?
17 : Well, that's why we had to go
18 up there, and talk to him.
19 : Right, right, right.
20 : So, we would go up there and
21 interview him.
22 : And around how long would
23 those interviews take?
24 : I guess five to ten minutes.
25 : Okay.
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1 : Just to check in. But a lot
2 of times, on suicide watch, they were, too.
3 mean, we would review the suicide watch book
4 throughout the night, because we are not there
5 24 hours.
6 : Mm-hmm.
7 : So, we would look at his book
8 from before his visit, through the night. And
9 then, we would see him daily.
10 : Mm-hmm.
11 : We would see him And
12 maybe, some of the times we saw him before he
13 saw his attorneys.
14 : Sure.
15 : See, I don't, I don't know if
16 -. I know --
17 : So, as far as --
18 : I personally went up there
19 once or twice.
20 : -- but what --
21 : I don't know if Dr.
22 maybe went there once or twice, because when
23 she went back there to see him, he was with his
24 attorney.
25 : Now, would that be any
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1 different than if he were not seeing his
2 attorneys? Was that the same amount of time
3 that psychology would see him, if he was with
4 his attorneys, or staying in the cell where he
5 was being observed?
6 : Yeah. We usually, like, 15
7 minutes. I mean, it's not a therapy session.
8 : Sure.
9 : We're just, you know, doing a
10 mental status, seeing how they are doing. Are
11 you eating or sleeping? Are you having
12 thoughts of hurting yourself? We read the
13 book.
14 : Mm-hmm.
15 : In its entirety, for the past
16 24 hours, to see, did he voice anything to the
17 companions that he wanted to hurt himself. Did
18 he take his meals? Did he eat his meals? Did
19 he shower? Is he, you know, is he displaying
20 any behaviors that are consistent with
21 depression? So, we look at all of that. Ana
22 then, we interview him. We do the mental
23 status. We ask him how he's doing. And so,
24 that would be pretty consistent. It might have
25 been a little shorter on occasion, if he was up
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1 there with his attorneys, because his attorneys
2 were there. So, it wouldn't really be
3 confidential. But we do --
4 : Oh, so, when you were
5 conversing with him, it would be in front of
6 his attorneys?
7 : -- yeah.
8 : Okay.
9 : Is that normal?
10 : Yeah. Well, because he was
11 in there with his - he has a right to his legal
12 meetings - so, he was with his attorneys. It
13 wasn't every time. I mean, there might have
14 been one or two occasions where we had to see
15 him up there, because he was in the meeting
16 with the attorneys. So, yeah. We talked to him
17 in front of his attorney to make sure he was
18 okay.
19 : Now, when you say he has
20 a right to his attorneys, if he was on suicide
21 watch, would he have the right to his
22 attorneys?
23 : Normally, I really do try to
24 get them to meet with their attorney. I mean,
25 that's only if they are actively, like,
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1 cutting, or --
2 : Yeah.
3 : -- wanting to hurt
4 themselves, then I would have a lieutenant up
5 there.
6 : Sure.
7 : Like, I always try to give
8 people the right to be with their attorneys
9 because that could make them even more
10 depressed.
11 : Sure.
12 : If you deprive them of being
13 able to work on their legal case.
14 : Okay.
15 : All right. "On July 29th,
16 visited Epstein. Epstein expressed
17 that he would like to stay in psychological
18 observation because it is safe. Epstein had
19 been requesting his CPAP machine, so that he
20 could get a good night's sleep. Due to the
21 machine having a cord, this could not be
22 accommodated in psychological observation.
23 Epstein was given a chance to stay in
24 psychological observation -".
25 : A choice. Not a chance.
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1 : Sorry.
2 : Epstein was given
3 : "Epstein was given a choice
4 to stay in psychological observation one more
5 night without it, or go to the SHU with it. He
6 chose to stay in psychological observation one
7 more night. consulted with the
8 executive staff, prior to this decision."
9 : Yeah.
10 "On July 30th, 2019, Dr.
11 transitioned Epstein back to the SHU.
12 Dr. sent an email, updating the
13 appropriate staff for Epstein's transition off
14 psychological observation, and the need for him
15 to be housed with a cellmate."
16 : Okay.
17 : Bear with us.
18 : So, that contact was at his
19 cell. It wasn't with the attorney. If there
20 was, like I said, a couple of contacts that
21 were in attorney conference, they were field
22 most of them were at his cell, we caught him
23 before he went up to his legal visits. That
24 last visit was in person. I remember that
25 visit.
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1 : Okay.
2 : With the CPAP.
3 : Now, do you recall, when Dr.
4 transitioned Epstein back to the SHU, was
5 that solely the decision of psychology, or was
6 there any recommendation from executive
7 management? Like, the warden, the associate
8 warden, or somebody from the outside, as Agent
9 asked before.
10 : No. That was our decision.
11 After him being between suicide watch and psych
12 ops for almost a full week. It was our
13 decision that he was not eminently suicidal,
14 and could be transitioned.
15 : Okay.
16 : And just to, I mean,
17 Epstein expressed that he would like to stay in
18 psychological observation because it was safe.
19 So, he actually preferred psychological
20 observation over the SHU?
21 : Because he wasn't being able
22 to be housed where he wanted to be housed. He
23 didn't want to go to Special Housing. Like I
24 said, he wanted to be housed in the Cadre unit.
25 He wanted to dictate his housing arrangements.
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1 When they weren't what he wanted them to be,
2 and I guess maybe he heard rumors, or whatever,
3 that the SHU was, like, a bad place, or a scary
4 place, he didn't want to go back there.
5 But a lot of inmates don't want to go to
6 SHU, and that is why, earlier, when you said a
7 lot of people fake mental illness, or fake
8 suicidality, so that they can come down to our
9 suicide watch area, and just interact with the
10 companions, and hope that maybe someone will
11 slip them something they couldn't have while
12 they were in the SHU. Or just to get a timeout
13 because it could be loud up there, because
14 inmates will scream outside their cells,
15 because I don't know if you are familiar with
16 an AD-SEG (Phonetic Sp. *01:06:16) unit, or a
17 Special Housing Unit, where inmates are in a
18 cell, with a cellmate, like, 23 out of 24 hours
19 a day. So, it gets loud and rowdy.
20 So, a lot of times, people try to come
21 down. It's, like, almost, like, the Marriott,
22 you know, to come to our suicide watch area,
23 where it is peaceful and quiet, and they don't
24 have to hear things, or if they are having
25 problems with officers up there. So, it's not
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1 uncommon for any inmate to try to avoid going
2 to the Special Housing Unit.
3 : Okay.
4 : You know, it's not an
5 uncommon occurrence.
6 : Yeah. And I'm assuming -
7
8 : I never have any --
9 : -- (Indiscernible
10 *01:06:50).
11 -- inmates say I want to go
12 back to the, you know, the SHU.
13 : From observation?
14 : No.
15 : So, it's bet --
16 : Very rarely.
17 : -- yeah.
18 : Unless they are so sick of it
19 because they have been deprived for so long
20 down there, that they feel that their wants and
21 needs will be met, or better suited up in the
22 SHU, then they will be, like, okay, I'll go
23 back, I'll go back.
24 : Okay. But --
25 : Yeah.
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1 : -- in observation, he was
2 housed by himself. Correct?
3 : Yes.
4 : And he wanted to be
5 housed by himself. Correct?
6 : Not necessarily. Because he
7 wanted to go to the Cadre Unit, which is a
8 dorm-style unit.
9 : Okay.
10 : With all the other, with tons
11 of other inmates.
12 : All right. Yeah.
13 : He just, there were certain
14 places he didn't want to go.
15 : SHU. So, he just
16 : Yeah.
17 : -- rather be in
18 observation than the SHU.
19 : Right. I mean, this is a guy
20 that has never jailed before.
21 : Sure.
22 : He's in, you know, his late
23 sixties. He's probably afraid, like anybody
24 would be.
25 : So, he preferred the
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1 general housing unit over the SHU, though?
2 : Yes.
3 : Okay.
4 : Particularly, the dorm-style
5 Cadre Unit.
6 : Yeah. Maybe I'm not -.
7 Is that different than the general housing
8 unit?
9 : Yeah.
10 : Okay.
11 : Because in the regular
12 housing units, you are celled with a cellmate
13
14 : Mm-hmm.
15 : -- at night. Whereas in the
16 Cadre Unit, there are tiers of dorms. So, it
17 is a bunch of bunkbeds. And so --
18 : Oh, it's per --
19 : -- it's more open.
20 : -- it's per tier, would it
21 be?
22 : I'm not sure per tier. I
23 know there is about - it can house, like, 100,
24 120 inmates. The dorms.
25 : With no, like, doors, or
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1 not separated?
2 : No. There is just a tier.
3 There is a -. No.
4 : So, he -. So, we had
5 always heard, up until this time, that he
6 wanted to be housed alone. What you are saying
7 is he wanted to be actually housed with more
8 people?
9 : Well, that is where -. Well,
10 he wanted to be housed there, where Manafort
11 and other people had been housed, where Cadre
12 inmates were housed. Maybe because the Cadres
13 were, he felt they were less dangerous.
14 : Okay.
15 : I don't know. I know when he
16 came in, he didn't like being on the unit.
17 That was for sure.
18 : And is the Cadre
19 : You know?
20 : -- Unit the low --
21 : Yeah.
22 : -- security level --
23 : -- yeah.
24 : -- inmates?
25 : Yeah. Because those are the
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1 ones that have been sentenced, to lower
2 sentences.
3 : Okay. So, he wanted to
4 be where the lower sentence inmates were.
5 : Yeah.
6 : Okay.
7 : That was the only place,
8 think, he was wiling to go. In our
9 conversations.
10 : Okay.
11 : Was Paul Manafort still
12 there, at that point?
13 : I don't know if he had
14 recently left. He thought he was still there
15 because he was only there briefly.
16 : So, he's not asking So,
17 he, as if he knows Paul Manafort, and he wants
18 to go be housed with Paul Manafort. He just
19 wants to be -. He just wanted to be in the
20 same area as Paul Manafort was housed.
21 : Right.
22 : Okay.
23 : And there was somebody else.
24 I can't remember who he said. There was
25 somebody else, more high-profile, that was
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1 there, and he said he wanted to be where that
2 person was.
3 : Okay.
4 : Maybe he felt it was safer
5 because they were surviving there, or whatever.
6 I don't know what his thought process was, but
7 that's how, that's -. I think it's -. I mean,
8 it was part of his personality. I mean, he
9 wants to be associated with higher-level
10 people, and these were, that was a higher-level
11 inmate. You know, so, he would feel
12 comfortable being amongst those type of people.
13 : Okay.
14 : Does that make sense?
15 : Yes.
16 : Yeah. Okay.
17 : I'm going to keep going.
18 : Yes.
19 discussed the
20 importance of SHU inmates having a cellmate for
21 the following reasons: it decreases isolation;
22 it decreases privacy; provides a distraction;
23 provides a rescue opportunity."
24 : Yes.
25 "At risk settings for
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1 inmates, including housing, single cells, and
2 private spaces. SHU employees receive training
3 on suicide prevention quarterly. All employees
4 receive suicide prevention training once a
5 year. provided slides from MCC's
6 suicide prevention training to the interviewing
7 agents, reference that, referred to as
8 references any denying, attached to his report.
9 She stated all lieutenants should be aware of
10 the cellmate policy. Both due to the training
11 regularly provided, and psychological services
12 constantly reminding them of the procedure, and
13 needs of specific inmates. noted,
14 after Epstein's death, his old cellmate's label
15 was still on his door. That is one of the
16 things that the psych department looks for, in
17 their daily rounds in the SHU, that there are
18 two bodies in each cell." Now, that label on
19 the door, if an inmate is removed, should that
20 label have been removed, too?
21 : Yes.
22 : How soon?
23 : It should have been done
24 immediately, especially since he was housed
25 with Epstein.
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1 : Why should it have been
2 removed immediately?
3 : Because then his cellmate was
4 bailed out, and wasn't coming back.
5 : By removing it, would that
6 also give SHU officers, inform the SHU officers
7 that there is only one inmate in that cell?
8 : That would have helped. Yes.
9 Most definitely. It wouldn't have been the
10 only way they should know, but it definitely
11 would have helped the situation.
12 : Are we talking about
13 August 9th right now?
14 : I don't know.
15 : Yeah. Because it says, "Dr.
16 noted that after Epstein's death, his
17 old cellmate's label was still on his door."
18 : Okay. So, who would have
19 been, on August 9th, the one who would have
20 done the rounds in the SHU?
21 : The psychologist?
22 : I guess, it sounds like -
23
24 : Well, psychology, psychology
25 rounds is weekly. We do weekly rounds. And
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1 monthly SHU reviews, which are more intense
2 rounds. So, we didn't see Epstein every single
3 day.
4 : Yeah. Okay.
5 : That, we didn't do. We don't
6 do daily rounds. We do weekly rounds.
7 Sometimes, we are up there, we are up there
8 almost every day, especially when we were, our
9 SHU was full, because there is always inmates
10 that have concerns or needs. So, if we are up
11 there, and an inmate has a concern, we go to
12 that tier and see those inmates.
13 : Just those --
14 : But as far as going cell to
15 cell, we do that weekly.
16 okay. Because this,
17 yeah, this last sentence said, "This is one of
18 the things the psych department looks for in
19 their daily rounds in the SHU --
20 : In our rounds --
21 : -- that there are two
22 bodies in each cell."
23 : In our rounds. Like, if we
24 are doing our weekly rounds, and we notice that
25
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1 : Okay.
2 -- someone doesn't have a
3 cellmate, especially if we know that person is
4 a care two and above, we are going to say
5 something. Like, why is this inmate housed by
6 themselves?
7 : So, when they said daily
8 rounds, you are not doing that every day.
9 : Hmm-mm.
10 : They meant your weekly
11 rounds.
12 : Yeah.
13 : And do you know what day
14 of the week that was done back then?
15 : I don't.
16 : No?
17 : I do not know the -. I would
18 have to look at the SHU logs.
19 : Okay. And do you know if
20 it was done on that Friday, on August 9th, the
21 day before?
22 : No. But I do know, on August
23 8th, before I left for vacation, I personally
24 went up there, just to check on him, and he had
25 a cellmate at that time.
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1 : Right. Okay.
2 : Anything else?
3 : Nope.
4 was aware that
5 Dr. attended the close out
6 meeting that week, and discussed Epstein's
7 desire to have a single cell, but his need for
8 a cellmate. was unaware regular
9 rounds by the correctional officers were not
10 being completed. She is considered executive
11 staff, so officers would not tell her they were
12 not being completed, and inmates wouldn't tell
13 her because of fear of retaliation by the
14 guards.
15 noted Lieutenant is very
16 regimented, and regularly does what she asks.
17 was not aware that Epstein signed a
18 new will on August 8th. Had she known, it
19 would have been considered a red flag, and
20 Epstein would have been placed on psychological
21 observation. The attorneys did not tell anyone
22 from psychological services that it had
23 occurred." So, we had a couple of questions.
24 How did you learn that he had signed a will?
25 : The newspaper.
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1 : In the paper?
2 : Yes.
3 : That's not something that you
4 learned firsthand, from the attorneys, or by
5 being --
6 : No.
7 : -- okay.
8 : Do you know if he
9 actually, in fact, signed a new will on the
10 8th?
11 : No. Hearsay.
12 : Okay. Did you bring that
13 up during the interview, or did the agents ask
14 you about it?
15 : That, I don't remember.
16 : Okay.
17 : How it came up. They may
18 have asked me a question, if I knew about it.
19 : Okay.
20 : And I may have said, probably
21 said no. I didn't know about it directly from
22 them. I knew about it from reading it in the
23 paper.
24 : Okay.
25 : But one thing I did say,
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1 after reading the paper, gee, that would have
2 been helpful information. Because had I known
3 that, I would have said, that is a red flag,
4 and let's put him back on, and just watch him
5 for a few more days, and see if we can get more
6 information from him. About why he would do
7 that, or what was going on.
8 : Should have the attorneys
9 notified you?
10 : Well, the attorneys have
11 their own ethical, you know, confidentiality
12 issues.
13 : Mm-hmm.
14 : So, you know, a lot of times,
15 attorneys call us all the time if they are
16 concerned about their patients. I mean, I get,
17 I used to get, like, several a week, where
18 attorneys would call in and say, you know, I'm
19 worried, I talked to my client on the phone. I
20 don't like how he sounded. Can psychology
21 check on that inmate? And I was, like, why
22 didn't they do that this time? Because they
23 always do that. And we do. We go immediately.
24 So, if that was true, I wish someone would have
25 called us, but they didn't.
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1 : All right. Thank you Did
2 you have the key to the restroom? I think that
3 that person needed it.
4 : Oh.
5 : Is this the only one we
6 have?
7 : Yes.
8 : But, you know, again, like,
9 attorneys have their own ethical -. Like, they
10 can't -. I don't know what their ethical
11 standards are, but I guess, if he didn't say he
12 was going to kill himself, and he's just
13 signing a will, they don't -. I don't think
14 they have to tell, call us. It would be a
15 choice if they had a concern, that he was going
16 to hurt himself.
17 : Okay.
18 : But -.
19 : Well, before -.
20 : Yeah. Yeah.
21 : Did he ever bring up changing
22 his will in any of his your meetings, or the
23 psychological meeting
24 : No.
25 : -- psychological meetings
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1 with him?
2 : No.
3 : That was the first time you
4 guys had, you ever heard that would be from --
5 : Right.
6 -- (Indiscernible *01:16:30).
7 : After the fact. I read that,
8 and I was, like -.
9 : And now, why would it be a
10 red flag?
11 : Because he is in jail. He is
12 not happy being in jail. He is facing a lot of
13 time. He's high risk. And he is signing a
14 will. You know, I definitely would have
15 interviewed him. I can't say 100 percent he
16 would be put on psych ops, but if he didn't
17 give me the answers that I was looking for, he
18 would have been put on some form of
19 observation, until we could get the answers
20 that we were looking for.
21 mentioned that
22 was the first day ever, she ever heard about
23 the will being changed. There was no
24 discussion with Epstein before
25 : No.
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1 : -- about the will."
2 : Epstein never shared that
3 with me. It was something that I read after
4 the fact.
5 : Mm-hmm.
6 : And again, I don't know if
7 it's true or not true.
8 : Sure.
9 : "On August 8th, 2019, Dr.
10 attended the SHU meeting. She couldn't
11 recall all who was there, but it included unit
12 team members, executive staff, and attorneys
13 for MCC. Nothing significant was discussed
14 about Epstein at the meeting. She conducted
15 SHU rounds, to see Epstein." Is this what you
16 mentioned before, that before you went on
17 vacation?
18 : Mm-hmm.
19 : Okay. "He had a cellmate at
20 the time, and Epstein had the lower bunk. He
21 didn't have any visible problems, appeared in
22 good spirits, and reported getting along with
23 his cellmate. He had received his pack number,
24 which allows him to make phone calls, and he
25 had asked for his books from psychological
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1 observation." When he received his pack
2 number, do you know if it was active, and was
3 he able to make phone calls with it?
4 : That, I don't know. That,
5 only unit team would know.
6 : Do you know around what
7 time the SHU meeting would have been held?
8 : Thursdays. Thursdays, at
9 that time, they say that my meetings have
10 changed with different --
11 : Sure.
12 every warden changes it.
13 : And what time --
14 I believe they --
15 : -- did you work?
16 were in the morning.
17 Like, around 9:00.
18 : Okay.
19 : Like, 9:00.
20 : So, if around, like,
21 3:00, 3:30, the Marshals sent an email saying
22 that his cellmate was going to be transferred,
23 that wouldn't have been discussed at that SHU
24 meeting?
25 : Hmm-mm.
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1 : And did you know anything
2 about any emails --
3 : No.
4 : -- regarding -?
5 : And I didn't know the inmate
6 was The inmate -. I didn't know that he
7 went to court that day, or anything. I was not
8 even in town.
9 : Right. I'm saying the
10 day before --
11 : Yeah.
12 : -- on August 8th, there
13 was emails that were sent from the U.S. Marshal
14 Service, saying that his celimate Reyes was
15 going to be transferred to another institution.
16 I was just wondering if that was at all
17 discussed --
18 : No. Not that I --
19 : -- that wasn't discussed.
20 : -- and I, likely, I don't
21 know. Yeah. I was -. Huh. I don't remember
22 hearing that at all.
23 : Okay.
24 : Because that would have been
25
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1 : Even after the fact?
2 : -- that would been something
3 that, you know, the lightbulb kind of would
4 have went on.
5 : Sure.
6 : I was pretty shocked to find
7 out that he didn't have a cellmate.
8 : Right.
9 : After he killed himself.
10 That was the first question I asked. When I
11 was away, and I was went to and the
12 times difference was off, and my flight was
13 delayed. I had slept for, like, two hours. it
14 was very strange. I went into the restroom,
15 you know how you bring your phone? I know,
16 TMI. I pressed my phone, and all these alerts
17 came on, and everyone was texting me, and then,
18 I saw that he had hung himself, and I was just,
19 like, how could that happen? And the first
20 thing, when I called my associate warden, the
21 first thing I asked is, did he have a cellmate?
22 Because that was the first thing that came in
23 my mind. And she was, like, no.
24 : What -? So --
25 : So -.
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1 : -- who was this?
2 : I called
3 : And what did she say
4 about that?
5 : You know, she just said no.
6 And then, I was just, like, I started, like,
7 crying, because I was, like, why? Like -.
8 : And did she respond to
9 where his cellmate was?
10 : She didn't. She was, like, I
11 don't know, . You know, this was all
12 just that morning.
13 : Right.
14 : I mean, she was probably, you
15 know, very upset, too. And that was it. I
16 mean, later on, I found out what happened,
17 which was that his cellmate went to court. He
18 was --
19 : And so --
20 : -- bonded out, and that they
21 didn't replace the cellmate with him.
22 • -- so, that is not
23 accurate information. So, who told you that he
24 went to court and bonded out?
25 : That was later on. I don't
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1 remember the person who told me that.
2 : But someone told you he
3 actually went to court, and not transferred to
4 a different institution?
5 : That's what I had heard.
6 : Okay.
7 : That he had gone to court,
8 and then he was That might not be accurate,
9 though. He was bailed out, or he wasn't,
10 didn't come back.
11 : Okay.
12 : That's what I had heard.
13 : Sure. But you don't
14 remember where you heard that from?
15 : Hmm-mm.
16 : Okay.
17 : Well, just to clarify, I
18 think you mentioned it already. There was an
19 email that came up the day before, from the
20 Marshals, on August 8th, in the afternoon, that
21 stated that he was being transferred -
22 was being transferred - to another facility.
23 He wasn't going to court. So, that morning, he
24 would, he wasn't going to court. He was
25 actually transferred out to another facility.
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1 : Okay. Okay. So --
2 : Now, if an email like that
3 came out, whose responsibility would it have
4 been to make those notifications up, hey,
5 listen, is now gone?
6 : I mean, everybody reviews
7 that. I mean, the captain's review that log.
8 The warden. The executive staff. I mean, I
9 guess they would all see that.
10 : Would psychology have the
11 court production list?
12 : I don't always review the
13 court production list. No.
14 : Yeah. No. You weren't
15 even there.
16 : No. Yeah.
17 : I'm just saying --
18 : No.
19 : -- like, on, like, on the
20 9th, I guess there would have been a court
21 production list that would have said
22 WAB, With All Belongings.
23 : Right. I mean, I don't have
24 access to that. Some of my staff have that
25 correctional services box.
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1 : Mm-hmm.
2 : And they do review it,
3 sometimes. But I'm not so sure we reviewed it,
4 anybody in my department.
5 : Yeah. And again, I know
6 you weren't even --
7 : Yeah.
8 : -- there, but so, should
9 have someone reviewed that?
10 : That's not something that we
11 did on a regular basis.
12 : Okay.
13 : You know, we - custodial wise
14 - we don't manage hands-on like that.
15 : Mm-hmm.
16 : As much. Like, we're not
17 looking all the time. I think now, since this
18 event happened, we might become more involved
19 with that. And review those things. Like,
20 when I get the Marshal's list, I was, I look to
21 make sure they don't have any histories of
22 things, or there is a no Marshal's notices.
23 : Mm-hmm.
24 : More so than ever now,
25 because, you know, we are hyper alert.
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1 : Sure.
2 : But as psychologists, that is
3 not something that is our job to review, and
4 then compare it to the SHU list, and make sure
5 everybody --
6 : Absolutely.
7 : -- is cell, you know, that is
8 not something we do.
9 : So, when was listed
10 as WAB, and was removed from the institution on
11 the count numbers and everything - -
12 : Mm-hmm.
13 : -- should someone have
14 notified psychology? Now, this isn't Epstein.
15 : Right.
16 : This is his cellmate.
17 : Right.
18
19 : I don't know so much as
20 notified us, but at least made - or I would
21 think - someone would make arrangements to say,
22 well, this guy is coming out, we've got to get
23 someone in with Epstein. There would be no
24 need to call psychology. Unless Epstein was
25 demonstrating any psychological issues, because
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1 we were --
2 : Okay.
3 -- following him as needed,
4 and during our weekly rounds, anyway. So, if
5 he displayed, if he didn't display any mental
6 health problems, they probably wouldn't just
7 call us.
8 : So, were there any
9 problems, as you see them, that no one notified
10 anyone in your department that was gone?
11 : Well, the only problem is, if
12 they had planned on housing Epstein alone, and
13 not replacing then we should have been
14 consulted, and spoken to about, do we think
15 that is a good idea?
16 : Right.
17 : So, that is
18 : But -.
19 : -- but that whole - not
20 : But that was never
21 changed --
22 : -- not likely --
23 : -- so, he was supposed to
24 be housed with another cellmate --
25 : Yes.
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1 : -- so, the fact that his
2 cellmate was gone, and he is supposed to be
3 housed with a cellmate, should have they -?
4 Should someone have contacted psychology to let
5 you know this cellmate is gone, we need to get
6 another cellmate in there? Is that something
7 that you should be a part of, or is that
8 something that was just custody?
9 : That is mainly custody.
10 : Okay.
11 : That is mainly custody. Now,
12 things are a little different. I mean, again,
13 things are put into place. That may not have
14 been in place before. Things we may not have
15 been as involved with.
16 : Mm-hmm.
17 : We have become more involved
18 with. Because of lessons learned. So, now,
19 when they house anybody alone, they let us
20 know, do you recommend this? Like I was
21 telling you, there is a sheet. Do you
22 recommend this? And we always say no.
23 : Mm-hmm.
24 : I tell my staff, never
25 recommend a single cell. Like, if we think
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1 someone is going to be single celled, we are
2 notified. Oh, this person is going to be -.
3 , come sign this, this form. But
4 before, we didn't do that. Okay, when Epstein
5 was there, we did not do that.
6 : Okay.
7 : If they had a plan to put him
8 by himself, we would have been notified. The
9 fact his cellmate was leaving, we wouldn't have
10 been notified, unless the intention was not to
11 replace him with somebody else. Because the
12 intention was always to keep him in the SHU
13 with a cellmate.
14 : Now --
15 : I think custody's intention
16 were, too.
17 : -- as far as people
18 : It should have been.
19 : -- that worked in the SHU
20 staff --
21 : Mm-hmm.
22 : -- or, for instance,
23 anybody in custody, do you think there is ever
24 an excuse, especially in this specific instance
25 with Epstein, that for people to say, we didn't
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1 know he was supposed to have a cellmate. Is
2 that - do you believe that that is an excuse?
3 Or a reason, I should say. Not an excuse. And
4 this is not, I'm not talking about psychology
5 now.
6 : Right.
7 : What I'm talking about is
8 custody or -.
9 : No. I know what you are
10 saying. I mean, it comes from management and
11 it goes down.
12 : Mm-hmm.
13 : You see what I'm saying? So,
14 as far as I knew, the lieutenant up there, as
15 far as what he had shared with me, is that he
16 let the officers know. And that there was a
17 sign up there, from what I understand, on their
18 desk, that said he had to have a cellmate.
19 Okay?
20 : Now, did you ever see a
21 sign?
22 : I did not see that sign,
23 because I don't go behind that desk.
24 : Sure.
25 : When I go. So --
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1 : Because we knew that
2 there was a sign stating that they had to do
3 rounds on Epstein. It was a big orange sign.
4 But --
5 : Okay.
6 : -- we have never come
7 across signs saying that he had to have a
8 cellmate. Aside from the very first day --
9 : Right.
10 : I think --
11 : Right.
12 : -- that he was actually
13 housed with Reyes.
14 : Right. But I mean, that is
15 something that is monitored by the SHU
16 lieutenant, and the operations lieutenant.
17 They were aware because the captain was aware,
18 and sits in executive staff.
19 : Sure.
20 : And the captain is under the
21 warden, and the warden would have wanted him to
22 have a cellmate.
23 : Right.
24 : A 100 percent.
25 : Absolutely.
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1 : And supported our
2 recommendation for him to have a cellmate. So,
3 where the ball was dropped, I'm not 100 percent
4 sure. But I know executive staff were aware,
5 and I know that was a strong recommendation on
6 our part. Whether the officer's, whether it
7 went down the chain, that, I will not know
8 because I am not in custody.
9 : Mm-hmm.
10 : How --
11 : But didn't you say --
12 how they advised them, you
13 know, the morning of their shift, this is what
14 you need to do. I don't know.
15 : Isn't it something,
16 though, that you guys discuss, or psychology
17 discusses during training, saying that, hey --
18 : Well, yeah.
19 : -- inmates that are at
20 risk for suicide need to have, if they are
21 coming off --
22 : Oh, absolutely.
23 : -- suicide observation.
24 So, that is where I mean --
25 : That is where --
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1 : -- by, like --
2 : -- like, the yearly training.
3 I mean, you would think, you know, with the
4 yearly training, with the annual training, with
5 the SHU, there is also a SHU training, a
6 quarterly training that I teach suicide
7 prevention. So, I teach suicide prevention
8 quarterly, to SHU staff. Where I have a slide
9 show that talks about the cellmate, and the
10 need for the cellmate. So --
11 : What about during their
12 annual refresher training? Is it also
13 discussed?
14 : Yeah. Also. Yes. So --
15 : So -.
16 : -- it's quarterly and annual.
17 : And you say that same
18 thing during the annual training?
19 : Yes.
20 : Okay. So, not only are
21 the SHU staff getting it in their quarterly
22 training, but every staff is getting it in the
23 annual training.
24 : Yes.
25 : Okay.
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1 : Everybody.
2 : So, that is what I mean
3 by, is there ever an excuse, saying that we
4 didn't think he needed one? If they receive
5 this training, shouldn't have they known
6 : Right. And also, I don't
7 know, I mean, he was a high-profile inmate.
8 think everybody was aware of that.
9 : Okay.
10 : So
11 : So, do you --
12 if he didn't have a
13 cellmate, they would know, even if they thought
14 he wasn't supposed to, they would know that he,
15 they should be rounding every half an hour, and
16 checking on, particularly a high-profile
17 inmate.
18 : Now, does --
19 : Mm-hmm.
20 : -- every single staff
21 member of MCC, regardless if custody or not, do
22 they take that annual refresher training?
23 : Yes.
24 : So, R&D --
25 : They are required.
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1 : -- you know --
2 : Yes.
3 : Okay.
4 : They are required.
5 : Okay. Perfect.
6 : Okay. never
7 suggested a cell room with a camera for
8 Epstein, because she wanted him to have a
9 celimate."
10 : I don't make those decisions,
11 as far as who goes on Ten South. Ten South is
12 a high security unit where we house many of the
13 SAMs inmates. I don't know if you are familiar
14 with the SAMs, but they are in Special
15 Administrative Measures. On occasion, we have
16 had high profile inmates, but that is at the
17 discretion of the warden. Not psychology.
18 Whether he wants to house a high-profile inmate
19 up there. We had Bernard Mayta (Phonetic Sp.
20 *01:30:19) up there. We had El Chapo (Phonetic
21 Sp. *01:30:20) up there. We had the Russian
22 arms dealer up there for a while. So, we have
23 had people there. But the warden - and I don't
24 know why, because I was not in those meetings -
25 decided that he was not going to place him in
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1 Ten South. So, if you are not going to be in
2 Ten South, you are going to have a cellmate.
3 You know, as far as I am concerned. But I did
4 not -. I was not -. It was not up to me
5 whether he be placed on Ten South and a camera.
6 : Was that ever --
7 : My recommendations were not
8 sought.
9 : -- yeah. I was going to
10 say, was it ever --
11 : No.
12 : -- even discussed with
13 you?
14 : No.
15 : Okay.
16 : It was told. It wasn't
17 discussed.
18 : What was told? I'm
19 sorry.
20 : That he was not going on Ten
21 South.
22 : But that's what I mean.
23 Did Ten South even come up in discussion?
24 : Just that he wasn't going to
25 be housed there.
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1 : Okay.
2 : That the warden had decided.
3 I was informed by legal. And I said, oh --
4 : And when were you
5 informed that?
6 : Earlier --
7 : Was that before?
8 : -- earlier in his
9 incarceration.
10 : Okay. So, while he was
11 alive?
12 : Yes.
13 : Okay. So, at the end --
14 : Yeah. Earlier in his
15 incarceration, I received a phone call that he
16 wasn't going to be housed in Ten South, that it
17 was decided, by the warden, that he wasn't
18 going to put him up there. So, when I was
19 being told that, knowing if he was going to be
20 on Nine South, then I would say certainly
21 suggest a cellmate. But I would have had no
22 problem him being on a camera in Ten South.
23 : Would you have a
24 preference? From Ten South or Nine South?
25 : If I was asked, I would have
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1 preferred, I would have said Ten South because
2 I had been there for so long, and had seen so
3 many high-profile inmates up there, and being
4 on a camera 24/7.
5 : So, you said psychology
6 always recommends a celimate, but in this
7 instance, you would actually recommend him
8 being housed alone with a camera on him?
9 : I think having a celimate is
10 a good thing, but when somebody is this high-
11 profile on other levels, in retrospect, it
12 would have probably been not a bad idea.
13 : So, in retrospect, and
14 obviously, we can all Monday morning --
15 : Yes.
16 : -- quarterback.
17 : Yes.
18 : And unfortunately --
19 : Yes.
20 : -- that is what we are
21 doing.
22 : Yes.
23 : But, like --
24 : Yes.
25 : -- at the time, do you
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1 believe that you would have thought that Ten
2 South would have been more appropriate over
3 Nine South?
4 : I don't really want to say
5 because --
6 : Sure.
7 : I don't make those
8 decisions.
9 : No.
10 : I mean --
11 : But you weren't
12 consulted? They
13 : I wasn't consulted.
14 : -- no one told you.
15 : I was told. So, once that
16 happened, then of course, I was going to
17 suggest he have a cellmate.
18 : Okay. But it was the
19 warden's call, as far as you know?
20 : As far as I know. That's what
21 I was told by legal. Which was the warden has
22 decided he will not be on Ten South. They are
23 going to house him on Nine South with
24 Tartaglione.
25 : Okay.
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1 : Let me finish that --
2 : Yes.
3 -- (Indiscernible *01:33:20).
4 That's the last paragraph. "Rooms with cameras
5 aren't always perfect due to the guard having
6 to maintain a constant eye on the camera
7 screen. She noted she has never gone to
8 attorney conference for any other patients or
9 inmates. She believes MCC psychological
10 services did all they could for Epstein. And
11 ultimately, the lack of a cellmate, and under
12 staffing contributed to his death. Three
13 suicide risk assessments were completed on
14 Epstein, which is unusual. One of those was
15 completed due to a judge's order." Is it
16 normal for a judge to request a psychological -
17
18 : It is not uncommon,
19 especially when the judge knew he had been on
20 watch before.
21 : Mm-hmm.
22 : So, I think, I don't think he
23 was ordered the first time, to be placed on
24 watch. I think it -. I don't remember which
25 time it was that the judge ordered it. But
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1 judges will, if there is, if they have ever
2 been on suicide watch in the past, when they
3 leave a court proceeding. If it was the time
4 that he was denied the bail, I don't know which
5 was the time that the judge ordered it.
6 : So, your -.
7 : Would your notes say when
8 it was?
9 : Possibly. Possibly.
10 : Possibly.
11 : Yeah.
12 : So, you don't think it
13 was the first time, though?
14 : I thought the first time I
15 did it precautionary. I don't know if it had
16 the judge's order.
17 : Now, when you say there
18 are three risk - suicide risk assessments were
19 included, completed on Epstein.
20 : Yes.
21 : Or Epstein. When he
22 first came on, when he, on July 23rd, what was
23 the third?
24 : I think that is when he came
25 back and was denied the bail.
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1 : And do you think that was
2 probably the one that the judge -? Because
3 obviously, you do it when they come on, right?
4 And then, you do it if they try to attempt
5 suicide.
6 : Or maybe the judge -. I
7 don't know if it was the first time. Maybe it
8 was the first time. Because I think the second
9 time was Dr. Which I really
10 complimented her on. I think she did it out of
11 precaution, because of what happened in court.
12 : Okay. And that was
13 : I think she did it on her own
14 instinct. Not because she was told to.
15 : Okay.
16 : Wait. I have an event that
17 took place on August --
18 : Okay.
19 : -- August 1st. It looks like
20 the correctional systems received a form from
21 the U.S. Marshal Service, the previous day
22 stating that Epstein had reported suicidal
23 tendencies. I guess he went to court. And he
24 reported suicidal tendencies. So, the Marshal
25 Service reported that to correctional systems,
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1 and correctional systems notified that to
2 psychological observations. Psychs.
3 : That was August 1st.
4 : Do you believe that might be
5 the third time?
6 : That would have been,
7 like, the day after he came off of --
8 : Yeah.
9 : -- psych observation.
10 : Right. And they always put
11 suicidal tendencies on every single one of
12 them. So, I am thinking, because he was just
13 coming off watch, he might have said, I was on
14 watch.
15 : All right. So, that is -
16
17 : But I don't -.
18 : -- you think the Marshals
19 do this frequently?
20 : Yes.
21 : This isn't --
22 : They all say --
23 : -- that wasn't
24 suicidal tendencies.
25 : Okay.
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1 : And there, it's, they all say
2 the same thing.
3 : All right. So, that
4 wasn't abnormal that they wrote that on August
5 1st?
6 : Not if he had recently been
7 taken off of watch, and they were aware of
8 that.
9 : Okay.
10 : Okay.
11 : But you don't know what
12 the third instance was, with -? Because we
13 have, again --
14 : One was when he first came
15 into jail.
16 : -- right.
17 : Remember, we did, we had him
18 on --
19 : Yup.
20 -- and he was mad. The
21 second time, I believe was when, maybe when the
22 Marshals -. I don't know. I don't know.
23 : So, we know the two.
24 : Yeah.
25 : I'm just trying to --
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1 : The third one --
2 : to figure -.
3 was when he had, when he
4 actually had the --
5 : Yeah, yeah, no
6 -- Marshals --
7 : I know. They are my
8 two that I know. Is when he first came on,
9 July 23rd.
10 : And I think the other one was
11 when he came back from court.
12 : On the August 1st?
13 : Yeah. I think so. I have to
14 look. It might be. I have to look at my
15 notes.
16 : Okay.
17 : But those were the three
18 times.
19 : Yeah. No. Because in
20 your report, it kind of - because obviously, it
21 was probably taking so long - it kind of jumps
22 really quickly from July 30th to basically the
23 end.
24 : Okay.
25 : So, that was just -. So,
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1 I was wondering --
2 : Okay.
3 : -- if we were missing
4 something there, and that sounds like maybe
5 that is what we were missing.
6 : Okay. If you wanted me to
7 look at my notes, I could do that.
8 : This. Do you know? Because
9 I think --
10 : I'll just --
11 that will help you.
12 : -- real quickly cover
13 this with you. I think we already did. This
14 was the 302 with ? Who
15 is that?
16 : She is the
17 that removed him from watch the
18 first time, and stepped him down to psych ops.
19 : Okay. So, in part of her
20 302, we're just going to cover this quickly.
21 : Mm-hmm.
22 : Just because we're
23 running out of time. It says, " stated
24 psychological observation allowed Epstein to
25 possess hygiene products, two novels, to attend
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1 his legal visits, and to shower." And as we
2 already stated, he was authorized legal visits
3 while he was on observation.
4 : Okay. All right.
5 : Yeah.
6 : So, she did those
7 authorizations.
8 : Okay.
9 : After she took him off.
10 : Okay. So, and then, it
11 says, and that part says, " stated she
12 discussed the decision to step down Epstein
13 with and associate warden
14 ." Now, when she says, " stated she
15 discussed the decision to step down Epstein
16 with and associate warden
17 ," do you know which step down she is
18 talking about? Is she talking about watch to
19 observation? That's what --
20 : Yes.
21 : -- okay. Rather than
22 observation to SHU?
23 : Correct.
24 : Okay. And with associate
25 warden , is that a normal thing
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1 that she would discuss that decision? She
2 would discuss that with an associate warden?
3 Is that normal?
4 : Yes. I mean, maybe
5 gave her a call. Maybe she gave
6 a call, just because he was who he was.
7 We don't do it with every single inmate. We
8 send out a notification to, like, all executive
9 staff. And every day, on who is on watch, he
10 was removed from watch. An average inmate,
11 maybe they wouldn't have had a discussion.
12 : Mm-hmm.
13 : Maybe it was because it was
14 Epstein.
15 : And this is where
16 : Yeah.
17 : -- it goes into the
18 Do you have any knowledge that around this
19 time, executive staff, or anybody at the
20 institution, was contacted by either the
21 attorneys or the judge, saying he needs to be
22 taken off of suicide watch, and put to
23 psychological observation, so the attorney
24 visits may -?
25 : We never got a call like
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1 that.
2 : No? Okay.
3 : Yeah.
4 : And you don't know that
5 mentioned that to you guys?
6 : No.
7 : Okay.
8 : Not that I know of.
9 : Okay. It says, "-
10 stated both and concurred with her
11 determination regarding Epstein.
12 stated, `I made the decision with the consent
13 of and .'" Is that correct?
14 : Right. I mean, she came and
15 discussed it with me. And gave me all of the
16 reasons she felt he was written to be stepped
17 down.
18 : Great.
19 : I have a few follow up
20 questions.
21 : So, this is the very end.
22 : This is the very end.
23 : Sorry.
24 : It's okay.
25 : That's okay.
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1 : It's taking longer than
2 we expected.
3 : It's okay.
4 : When inmate was chosen
5 to be Epstein's cellmate after he was brought
6 back to the SHU, do you know who was involved
7 in that decision-making?
8 : Executive staff, most likely.
9 Or correctional staff. Probably the captain.
10 The captain and the AW over programs.
11 : And do you think that
12 everyone, in terms of captain, the lieutenants,
13 and even the SHU staff would have known who
14 was, that he was Epstein's cellmate?
15 : I mean, I would hope that was
16 discussed. But again, I don't know if it was
17 discussed with them. But the captain should
18 have passed it onto the lieutenants, and the
19 lieutenants should have passed it to the staff.
20 : And based on the
21 recommendation, as you mentioned, from your
22 office and also through the chain of command,
23 they should - everyone should have known that
24 Epstein needed a cellmate?
25 : Yes.
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1 : And if everyone knew Epstein
2 needed a cellmate, they should have technically
3 also known that his cellmate was
4 : I would think so.
5 : Okay.
6 : I would hope so.
7 : And when they came up the,
8 came up with the name, with the list of names
9 to place as a cellmate for Epstein, did they
10 have other names also chosen? Or just
11 Hmm. That, I don't know.
12 : Okay. You are not aware?
13 : Because I didn't make those
14 decisions.
15 : Do you know if there --
16 : At the time.
17 : -- was a plan, if he was
18 to leave, someone else would go into his place?
19 : I don't know that.
20 : Okay. That was a custody
21
22 : Yes.
23 : -- decision?
24 : Determination.
25 : Okay.
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1 : Do know if he was prescribed
2 any medications? Epstein was prescribed any
3 medications?
4 : I would, again, have to see
5 his chart.
6 : Okay.
7 : I don't --
8 : Not that -.
9 : I don't remember. I don't
10 think so.
11 : Okay.
12 : I mean, from psychiatry.
13 : I want to show --
14 : I don't remember.
15 : -- we will jump into
16 that.
17 : Yeah.
18 : Just in a couple of
19 minutes.
20 : I just had a quick question.
21 You mentioned that he told you the first time
22 that he had a bail hearing.
23 : Mm-hmm.
24 : Do you recall him mentioning,
25 in your last meeting with him on August 8th,
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1 that he was scheduled for another bail hearing?
2 : I don't recall.
3 : He didn't mention that?
4 Okay.
5 : I don't recall. He may have.
6 : Okay.
7 : He may have. I know he was
8 trying to get several hearings, so it is very
9 possible he did.
10 : So, what we have here is an
11 after-action review. It was conducted by the
12 Bureau of Prisons.
13 : Yes.
14 : And I'm going through some of
15 the noted -.
16 : Have you seen this?
17 : Hmm-mm.
18 : No. Okay.
19 : Basically, do you know what
20 an after-action review is?
21 : Yes. I do.
22 : Okay. So, this was done by
23 the team that was sent down to do on running
24 Mr. Epstein's death. And maybe the --
25 : Immediately after their
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1 death.
2 : -- immediately after.
3 : Okay.
4 : There is a note. "On July
5 9th, 2019, at 12:35, health services completes
6 a history and physical for inmate Epstein.
7 This assessment was done in lieu of an intake
8 screening, which should have been conducted
9 within 24 hours of arrival." It looks like he
10 arrived on July 6th, but the intake screening
11 wasn't done for him.
12 : That's medical.
13 : That's medical. Okay.
14 : We did it the next day. We
15 do them within 24 hours.
16 : Okay. "On July 18th, 30-day
17 psychology reviews are conducted for the entire
18 SHU population. Inmate Epstein was not in the
19 SHU at the time due to an attorney visit. The
20 review was never conducted."
21 : He was probably seen in
22 attorney conference, but it wasn't conducted if
23 he wasn't in the SHU at the time.
24 : Should they have followed -
25 psychology - have followed up?
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1 : I would have to see my
2 records.
3 : Okay.
4 : To see if there was a reason,
5 or if we put in a note, subsequently.
6 : Understood. And you said,
7 the notification by the U.S. Marshal Service on
8 August 1st, you said that would be routine, if
9 he came off of suicide watch or psychological
10 observation, went to court, and they saw that,
11 they would normally make a routine
12 notification?
13 : They often do. Yes.
14 : Okay.
15 : Unless they are not privy to
16 it. You know? But if they are, they would, to
17 cover everything.
18 : But you don't know --
19 : Yeah.
20 : -- anything specifically
21 he was doing on August 1st, that would have
22 caused them to make a note?
23 : No.
24 : Okay.
25 : Now, I don't have these
EFTA00058821
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1 documents in here, to show you, but it was
2 flagged that, "The psychology intake screening
3 contains errors in identifying details. Inmate
4 Epstein is referred to as a black inmate, and a
5 different inmate's name is used within the
6 report."
7 : Yes. One of the
8 psychologists made an error. Perhaps. It was
9 a template-ish error. I don't know.
10 : Okay.
11 : To be honest, it was probably
12 a template error. She was probably writing it
13 quickly, and when she proofread it, she didn't
14 catch it.
15 : Okay. "There --
16 : Mm-hmm.
17 : -- there are errors within
18 the risk of sexual abusiveness report, such as
19 referencing an inaccurate program statement,
20 and noting a history of prior prison sexual
21 predation."
22 : Okay. Again --
23 : (Indiscernible *01:44:50)?
24 : -- again, that is a
25 checklist. It was probably a typo on the
EFTA00058822
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1 checklist.
2 : Mm-hmm.
3 : By the psychologist. It was
4 a seasoned psychologist. I don't read every
5 single note that goes into the record. The
6 only time I read every single note is when
7 somebody is a probationary psychologist, and
8 unlicensed.
9 : And who was --
10 : Then I will --
11 : -- the psychologist?
12 : -- the psychologist at the
13 time was Dr.
14 . Okay.
15 : And I just think they were
16 typos. Looking back and having a conversation
17 with her, they were typos, but she is a
18 seasoned psychologist, a forensic psychologist,
19 and I couldn't possibly read every note that
20 goes in the record. Or else I would never
21 sleep. But I read, you know, like I said, if
22 they are unlicensed, on probationary, then I
23 read all of the notes that go into the record.
24 : So, it is not that
25 didn't do the intake properly.
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1 It was just, it was a format that she probably
2 used.
3 : Yes.
4 : Okay. Now
5 : Definitely.
6 : -- there is another incident,
7 "July 16th, 12:48 p.m., inmate Epstein is seen
8 by psychology in the presence of his attorneys,
9 while conducting a legal visit. This visit
10 recommended no follow up. This visit was at
11 the request of inmate Epstein, that was wholly
12 inappropriate. Inmate Epstein attempted to
13 establish guidelines for communication, and
14 bring his attorneys into the fray regarding
15 mental health treatment be provided by the
16 institution.
17 It is not typical for the Bureau of
18 Prisons to provide psychological intervention
19 in the presence of others, nor is it
20 appropriate for an agency psychologist to meet
21 with the inmate attorneys." The summary they
22 put on there is, "On July 16th, 2019, a
23 psychologist met with inmate Epstein in the
24 presence of his attorneys. This visit was done
25 at the request of inmate Epstein, that appears
EFTA00058824
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1 to have been the purpose of airing grievances
2 with conditions of confinement.
3 This is a highly abnormal event. It is
4 not typical for the Bureau of Prisons to
5 provide psychological intervention in the
6 presence of others, and agency psychologists
7 should not - should neither provide mental
8 health intervention in the presence of others,
9 nor engage legal representation regarding
10 institution operations or conditions of
11 confinement.
12 Although the specifics of what information
13 the psychologists are unknown, any items shared
14 could be viewed as an unauthorized release of
15 information, both regarding inmate Epstein's
16 mental health treatment, and institution
17 operational information."
18 : Okay.
19 : Can you elaborate -?
20 : What is your response to
21 that, I guess?
22 : I wasn't aware --
23 : Do you agree with it, or
24 -?
25 : -- if one of my
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1 psychologists, or I went up one time, and I
2 think another one of my psychologists went up,
3 it was probably just to see that he was okay,
4 and that he didn't need anything from
5 psychology. So, the intention was to check on
6 him. It wasn't to breach any security, or it
7 wasn't to meet his demands, or anything like
8 that. It was probably because he did spend
9 eight hours up there, and it was more well
10 meaning that we just probably just wanted to
11 see if he had any needs from our department, at
12 that time. Or on that one occasion, he was up
13 there when that psychologist was conducting her
14 rounds in the suicide watch area, and he wasn't
15 there. And she went up there to check on his
16 mental status, to see if he was okay.
17 : Right.
18 : So -.
19 : And who would have that
20 one been?
21 : I think it was Dr. that
22 went up there on one occasion. And I think I
23 went up there on one occasion. That's when he
24 made that comment to me.
25 : Mm-hmm.
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1 : But -.
2 : Now, so, what is your
3 : I did not share --
4 do you agree --
5 anything with his
6 attorneys. He stepped out of the room. Like,
7 the attorneys were sitting at the table. And
8 then, there is the door, and he walked up
9 towards the door. And I just said, you know, I
10 think when I went up there, you know, are you
11 okay? Have you been eating and sleeping okay?
12 I didn't discuss any intimate details of his
13 childhood, or anything like that. It was kind
14 of just, like, are you okay?
15 Do you have any thoughts of harming
16 yourself? Have you been eating and sleeping,
17 or do you have any concerns like that. And you
18 could see my notes, it would probably indicate
19 what I did ask him. It was well meaning. I
20 certainly didn't engage. I don't know. I
21 doubt Dr. did, because she is very rigid.
22 And any discourse with his attorney about
23 anything. I think his attorneys may have made
24 a comment to me, but I think I ignored it.
25 : Okay.
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1 : But yeah.
2 : So, you -.
3 : If that is what they are
4 referring to, you would have to re, you know,
5 show me the contacts, and the context. The
6 contacts, the actual site contacts that they
7 are referring to.
8 : Yeah, they don't
9 : Well.
10 : Yeah.
11 : -- they don't list it on
12 there.
13 : I mean, so -
14 : I mean, those are the only --
15 : -- two --
16 : -- two times that we went up
17 there, and that was more well meaning, to check
18 on his mental status.
19 : Sure.
20 It was certainly -.
21 : And not a discussion
22 : So, do you --
23 with the attorneys.
24 Sorry.
25 : But as --
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1 No.
2 : -- this is the BOP's
3 findings. This isn't on ours. We are just
4 saying --
5 : Yeah.
6 : -- do you agree with that
7 finding, or do you think that that is
8 inaccurate, the way that they have that? They
9 are saying that you should not have done that?
10 : I would say it is 50/50. I
11 mean, now, in retrospect, if it could be
12 perceived that way, it is probably not the best
13 situation. However, circumstantially, this guy
14 was in the conference room from dawn until
15 dusk. And we felt a need to check on him, to
16 see if he was okay. So --
17 : What
18 -- I would say we just
19 probably weren't aware that it wasn't a good
20 thing to do.
21 : Okay.
22 : We meant it to be --
23 : Okay. So, and
24 a good thing.
25 : -- and this prior to his
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1 first suicide attempt, it looks like, on, it
2 says July 16th.
3 : Yeah.
4 : Okay.
5 : So, that was probably just to
6 check on him due to our concerns.
7 : Sure.
8 : In reading that, I probably
9 would not do that ever again. Because it is
10 perceived that way. But we weren't aware that
11 that wouldn't - that that was an unusual
12 circumstance.
13 : Sure.
14 : It doesn't spring upon us
15 frequently. We don't have inmates that have
16 that kind of money to sit in there for nine
17 hours a day.
18 : Okay.
19 : Yeah.
20 : You know? So, that has never
21 happened before.
22 : So, what, in retrospect,
23 I guess, what should have happened? Should
24 have you asked him to be excused, and seen him
25 a private room?
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1 : I guess we could have done
2 that, but that would have interfered with his,
3 and he is paying his attorneys. It is just,
4 would have to probably consult on that further.
5 : Has anyone --
6 : Because -.
7 : -- spoken with you about
8 this?
9 : No.
10 : Okay.
11 : You just mentioned something.
12 You said it is highly unusual that somebody is
13 sitting in attorney conference for that long.
14 Is that not allowed for him? Was that not
15 allowed for any other inmates? Was he the only
16 inmate who was, that was allowed to?
17 : I think he was the only
18 inmate that had that kind of money.
19 : Yeah. It's -.
20 : Okay.
21 : To pay an attorney for nine
22 hours.
23 : Okay.
24 : To sit in a conference room.
25 You know, usually, they last about an hour.
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1 So, I had never seen that before in all my
2 years in the prisons. But it is not like you
3 can't do it. I guess if you have the money,
4 and the resources to have different attorneys
5 come, to cover your whole day
6 : Okay.
7 : -- then
8 : I just have one more topic,
9 and then it is done.
10 : Okay.
11 : So, were you aware that Mr.
12 Epstein was allowed to make an unmonitored
13 phone call on the evening of August 9th?
14 : No.
15 : So, on August 9th, it looks
16 like he, his pack and PIN was provided to him,
17 but it was never set up. So, he requested a
18 phone call, and it looks like the unit manager
19 took him to the SHU, brought back from attorney
20 conference, and placed him in the shower.
21 : Mm-hmm.
22 : Mm-hmm.
23 : Plugged it into the legal
24 line.
25 : Mm-hmm.
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1 : And he said he wanted to talk
2 to his mother. So, the unit manager dialed out
3 the number. A guy answered the phone. He
4 handed the phone, the phone over to Mr.
5 Epstein.
6 : Mm-hmm.
7 : And he left. So, Mr. Epstein
8 was allowed to make the phone call. It was not
9 monitored. And what do you think? Do you
10 think that should have ever been allowed?
11 : That is never allowed. That
12 is not allowed.
13 : Do you think that played any
14 part into what happened that night, being the
15 fact that he was allowed to make a phone call,
16 unmonitored, a phone call? Remember, he
17 mentioned that it was to his mother.
18 : Right.
19 : But we learned that his
20 mother has been deceased for a while.
21 : This isn't really for her
22 to answer.
23 : That, I don't know.
24 : So, as far as, this is
25 something that we skipped over in your
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1 interview report, though. It says, "On August
2 8th, 2019, attended the SHU meeting.
3 She couldn't recall all who was there. But
4 noted," - so, this talks about that meeting,
5 and it said that, "Epstein had received his
6 pack number, which allows him to make phone
7 calls, and he asked for his books from
8 psychological observation." So, are you aware
9 that he actually did receive his pack number?
10 Pack and PIN number, so he could actually make
11 calls?
12 : I probably was privy to it,
13 if it was mentioned in the SHU meeting. But
14 that wouldn't have any psychological meaning,
15 other than he could make the calls, and they
16 would bring the phone to his cell, which is
17 what they usually do, and he can make the phone
18 calls.
19 : So, you don't recall if
20 he was actually provided a pack and PIN number
21 or not?
22 : I don't recall.
23 : Okay.
24 : Because I don't set that up
25 or anything. It could have been mentioned in.
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1 the SHU meeting. But that doesn't directly
2 impact mental health services.
3 : Okay.
4 : So.
5 : So, and you don't know if
6 it was actually - not only was he given a pack
7 and PIN number - but you don't know if it was
8 actually set up or not?
9 : That, I don't know.
10 : Okay. Go ahead.
11 : And I don't know if it played
12 a role.
13 : Okay.
14 : You know, I don't know.
15 : That is the last two.
16 : Yeah. Go ahead.
17 : Okay. So, do you think Mr.
18 Epstein took his own life?
19 : Yes. I mean, it would be
20 highly unlikely that he didn't. I can say that
21 psychologists, the difficult thing is that we
22 are psychologists. We are not psychic. But
23 the events leading up to it, too, that period
24 of time, he appeared psychologically stable.
25 But the information that he received, according
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1 to what I heard the night before, and all of
2 that information being unsealed, and him being
3 alone with his thoughts, and thinking that
4 maybe, perhaps he would have to spend the rest
5 of his life in jail, and that all of these
6 high-profile individuals information was going
7 to come out about them.
8 Could he have, at that moment, just felt
9 completely hopeless, and thought of ending his
10 life? Yes. That is very possible. You know,
11 that is very possible. Prior to me leaving, he
12 wasn't given any of this information, and he
13 had a lot of hope, he had a lot of resources.
14 Perhaps he thought, you know, maybe he could
15 cooperate, or get some kind of a deal. I don't
16 know what happened at that meeting. But having
17 been in the prison system as long as I have
18 been, and being a psychologist, sometimes when
19 people get really bad news, and they feel very
20 hopeless, and the opportunity is there.
21 They will take that opportunity. So, yes.
22 It would be highly improbable, you know, the
23 way our prison is set up, that someone could
24 have snuck up there and harmed him, in some
25 way. The way that the tiers are and
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1 everything. So, I think the higher probability
2 is that he did kill himself.
3 : That leads to my second
4 question. The last question.
5 : Yeah.
6 : Do you have any reason to
7 believe that Epstein did not take his own life?
8 : I have no reason to believe
9 he didn't.
10 : Do you have any other follow
11 up questions?
12 : No. Is there anything
13 that we missed, that we should know?
14 : Not that I can think of.
15 Just that, you know, we -. No. Not really.
16 No.
17 : Okay. Great. We can't
18 thank you enough.
19 : Yeah.
20 : So, again, it took longer
21 than we expected, but you were extremely
22 helpful.
23 : Thank you.
24 is the case agent,
25 so if you have any questions or anything --
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1 : Okay.
2 : -- you can go directly
3 with
4 : Thank you.
5 : Thank you for taking your
6 time.
7 : If there is anything else I
8 can do, or anything I can clarify, with regard
9 to the case, or if you want me to review some
10 notes, if anything wasn't clear, because like I
11 said, I probably, to be more specific, if I had
12 those notes, I would know when the Marshals
13 came in, because it is kind of a blur to me.
14 It has been a few years. It was probably the
15 most traumatic event in my entire career.
16 : Oh, wow. Yeah.
17 : You know?
18 : Sorry to hear that.
19 : So, yeah.
20 : Okay. Well, thank you so
21 much for that.
22 : Thank you.
23 : If anything comes up, or you
24 have anything that you want to share, please,
25 reach out.
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1 : Yes. Thank you.
2 : Okay. It is currently
3 11:18 a.m. on Wednesday, October 27th, 2021.
4 This is Senior Special Agent
5 I am turning off the recorder.
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1 CERTIFICATE
2 I hereby certify that the foregoing pages
3 represent an accurate transcript of the
4 electronic sound recording of the proceedings
5 before the Department of Justice, Office of the
6 Inspector General in the matter of:
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