1
2
3
4 DIGITALLY RECORDED
5 SWORN STATEMENT
6 OF
7
8
9 OIG CASE #:
10 2019-010614
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17
18 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
19 OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
20 JUNE 15, 2021
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24
25
RESOLUTE DOCUMENTATION SERVICES
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
Phone:
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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
15
16
17
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19
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25
EFTA00115900
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1 MR. : The recorder is on. It
2 is Tuesday, June 15, 2021 and the time is 5:57
3 p.m.
4 MR. : My name is
5 I'm a Special Agent with the U.S. Department of
6 Justicer Office of the Inspector General, New
7 York Field Office and these are my credentials.
8 This interview is with Federal Bureau of
9 Prisons Correctional Officer, Lieutenant - can
10 you state your name?
11 MR.
12 MR. : First name?
13 MR.
14 MR. . And is being
15 conducted as part of an official U.S.
16 Department of Justicer Office of the Inspector
17 General investigation. Today is June 15th and
18 the time is 5:58 p.m. The interview is being
19 conducted at , Deer Park, New
20 York. Also present are DOJ OIG Senior Special
21 Agent
22 MR. , and again,
23 these are my credentials.
24 MR. : Uh-huh.
25 MR. : This interview will be
EFTA00115901
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1 recorded by me, Special Agent
2 Could everyone please identify themselves for
3 the record and spell your last name, to start?
4 Again, I am DOJ Special Agent
6 MR. : My name is Senior Special
7 Agent
8 MR. : Lieutenant .
10 MR. : As I stated before, this is
11 an official DOJ investigation into the death of
12 inmate Jeffery Epstein and the timing
13 surrounding that and you're being asked to
14 voluntarily provide answers to our questions.
15 Will you agree to a voluntary interview with
16 the DOJ OIG?
17 MR. : Yes.
18 MR. : As part of our procedure, I'm
19 going to provide you with DOJ OIG form 3226
20 226-2. I'm going to read the form out loud to
21 you and give you a chance to review it also.
22 "United States Department of Justice, Office of
23 the Inspector General Warnings and Assurances
24 to Employee Requested to Provide Information on
25 a Voluntary Basis. You are being asked to
EFTA00115902
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1 provide information as part of an investigation
2 being conducted by the Office of Inspector
3 General. This investigation is being conducted
4 pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978,
5 as amended. This investigation pertains to job
6 performance failure and security failure. This
7 is a voluntary interview. Accordingly, you do
8 not have to answer questions. No disciplinary
9 action will be taken against you if you choose
10 not to answer any questions. Any statement you
11 furnish may be used as evidence in any future
12 criminal proceedings or agency disciplinary
13 proceeding or both." Now the waiver for you.
14 "I understand the warnings and assurances
15 stated above and I am willing to make a
16 statement and answer questions. No promises or
17 threats have been made to me and no pressure or
18 coercion of any kind has been used against me."
19 Do you understand that?
20 MR. : Uh-huh.
21 MR. : Do you wish to proceed with
22 the interview?
23 MR. : Yeah.
24 MR. : Please review the document
25 and once you review the document, please sign
EFTA00115903
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1 where it says, "Employee signature."
2 MR. : Do you need a pen?
3 MR. : I have. Thank you.
4 MR. : There's a4e line that says,
5 "Employee signature," --
6 MR. : Uh-huh.
7 MR. : -- and sign your name there
8 and below there can you please print your name?
9 MR. : Thank you sir.
10 MR. : Uh-huh.
11 MR. : I'm signing the signature of
12 the Office of Inspector General's Special
13 Agent.
14 MR. : Thank you for signing the
15 document, both of you, and for dating it
16 6/15/21 at 6:02 p.m. I am signing my name and
17 signature of witness and printing my name, name
18 of witness.
19 MR. : Before we start the
20 interview, I'd like to place you under oath,
21 Mr. Can you please raise your right
22 hand? Do you swear to tell the truth and
23 nothing but the truth during this interview?
24 MR. : Yes.
25 MR. : Thank you.
EFTA00115904
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1 MR. : I do.
2 MR. : Please let me know if you do
3 not understand any questions I ask, I'll repeat
4 it and I'll try to rephrase it for you. Okay?
5 What is your current home address?
6 MR. , Deer Park,
7 New York, 11729.
8 MR. : Your date of birth?
9 MR.
10 MR. : And what is your social
11 security number?
12 MR. : He doesn't need to
13 provide that if he doesn't want to. Would you
14 mind for the record, can you show us your
15 credentials again and then we can use that as
16 verification for your - all right. Thank you,
17 sir, for showing your credentials. I'm looking
18 at the U.S. Department of Justice Federal
19 Bureau of Prisons law enforcement officer
20 credentials, certify that is a
21 Lieutenant at the MCC New York, New York.
22 see a picture that matches the gentleman that
23 is sitting in front of us.
24 MR. : Thank you.
25 MR. : You're welcome.
EFTA00115905
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1 MR. : Mr. , what's your highest
2 level of education?
3 MR. : I have a —bachelors of science
4 degree.
5 MR. : In what subject?
6 MR. : Community Services.
7 MR. : What college did you receive
8 that from?
9 MR. : Empire State College.
10 MR. : What year did you receive it?
11 MR. : 2010, May.
12 MR. : 2010, May. Okay. What did
13 you do prior to working for the BOP?
14 MR. : I was in the military and I
15 worked in a law firm.
16 MR. : Thank you for your service.
17 What branch of the military?
18 MR. : United States Navy Reserves.
19 MR. : How long were you in the
20 military for?
21 MR. : 20 years, 23 days, and 21 hours
22 or something like that.
23 MR. : What was your position and
24 title when you -.
25 MR. : I was an E-6 ship service man,
EFTA00115906
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1 first class petty officer.
2 MR. : And are you still active in
3 the military?
4 MR. : No, I'm retired.
5 MR. : Thank you.
6 MR. : And did you retire in
7 2019?
8 MR. : Yes.
9 MR. : October?
10 MR. : October 2019.
11 MR. : How long have you served with
12 the Federal Bureau of Prisons?
13 MR. : Thirteen years.
14 MR. : Thirteen years? And what was
15 the entry on duty date?
16 MR. : July 22 - I mean, January 22nd,
17 2008.
18 MR. : Did you graduate from BOP
19 training?
20 MR. : Yes.
21 MR. : What year?
22 MR. : 2008, March.
23 MR. : Okay. When and where was
24 your first office assignment with the BOP?
25 MR. : Brooklyn, MDC Brooklyn.
EFTA00115907
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1 MR. : That was in 2008?
2 MR. : Yes.
3 MR. : And what positions - how long
4 did you stay at the MDC for?
5 MR. : Five and a half years.
6 MR. : Five and a half?
7 MR. : I stayed there from 2008— teo
8 October 5, 2013.
9 MR. : Where did you go in October?
10 MR. : MCC New York.
11 MR. : Was it a promotion or
12 lateral?
13 MR. : Lateral.
14 MR. : Okay. When did you get -
15 what was the next step, promotion that you got?
16 MR. : GS-8.
17 MR. : To what position?
18 MR. : MCC New York, Senior Officer
19 Specialist.
20 MR. : And what year was that?
21 MR. : Think, I'm going toe say 2015?
22 MR. : Okay. And what was the next
23 promotion after that?
24 MR. : GS-9.
25 MR. : GS-9 what? What was the
EFTA00115908
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1 title?
2 MR. : I was a Counselor.
3 MR. : Okay. And after that?
4 MR. : GS-11 Lieutenant.
5 MR. : When did you become a
6 Lieutenant?
7 MR. : I was temp Lieutenant in 2016.
8 Then, I got 2000, I think `17, I got promoted
9 to - orr `18 I got promoted to GS-11.
10 MR. : What was your position at the
11 MCC on August 9th and 10th --
12 MR. : I was a -.
13 MR. : -- of 2019?
14 MR. : I was a Lieutenant.
15 MR. : I'll read it.
16 MR. : Okay.
17 MR. : So we have a - is it
18 correct that you were interviewed already by
19 the FBI and the OIG?
20 MR. : Yes.
21 MR. : Regarding the matter
22 leading up to Epstein's death on August 9th -.
23 MR. : Correct.
24 MR. : Great. Thank you. I'm
25 just going to read the report that was created
EFTA00115909
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1 from that interview. It is an FBI report so I
2 can't physically hand it to you but because the
3 OIG was there, it's our information to ask,
4 that's why I'll be able to read it to you.
5 Just, as I'm reading it, just let me know if
6 there's anything that's inaccurate and then
7 I'll probably stop along the way to just kind
8 of ask for a little bit more collaborations.
9 It says, "Prior to employment with the Bureau
10 of Prisons, was a Paralegal at Skadden Law
11 Firm."
12 MR. : Skadden.
13 MR. : Skadden, S-K-A-D-D-E-N.
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : "He worked litigation,
16 pro Bono, mergers and acquisitions for
17 approximately 10 years." And was that
18 approximately from 1998 to 2008?
19 MR. : Approximately.
20 MR. : Okay. has also
21 been an enlisted Navy Reservist for the last 20
22 years. was employed as a Corrections
23 Officer with the BOP in June 1999 at the
24 Metropolitan Detention Center herein after
25 MDC," is that correct?
EFTA00115910
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1 MR. : It was January.
2 MR. : January of 1999?
3 MR. : Where?
4 MR. This is saying that I
5 don't think this was correct. So, it says that
6 you were with the MDC since June of 1999.
7 MR. : I was there - no, not '99, no.
8 MR. : I thought you said in
9 2008 you started.
10 MR. : 2008 I said I started. Yeah,
11 not '99.
12 MR. : All right. So you
13 started with the MDC - with the BOP and at the
14 MDC in --
15 MR. : 2000 -.
16 MR. • -- January of 2008.
17 MR. '08. Yes.
18 MR. Okay. transitioned
19 to the BOP Metropolitan Correction Center, or
20 the MCC, on," it says, "October 5, 2013."
21 MR. : Yes.
22 MR. : "He was later promoted to
23 the rank of Lieutenant on July 8, 2018."
24 MR. : Yeah, July sometime.
25 MR. : Okay. was the
EFTA00115911
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1 Special Housing Unit, or SHU, Lieutenant for
2 approximately 90 days since Lieutenants rotate
3 throughout the MCC every 90 days." Is that
4 correct?
5 MR. : Uh-huh.
6 MR. : According to , his
7 duties and responsibilities were as follows."
8 So prior to us going on. So you were 90 days
9 up until this incident? Were you just about to
10 rotate out of the SHU then?
11 MR. : No.
12 MR. : Okay.
13 MR. : I was just still the SHU
14 Lieutenant.
15 MR. : So were you -.
16 MR. : So -.
17 MR. : So the way that this
18 reads is almost like you were only there for 90
19 days. Were you there for
20 MR. : Yeah.
21 MR. : -- longer than 90 days?
22 MR. : Well, I was taken out because I
23 was out on an injury.
24 MR. : Prior to that though, how
25 long were you the SHU Lieutenant?
EFTA00115912
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1 MR. : Yeah, for about - because we
2 switch. I was on the desk and just before, I
3 think, like program review or something like
4 that, after program review, they put me up
5 there.
6 MR. : All right. But all of
7 July and August of 2000 --
8 MR. : Yeah, I was - yeah.
9 MR. : -- and `19, so, okay. So
10 you were the SHU Lieutenant for all - at least
11 July and
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : -- August and a little
14 bit prior.
15 MR. : Yeah. Uh-huh.
16 MR. : So it says, "According to
17 duties and responsibilities are as
18 follows. Control max wing, 10 south and
19 oversee the regular SHU."
20 MR. : Uh-huh.
21 MR. : And 10 south, my
22 understanding is that's the very high profile
23 inmates that have one inmate per cell, there's
24 constant supervision by cameras on them --
25 MR. : Cameras.
EFTA00115913
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1 MR. : -- at all times?
2 MR. : Uh-huh.
3 MR. : Okay. Maybe like
4 terrorists?
5 MR. : Uh-huh.
6 MR. : People that go into those
7 - okay. You supervise employees, you control
8 moves, you oversee segregation reviews
9 hereinafter referred to as SROs. "Ensure
10 inmates are given what they have coming." What
11 does that mean? "Ensure inmate -.
12 MR. : That means, whatever the
13 institution - if they have - they need soap,
14 they get soap. If they need toilet paper, they
15 get toilet paper. If they need a pen, pad to
16 write on, they get it.
17 MR. : So the supplies that
18 they're --
19 MR. : Supplies that they --
20 MR. : -- required, you ensure -
21
22 MR. : -- that - I ensure that they -.
23 MR. : -- that they receive what
24 they --
25 MR. : Yes.
EFTA00115914
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1 MR. : -- what they require.
2 MR. : Uh-huh.
3 MR. : Okay. And then the next
4 thing that they wrote was, "A lot." So I'm
5 assuming what they meant is you have a lot of
6 responsibilities.
7 MR. : Yes.
8 MR. : is generally the
9 Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
10 shift supervisor."
11 MR. : Yes.
12 MR. : Were you working a lot of
13 overtime there?
14 MR. : Yes.
15 MR. : And when you were doing
16 your OT, were you also in the SHU?
17 MR. : Yes.
18 MR. : Okay. Would that be -.
19 MR. : Because as the Operations
20 Lieutenant, you've got to go to Special
21 Housing.
22 MR. : Okay. So if you were
23 doing OT, you weren't necessarily the SHU
24 Lieutenant, you were the Operations Lieutenant
25
EFTA00115915
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1 MR. : No.
2 MR. : -- you were the
3 Operations Lieutenant, but you covered the SHU.
4 MR. : Or activities, yes.
5 MR. : So you were - you would -
6
7 MR. : So.
8 MR. : So during your OT shifts,
9 you typically would do either Aectivities or
10 Operations Lieutenant?
11 MR. : Yes.
12 MR. : And were you doing that
13 almost on like a daily basis up until then?
14 MR. : Something like that. Uh-huh.
15 MR. : And would it typically be
16 like the morning watch or the evening watch or
17
18 MR. : Any shift.
19 MR. : Any?
20 MR. : Yes.
21 MR. : Was a lot of it mandated
22 or voluntary or both?
23 MR. : It was - I mean, it was short,
24 so, you know.
25 MR. : Like, like, like
EFTA00115916
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 19
1 forbidding, you've served as both Activities
2 and the Ops --
3 MR. : Uh-huh.
4 MR. : -- Lieutenant, so you're
5 familiar with those duties and
6 responsibilities, correct?
7 MR. : Yes.
8 MR. : Great.
9 MR. : Uh-huh.
10 MR. : All right. So, "-
11 advised that there is a mandatory quarterly
12 training in the SHU program for BOP employees."
13 Now, have you ever conducted that training?
14 MR. : Yes.
15 MR. : You've participated?
16 MR. : Uh-huh.
17 MR. : Okay, great. And do you
18 know of the individuals that were working in
19 the SHU for their quarterly assignments had
20 also received that training at the time?
21 MR. : Some have received that
22 training.
23 MR. : Possibly not all?
24 MR. : But possibly not all.
25 MR. : Okay.
EFTA00115917
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1 MR. : But if they didn't, you know,
2 we went around and we showed them, you know,
3 showed them training.
4 MR. : Okay. So anybody that
5 hadn't gone --
6 MR. : So --
7 MR. : -- to that training -.
8 MR. : -- people that was assigned
9 that were supposed to be there, went to the
10 training.
11 MR. : Okay.
12 MR. : And if they didn't go for
13 whatever reason, if they was out sick or
14 whatever, I tried to get them trained, you
15 know, give them the PowerPoint and go over the
16 training with them, you know, hands on.
17 MR. : Now, are you the person
18 that would present the training at the
19 quarterly training?
20 MR. : Yes.
21 MR. : Okay. So as the -.
22 MR. : Normally the SHU Lieutenant
23 does.
24 MR. : Okay. So you provided
25 probably the last quarterly training and then
EFTA00115918
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1 anyone who didn't attend that training, you
2 provided them personal training yourself?
3 MR. : Yes.
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : But I don't know if I did it.
6 The prior SHU Lieutenant probably gave the
7 training.
8 MR. : Okay. Had you done it in
9 the past?
10 MR. : Yes.
11 MR. : Okay.
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : "He also reviews 292
14 forms which track an inmate's meals,
15 recreation, medical attention and showers." Is
16 that like the forms that go into their
17 personnel file?
18 MR. : Yes. Uh-huh.
19 MR. : And those files in the
20 SHU, they're kept in the SHU?
21 MR. : Yes.
22 MR. : Okay.
23 MR. : The on thely computer - they're
24 supposed to be printed out every week --
25 MR. : Okay.
EFTA00115919
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1 MR. : -- because you've got to go
2 backwards.
3 MR. : And as I'm told, they're
4 printed out on Sundays?
5 MR. Yes. They're supposed to be
6 printed out like on Sunday morning watch.
7 MR. • : Okay.
8 MR. : Put into the file and, you
9 know, because it's a new week. The new week --
10 MR. : Uh-huh.
11 MR. is going to start because
12 that morning is breakfast. So it's breakfast,
13 and it goes B-D - wait, how does it go,
14 breakfast, lunch, dinner, so it goes B-L-D.
15 So, breakfast is first at 6 o'clock, or, you
16 know, 5:44, whatever time the count cleared is
17 breakfast. And then, lunch and then dinner.
18 MR. : Okay. So you said on
19 Sundays, is there typically one person that
20 works on Sundays or is it --
21 MR. : No, it's
22 MR. : -- whoever is working --
23 MR. : -- always -.
24 MR. : -- on that side?
25 MR. : It's always - yeah. It's
EFTA00115920
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1 always supposed to be two up there
2 MR. : Okay.
3 MR. : -- on - on -.
4 MR. : But it's not like
5 typically the same two is what I'm asking?
6 MR. : Yeah, no.
7 MR. : Okay.
8 MR. : Huh-uh.
9 MR. : So it's whoever is
10 working that shift --
11 MR. : Whoever is working.
12 MR. : -- on a Sunday.
13 MR. : Yeah. Hopefully, you know,
14 well, we had a steady OIC, but he got out, he
15 got injured and was out sick, so, you know,
16 it's by the luck of the draw, whoever is
17 available.
18 MR. : Okay. So who was the
19 officer in charge or OIC who got injured?
20 MR. : For morning watch, I don't
21 know.
22 MR. : No, no, no, who got
23 injured, who got out?
24 MR. : Oh, it was (Phonetic
25 Sp. *00:17:46), I think it was, but he was -
EFTA00115921
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1 yeah, he was out.
2 MR. : And about when did he go
3 out?
4 MR. : I don't remember.
5 MR. : All right. But in
6 August, do you remember if there was an OIC?
7 MR. : I don't remember.
8 MR. : You don't remember?
9 Sure.
10 MR. : I have to look at the roster -
11 I don't -.
12 MR. : Absolutely. Do you have
13 the rosters? Just when we ask some of these
14 questions, you might want to just be able to
15 kind of look at this to be able to kind of
16 refresh your memory.
17 MR. : Uh-huh.
18 MR. : And so, Special Agent
19 is giving you, or I will be giving you
20 the - one is going to be the duty assignment
21 roster from August 9th and the other one is
22 going to be from August 10th.
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : I'm sure you're familiar
25 with these.
EFTA00115922
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1 MR. : Uh-huh.
2 MR. : Sure. So you'll be able
3 to like if --
4 MR. : Uh-huh.
5 MR. : -- the SHU is towards the
6 bottom and then who was on duty. It'll show
7 you the Oeps, you know, the Oeps Lieutenant and
8 the Activities Lieutenant, so on and so forth.
9 All right. So, it says, "Every SHU inmate has
10 an associated 292 form as long as they are in
11 the SHU population."
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : "Once they rotate to
14 another population, the form is invalid and no
15 longer exists." Now, what does that mean? Do
16 we—they destroy the forms?
17 MR. : No. So what happens is, okay,
18 the way the program operates is, once you come
19 out of the SHU program, like say for instance,
20 if you key to suicide watch area, your original
21 form, or whatever form, is, if it didn't get
22 printed, if there's a form there, but that
23 stops, the time stops.
24 MR. : You mean they create a
25 new form for every housing unit you go into is
EFTA00115923
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1 what you're saying.
2 MR. : No. Only 292s are in the
3 Special Housing Unit, it's not
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : -- in general population.
6 MR. : Okay. So is there --
7 MR. : So
8 MR. : -- one in suicide watch
9 and -.
10 MR. : No.
11 MR. : No.
12 MR. : On suicide watch, there's
13 booklets and there's - it says, namcs ofthere's
14 a form where it shows, did the inmate eat? Did
15 the inmate, you know, get a shower? Like that.
16 MR. : Okay. But what does it
17 mean when it says that they wrote, "Once they
18 rotate to another population the form is
19 invalid and no longer exists?" Are they
20 referring -.
21 MR. : Is not in the program. They're
22 not in the program so I cannot -.
23 MR. : It doesn't continue.
24 MR. : It doesn't continue, yeah.
25 MR. : But it doesn't, like, get
EFTA00115924
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1 destroyed, it remains
2 MR. : No.
3 MR. : -- in their file.
4 MR. : If it gets printed.
5 MR. : But it -.
6 MR. : But, like, say - once they come
7 off the SHU program, right? I mean, you could
8 go back and see if the individual was there.
9 But once they come off the program, I cannot
10 create a document for you.
11 MR. : Sure. So are the
12 documents maintained electronically?
13 MR. : It's a program, so I don't - as
14 long as you in the SHU program, in the roster,
15 because SENTRY and BectBER—BOPWare (Chonctic
16 Cp. *00:20:13) talk to each other. Right? And
17 so what happens is if a person is keyed into
18 SHU, there's a little box you have to press.
19 MR. : Uh-huh.
20 MR. : In BOTLEERBOPWare, and it's
21 timestamped. So, once that person is there, it
22 creates an AD order, administrative detention
23 order. Once that administrative detention
24 order is set, the Lieutenant writes in there
25 why the individual was placed in Special
EFTA00115925
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1 Housing --
2 MR. : Uh-huh.
3 MR. : -- has to be a reason. If that
4 form is not filled out, the Captain gets an
5 email from the region saying there's a blank AD
6 order in here, right? So I used to go in there
7 and look every morning to see if somebody,
8 whoever got placed in Special Housing to see
9 what the charges was or if that form was filled
10 out.
11 MR. : Okay.
12 MR. : If that form wasn't filled out,
13 I look at the Lieutenant's log or I call the
14 Lieutenant, whoever, you know, "Why did this
15 inmate get locked up?" Normally when I do my
16 rounds, I ask the inmates, "Why are you up
17 here?" Some of them lie and they, "I don't
18 know why I'm up here," whatever. But then I
19 find out why they up there, then I know why.
20 It could be SIS investigation, it could be
21 because of a fight.
22 MR. : Sure.
23 MR. : It could be multiple reasons
24 why the AD order wasn't created. However, we
25 try to create and do the AD order to place the
EFTA00115926
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1 inmate so that he can have a 292 and he'd be on
2 the SHU report.
3 MR. : So what I'm asking though
4 is --
5 MR. : Uh-huh.
6 MR. : -- once it's created,
7 once they're there and once this 292 is
8 created, even if it's not printed out, is it
9 maintained in the system?
10 MR. : Yes.
11 MR. : And is it ever deleted?
12 MR. : No.
13 MR. : So that's what I'm
14 asking. So when this says, "Ceases to exist,"
15 I just want to make sure, is once they leave
16 the SHU, it's not deleted. It's still always
17 going to exist in a file.
18 MR. : I mean, long - you've got a
19 register number, you could go back, but I don't
20 know how long the program, you could go back
21 and forth to pull a 292.
22 MR. : Okay.
23 MR. : You know, once the person is
24 out of SHU. You know, some forms you can go
25 back and you can pull it.
EFTA00115927
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1 MR. : Okay.
2 MR. : But it'll stop at the day that
3 that person was released or, you know, placed
4 in another housing unit.
5 MR. : Okay. Now, people that
6 are in the SHU and gets placed in another
7 housing unit, the papers that were printed out,
8 what is done with those?
9 MR. : Those goes to the unit team.
10 MR. : Okay. So that goes, if
11 they went to a different housing unit, it goes
12
13 MR. : It goes to the --
14 MR. : -- to the unit.
15 MR. unit team and the mailbox,
16 their file, you know, it tells you on the
17 thing, "Copy to unit team for central file."
18 MR. : Okay.
19 MR. : And it goes into their -
20 supposed to go into their folder.
21 MR. : But it's not destroyed
22 either?
23 MR. : No.
24 MR. : Okay.
25 MR. : Huh-uh.
EFTA00115928
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 31
1 MR. : It says, "Medical
2 personnel visit the SHU twice a day for rounds
3 in the mornings and the evenings." And it that
4 every day?
5 MR. : Yes.
6 MR. : So - on weekends too?
7 MR. : Yes.
8 MR. : So medical personnel
9 visit the SHU two times a day, okay.
10 MR. : Two - twice per shift, yes.
11 MR. : Around when do they
12 usually show up? Is there -.
13 MR. : Depends. Sometimes they there
14 at, you know, 7 o'clock, 6 o'clock in the
15 morning and then, again, they come up after the
16 4 o'clock count or they might come up before
17 that.
18 MR. : Okay.
19 MR. : You know, when shift changes.
20 MR. : But they actually
21 participate in the rounds?
22 MR. : Yes.
23 MR. : Okay. regularly
24 audits 292 forms from the previous day." So
25 you'd be constantly seeing, making sure your
EFTA00115929
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 32
1 staff are doing what they're supposed to be
2 doing --
3 MR. : Uh-huh.
4 MR. : -- with those forms?
5 Okay. advised that accountability of
6 inmates is important. He never caught anyone
7 intentionally not doing their job. also
8 reviews round forms and searches for red flags.
9 These could be missing spaces, missing
10 signatures, etcetera. If caught,
11 approaches the individual and requests an
12 explanation." So have you ever caught someone
13 then not doing rounds or --
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : -- anyone that was
16 working on that day - on August 9th or 10th
17 that was working in the SHU? Did you ever have
18 to discuss this matter with any of those
19 individuals?
20 MR. : Naw.
21 MR. : There's no one in there
22 that you can - that were working on either day?
23 MR. : Not that I know of, no.
24 MR. : Okay. Can you think of
25 anyone that you did ever have to deal with for
EFTA00115930
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 not conducting rounds or counts?
2 MR. : On day watch, you know, we
3 would ask, "You're doing showers, we down
4 range, we doing this." It gots to get filled
5 out after, you know, that -.
6 MR. : But can you think of
7 anyone that you actually had to - that you
8 caught not doing it? Or I should say, your
9 last day at work was on August 8th. Who was
10 the last person you caught not (Indiccornible
11 *00:26:01)conducting rounds in the --
12 MR. : Oh, I don't remember.
13 MR. : SHU? You don't?
14 MR. : I don't remember.
15 MR. : Okay. That's fine.
16 MR. : No, sir.
17 MR. : But you don't believe it
18 was any of the people that were working?
19 MR. : No.
20 MR. : Okay. was the SHU
21 Lieutenant when Epstein was assigned. Epstein
22 wasn't originally in the SHU. advised
23 Epstein was in 10 South Lower."
24 MR. : Uh-huh.
25 MR. : "The population is for
EFTA00115931
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 inmates not on 10 South but high-profile."
2 Okay, so this is the first. There's two
3 different 10 Souths?
4 MR. : No. There's 10 South, then
5 there's 10 South Lower.
6 MR. : What's 10 South Lower?
7 I don't know -.
8 MR. : G Tier.
9 MR. : Okay.
10 MR. : All right? G Tier has four
11 cells where you can put high-profile or
12 terrorist inmates if 10 South is full.
13 MR. : Okay.
14 MR. : 10 South only holds a maximum
15 of six inmates.
16 MR. : So was he originally
17 going to go to 10
18 South then and was changed -.
19 MR. : Oh, I don't know.
20 MR. : So -.
21 MR. : When I got there, he was on G
22 Tier.
23 MR. : Okay. So I thought you
24 just said that 10 South Lower is for people
25 that were going if 10 South was full.
EFTA00115932
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 35
1 MR. : They can put you on the Tier,
2 but they put a lot of - they put disruptive
3 inmates on that tier.
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : So it's not up to me, it's up
6 to that shift Lieutenant.
7 MR. : Sure.
8 MR. : But, if the Captain or somebody
9 or, you know, the Warden or somebody, "Hey, put
10 that guy on G Tier and then that's where he's
11 going," that's where that individual will go.
12 That's where he will be housed if that
13 individual was disruptive or anything like
14 that.
15 MR. : And do you how long he
16 was on 10 South Lower approximately?
17 MR. : I don't know.
18 MR. : Was it a long time?
19 MR. : I don't know.
20 MR. : You don't know?
21 MR. : Like, when he - I guess, you
22 know, when he got there to the institution, he
23 was put on - he was on G Tier.
24 MR. : G Tier is 10 South Lower?
25 MR. : Yes.
EFTA00115933
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 36
1 MR. : Okay. Is 10 South Lower
2 similar to 10 South in the sense that it's one
3 inmate per cell?
4 MR. : Yes.
5 MR. : And are there cameras in
6 those -.
7 MR. : Yes.
8 MR. : All right, so it's set up
9 pretty much the same way as 10 South?
10 MR. : Yes.
11 MR. : So he was never placed in
12 the general population.
13 MR. : I don't think so.
14 MR. : Okay. So when he came
15 in, you believe he was first put on 10 South
16 Lower and then transferred to the SHU.
17 MR. : Yes.
18 MR. : Okay. And you had
19 oversight --
20 MR. : When -.
21 MR. : -- though -.
22 MR. : When - when -.
23 MR. : You have oversight over
24
25 MR. : When he was -.
EFTA00115934
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : -- 10 South.
2 MR. : When he was moved off of G
3 Tier, if that's the question you're asking me,
4 and placed with a bunkie, that didn't come from
5 me.
6 MR. : Sure. Who does - so, did
7 you supervise both 10 South, 10 South Lower and
8 the regular SHU?
9 MR. : Yeah, and the regular SHU, yes.
10 MR. : Okay. And is that all
11 the same --
12 MR. : That's all the same.
13 MR. : -- kind of unit?
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : Okay.
16 MR. : It's one big unit.
17 MR. : Okay.
18 MR. : Upstairs is a separate unit
19 because it's not on - only unit that's 10 South
20 Lower is in the Special Housing Unit.
21 MR. : Okay. So that's
22 MR. : It's on the Special Housing
23 Unit count.
24 MR. : So your understanding
25 though is Epstein was always somewhere in that
EFTA00115935
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 unit, in 10 - the SHU unit.
2 MR. : Yes.
3 MR. : Whether lower or just
4 regular SHU.
5 MR. : Yes.
6 MR. : Okay.
7 MR. : I got a - just one
8 MR. : Uh-huh.
9 MR. : You just mentioned - you said
10 that the G Tier, the 10 South Lower, is always
11 part of the SHU count.
12 MR. : Yes.
13 MR. : So is that ZA or ZS?
14 MR. : ZA.
15 MR. : ZA. Okay.
16 MR. : Uh-huh.
17 MR. : ZA or -.
18 MR. : ZB is 10 South.
19 MR. : So ZA was the whole
20 thing.
21 MR. : No.
22 MR. : Oh, can we have you look
23 at these counts then, just for clarification?
24 MR. : It should be - look - if you
25 look at - if you pull up the document for the
EFTA00115936
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 El that you just flipped by.
2 MR. : Yeah.
3 MR. : Okay? You look at the El, it
4 got ZA and ZB. ZB has the shorter count.
5 MR. : So ZA says - so I'm
6 looking at the count from 8/9/2015, the time on
7 it shows 1541, so I guess it's the 3:00 p.m.
8 There is no 3:00 p.m.
9 MR. : 4:00 p.m.
10 MR. : 4:00 p.m. count?
11 MR. : Yeah. That was actually when
12 it was created.
13 MR. : It shows for ZA, there
14 were 75, for ZB it says 5.
15 MR. : Yes. ZB is always shorter.
16 MR. : So what I was saying,
17 isn't the 75 count the entire SHU?
18 MR. : It's ZA.
19 MR. : Not -.
20 MR. : It's not - 10 South is not
21 included because 10 South is a separate unit.
22 MR. : Right.
23 MR. : The G Tier is part of ZA --
24 MR. : Correct.
25 MR. : -- not ZB.
EFTA00115937
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 40
1 MR. : So that's what we were
2 asking --
3 MR. : Yes, yes.
4 MR. : -- is that ZA - the 10
5 South Lower is incorporated with the whole of
6 the regular SHU.
7 MR. : ZA, yes.
8 MR. : And ZB is just 10 South.
9 MR. : Yes.
10 MR. : Right. "Epstein was
11 assigned to cell 201 in the SHU. During their
12 first - okay, is that correct?
13 MR. : I guess. I don't know.
14 MR. : "During their first
15 encounter, Epstein asked , `Am I going to
16 get out of here?' remembers Epstein
17 frequenting the attorney conference area for
18 long periods of time." Is it true that at
19 almost - while he was assigned to the SHU was
20 just about every day he was in the - he would
21 go to the attorney area?
22 MR. : Yes.
23 MR. : Okay. advised that
24 at one point during the beginning at a meeting
25 with MCC Executive Management, they wanted to
EFTA00115938
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 house Epstein with a bunkie. doesn't
2 recall exactly who requested this action,
3 however, he remembers they were trying to
4 identify an inmate. Ultimately, they decided
5 to house Epstein with Tartaglione. wasn't
6 asked for his input and followed Executive
7 Management orders. There was an instant on
8 7/23/2019 between the two but it didn't occur
9 on shift. He heard about it the next
10 day. Lieutenant completed the 583
11 packet which includes memos and photos
12 resulting from the incident." So although you
13 weren't there, were you familiar with what
14 happened or had -.
15 MR. : I'm a Lieutenant, so I have to
16 know.
17 MR. : So were - did you hear
18 anything about him either trying to commit
19 suicide or his cell mate attempting to kill
20 him?
21 MR. : I don't recall.
22 MR. : So what is it that you
23 recall from it?
24 MR. : I just know I - you know, you
25 read in this day chart that he tried to hang
EFTA00115939
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 42
1 himself and I looked at the 583, I looked at
2 the pictures, saw the pictures.
3 MR. : So your understanding --
4 MR.
5 MR. : -- was that he tried to
6 hang himself.
7 MR. : Yes.
8 MR. : Had you -.
9 MR. : And his bunkie, you know,
10 guess called out or whatever. They went -
11 they, you know, Lieutenant or
12 whatever, she did what she had to do. He was
13 on suicide watch the next day and, you know,
14 that was pretty much it.
15 MR. : And what -.
16 MR. : You know, I don't recall
17 everything, you know, it's - I - you read it
18 briefly, but I was -.
19 MR. : So, do you know what
20 happened with his cell mate? Did he remain in
21 the SHU?
22 MR. : Yeah.
23 MR. : Did he get placed with
24 another cell mate?
25 MR. : Oh, I don't remember.
EFTA00115940
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 43
1 MR. : Are inmates in the SHU
2 required to have cellmates when they're in the
3 SHU?
4 MR. : Yes. However, there's
5 exceptions because some of them you can't house
6 them with nobody.
7 MR. : And is that because they
8 would get harmed if they were housed with
9 someone?
10 MR. : Yes.
11 MR. : And is that what - is
12 that part of what 10 South Lower is for or is
13 that - it's just regular SHU, the inmates know?
14 MR. : Just like some have on their
15 door, "Housing rec alone," because they could
16 have multiple SAMDsteps. Some of them, you
17 know, they could be fear for their life. You
18 always, you know, you have that, but we try to
19 bunk up everybody.
20 MR. : All right, so aside from
21 these special exceptions, inmates are supposed
22 to have -.
23 MR. : Yeah, we try to bunk everybody
24 up. Yeah.
25 MR. : Now is that policy or
EFTA00115941
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 44
1 just a decision that was made?
2 MR. : No, that's something that, you
3 know, from when I started at the Bureau, we did
4 that, because once you knew individuals receive
5 - you can't - policy states that you're not
6 supposed to have an AD, Administrative
7 Detention person and a person that's under
8 disciplinary segregation together, housed
9 together. It's supposed to be separate.
10 MR. : Okay.
11 MR. : That's the policy that they
12 that's 5270, you know, point whatever the new
13 number is, 9 or 10, right, the SHU program
14 statement. When Psychology says that this
15 person tried to harm themselves, we make sure
16 that they have to have a bunkie. So, you know,
17 they have a companion or somebody in there that
18 they could talk to so that, you know, they
19 don't feel despondent, you know. SHU is a
20 place, you know, if you don't check on these
21 inmates, you know, they're going to remind you.
22 MR. : Right.
23 MR. : So, you know, you've got to
24 make rounds, you've got to check on - be
25 checking on these inmates. You've got to be
EFTA00115942
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 seeing what they're doing, you know. T-
2 tough place.
3 MR. : Yeah.
4 MR. : You know.
5 MR. : So, inmates that aren't a
6 special situation should have a cell mate and
7 especially inmates that are coming back from
8 suicide watch --
9 MR. : Yes.
10 MR. : -- they, in particular,
11 should have a
12 MR. . Te—Should have a cell mate.
13 Yeah.
14 MR. : Okay. It says, "
15 recalls interaction with Epstein on watch
16 Epstein stated, `I don't want to be here and
17 I'm going to hurt myself.'" He said that to
18 you?
19 MR. : I don't recall saying that.
20 MR. : All right. So again, it
21 says, " recalls interacting with Epstein on
22 watch. Epstein stated, `I don't want to be
23 here and I'm going to hurt myself.'"
24 MR. : I'm -.
25 MR. : You don't believe that's
EFTA00115943
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 46
1 accurate?
2 MR. : I'm not going to hurt myself.
3 MR. : Oh, not going to hurt -.
4 MR. : Oh, no, sorry, "I'm not -
5
6 MR. : Okay.
7 MR. : -- going to hurt myself."
8 MR. : I don't remember him saying
9 that.
10 MR. : So, okay, so did he say
11 that, "I don't want to be here and I'm not
12 going to hurt myself?"
13 MR. : Yeah, he said that to me.
14 MR. : He did tell you that?
15 MR. : Yeah.
16 MR. : Okay.
17 MR. : But a lot of inmates say that,
18 you know, "Oh, I'm not going to hurt myself."
19 They look you right in your face and like,
20 "Yeah, and those markings on your neck say
21 something totally different."
22 MR. : So would have that --
23 MR. : But -.
24 MR. : -- would have he said
25 this to you after he came back from suicide
EFTA00115944
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 watch --
2 MR. : Yeah.
3 MR. the second time
4 MR. : Yeah.
5 MR. I'm assuming?
6 MR. : I mean, because I escorted him
7 to attorney conference, you know, I'm the one
8 I had interactions with him, you know, he
9 talked to me or whatever, you know. No special
10 privileges, you know. But I treated him like I
11 treat anybody else, as a decent human being.
12 MR. : Okay. Was he telling you
13 this though so that he wouldn't be housed with
14 another inmate?
15 MR. : I don't think that.
16 MR. : Did he want to get of the
17 SHU?
18 MR. : Yes, he wanted to get out of
19 SHU.
20 MR. : And where did he want to
21 go?
22 MR. : He wanted to go, I guess, to
23 general population.
24 MR. : Did he ever say that
25 that's where he wanted to go?
EFTA00115945
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : Yeah.
2 MR. : He did?
3 MR. : Uh-huh.
4 MR. : He said he wanted to go
5 to general pop?
6 MR. : Uh-huh.
7 MR. : Okay. It says, "
8 also remembers feeding Epstein. The BOP
9 psychologist said that Epstein must be housed
10 with a cell mate when he returned to the SHU."
11 And this is after the July 23rd incident?
12 MR. : Yes.
13 MR. : Okay. So, he came back
14 to the SHU, do you recall, around like July
15 30th?
16 MR. : When he - whatever day he came
17 back to the SHU, he came back.
18 MR. : And then that --
19 MR. : And -.
20 MR. : -- around that date is
21 when the psychologist said he's got to be
22 housed with a cell mate?
23 MR. : Yes.
24 MR. : Okay. provided
25 cell mate recommendations but they were still
EFTA00115946
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 49
1 deciding on an individual when left the
2 institution that night. called to ensure
3 that he received a bunkie. BOP decision makers
4 chose Efrain Reyes."
5 MR. : Yes.
6 MR. : remembers Epstein
7 requesting to make a phone call to his
8 daughter. doesn't do phone calls because
9 he is unaware of every inmates restricted
10 contact list."
11 MR. : Yeah. I don't make phone
12 calls.
13 MR. : Okay.
14 MR. : That's the unit team.
15 MR. : All right. We're going
16 to go back to Reyes.
17 MR. : Or if somebody tells me I have
18 to make it directly - my direct supervisor
19 says, "Hey, give this guy a telephone call,"
20 then that's something totally different.
21 MR. : All right. So after - so
22 you said around July 30 --
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : -- 2019, you were
25 informed by psychology, " needs a cell
EFTA00115947
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 mate," correct?
2 MR. needs a cell mate?
3 MR. : No, sorry, "Epstein needs
4 a cell mate."
5 MR. : Yeah. They sent an email,
6 something or -.
7 MR. : Right. And -.
8 MR. : I know the Captain and the
9 warden, they was like, "He has to have a cell
10 mate."
11 MR. : And told you that?
12 MR. : Yeah.
13 MR. : And then what did you do
14 with that information? Did you provide it to
15 everybody that work in the SHU?
16 MR. : Yes.
17 MR. : All right, now, can you
18 tell me a little bit about how did the people
19 that work in the SHU know that Epstein was
20 required to have a cell mate?
21 MR. : Okay. I passed it on to my
22 OIC, which was
23 MR. : And can you - do you know
24 how to spell that name? It might be on there.
25 MR. : It's - I do know how to
EFTA00115948
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 spell it, he's my friend.
I --
3 MR. : Is it
4 MR. :
5 MR. : Is it
6 MR. : Yeah, something like that,
7 yeah.
8 MR. : Okay. So,
9 MR. : I don't know the spelling for
10 sure.
11 MR.
12 MR. : I should know how to spell his
13 name, I just got brain fart.
14 MR. : Okay. So if you told
15 him, did you tell anyone else directly?
16 MR. : No, I spoke to him. He's the
17 one that, you know, he was on the desk.
18 MR. : And then, did you inform
19 others though that were in there, that, A,
20 Epstein needs a bunk mate? Cell mate? I mean,
21 not talking about this a special time, I'm just
22 saying like, were they aware?
23 MR. : I spoke to him. If I call you,
24 then you pass along that information. I spoke
25 to , he wrote it down, I verified it.
EFTA00115949
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 The next day when I came to work, he had a
2 bunkie.
3 MR. : Yeah, yeah.
4 MR. : The bunkie was there and we had
5 postings up around, "This individual needs a
6 bunkie."
7 MR. : Okay. Great. Can you
8 speak to me a little about that?
9 MR. : Okay.
10 MR. : You said there were
11 postings within the SHU that -.
12 MR. : On the door, on the desk, on
13 the OIC desk, there was - I believe there was
14 postings that he was supposed to have a bunkie.
15 MR. : So on the OI
16 MR. : It was written.
17 MR. : On the OIC desk, there
18 was a - or what door was there a sign?
19 MR. : On his cell door.
20 MR. : So Epstein's cell door,
21 there was a posting saying, "Epstein is
22 required to have a cell mate?"
23 MR. : Yes.
24 MR. : Okay. And do you know
25 who - if that - did that remain up until you
EFTA00115950
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 left on August 8th?
2 MR. : No, because he was on suicide
3 watch. Then it was taken off. He was placed
4 with Reyes, and was in the cell, so I don't
5 recall - after I left that day, I don't know
6 what, you know - everything was in place.
7 MR. : Yeah, no, what I'm saying
8 is that prior to leaving, I'm wondering if the
9 people that worked in the SHU, because
10 obviously as you know Reyes left on the 9th and
11 you weren't there.
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : But did the people that
14 were in there - I want to know if the people
15 who were in the SHU
16 MR. : My crew, whoever worked - we
17 had a skinless crew. You could see who worked
18 day watch.
19 MR. : Sure.
20 MR. : Right? You can see who worked
21 evening watch. Okay? The people that were
22 there August 9th, I can't, you know, vouch for.
23 Okay? But everybody knew that was part of the
24 SHU crew --
25 MR. : Okay. So can you look at
EFTA00115951
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1
2 MR. : -- and not everybody on this
3 list was, you know, is - these is fill ins.
4 It's not their assigned post.
5 MR. : So can you tell me who on
6 the SHU day watch crew of August 9th, who was a
7 regular and who would have known that he was
8 required to have a cell mate?
9 MR. was there, he knows.
10 He worked - he was SHU 3. knew, he was
11 Rec Specialist. knew.
12 MR. : Who is
13 MR. , he's the number one.
14 MR. : So who then on that
15 didn't know? Or you don't know if they know.
16 MR. : I don't know. I mean,
17 everybody - once the OIC knows and the crew,
18 everybody -.
19 MR. : So is it kind of like the
20 military? You're the officer, you tell your
21 head Sergeant, "Make sure everybody knows
22 this," that Sergeant is then therefore
23 responsible for telling everyone else?
24 MR. : Yes.
25 MR. : So, do you recall having
EFTA00115952
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 55
1 conversations with these people as well though?
2 MR. : No, because they don't -
3 everybody -.
4 MR. : So it's
5 MR. : I spoke - the datc day that he
6 was required to have a bunkie, I spoke to
7
8 MR. : Sure.
9 MR. took care of it from
10 there. All I know, when I came in, I checked,
11 he had a bunkie, that was it.
12 MR. : And I understand this.
13 But what -.
14 MR. : And so, I cannot explain for
15 another shift. I cannot explain - only could
16 tell what did. I don't know what anybody
17 else did after I left. I don't know. I cannot
18 answer that.
19 MR. : Right. So like you were
20 saying, he was housed with a bunkie on July
21 30th. What we're asking is that between July
22 30th and between August 9th, the days that you
23 were there, were you conversing with these
24 people to remind them that he was required to
25 have a cell -.
EFTA00115953
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 56
1 MR. : It wasn't nothing to talk about
2 because everybody knew. He wasn't by his self,
3 so he has a bunkie so -.
4 MR. : Right. But isn't it true
5 that the - at the MCC, inmates are constantly
6 coming in and out? It's more of a jail than a
7 prison?
8 MR. : Yes. But one thing don't have
9 nothing to do with - if we're working every day
10 together, I don't - why am I keep telling you
11 the same thing every day? I don't have to tell
12 you your job to what you're supposed to do
13 every day. I've got to keep reminding you to
14 feed? I have a billion other things to do.
15 MR. : But - but -.
16 MR. : So what you're saying to me,
17 cannot answer that because I don't know.
18 MR. : So, what we're asking is
19 did you have conversations with anyone on those
20 other days about the reminder that Epstein is
21 required to have a cell mate?
22 MR. : I had a conversation with the
23 crew and I don't keep repeating myself. He has
24 a bunkie. Every day I come in, I check, he's
25 got a bunkie. What is there to talk about? If
EFTA00115954
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 it's way down -.
2 MR. : What we're asking is -.
3 MR. : I don't know - I don't under-.
4 MR. : You're saying that you
5 had a conversation with the one man who was the
6 Officer in Charge. What I'm asking you is, did
7 you have a conversation with anyone else aside
8 from him? Between July 30th and August 9th,
9 did you have any conversations
10 MR. : I don't recall.
11 MR. : -- with anyone --
12 MR. : I don't recall.
13 MR. : -- other than the Officer
14 in Charge.
15 MR. : I don't recall.
16 MR. : Okay. So you said that
17 there was a sticky that was on the door. Was
18 the sticky only on the door on July 30th or did
19 it remain on the door from July 30th to August
20 8th?
21 MR. : It remained up there, it was on
22 the desk.
23 MR. : Okay.
24 MR. : A big sign that said, "Epstein
25 is supposed to have a bunkie," on the desk, on
EFTA00115955
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 58
1 the officer's station.
2 MR. : And that stayed on there
3 throughout -.
4 MR. : I guess, I don't know. It -
5 all I know, when I left, everything was in
6 place. I'm not there right now. Things could
7 change. I don't know. I cannot answer that.
8 MR. : What Agent is
9 asking is -.
10 MR. : Where were you sitting
11 when you were in the SHU? Is there a special
12 place for you?
13 MR. : I sit in like on next to 10
14 South.
15 MR. : Okay. So are you not
16 with the correctional officers?
17 MR. : No.
18 MR. : All right. And how -.
19 MR. : I come down, I make rounds.
20 MR. : So you're not sure if -
21 so you know that on July 30th there was this
22 Posted It =note saying that Epstein required a
23 cell --
24 MR. : Yes.
25 MR. : -- cell mate. Are what
EFTA00115956
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 59
1 you're saying is that you don't know if that
2 sticky note stayed on that after he was issued
3 some -.
4 MR. : It was there when I was up
5 there on the 8th.
6 MR. : That was my question.
7 Okay.
8 MR. : Yeah. It was something was
9 written --
10 MR. : So -.
11 MR. : -- that Epstein should have a
12 bunkie. It was something on the desk, yes,
13 there was something there.
14 MR. : And that was the
15 question.
16 MR. : On the 8th.
17 MR. : So, on August - so from
18 July 30th basically to August 8th there was
19 something on the desk saying, "Epstein is
20 required to have a cell mate."
21 MR. : Yes.
22 MR. : Perfect.
23 MR. : Oh, okay.
24 MR. : Okay. And is that the
25 same thing for the sticky that was on the door?
EFTA00115957
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : I don't recall.
2 MR. : The door your don't
3 recall. That's fine.
4 MR. : Uh-huh.
5 MR. : Now, does everybody have
6 access to that desk? Would everyone
7 MR. : Yes.
8 MR. : -- that works in the SHU
9
10 MR. : Yes.
11 MR. : -- would they see?
12 MR. : Yes.
13 MR. : So everyone would see
14 that there's a sticky note --
15 MR. : Right there, yes.
16 MR. : -- right there on the
17 MR. : Uh-huh.
18 MR. Officer in Charge's
19 desk saying, "Epstein is required to have a
20 bunk mate."
21 MR. : Uh-huh.
22 MR. : Therefore, most everybody
23 in the SHU should know because they should see.
24 And now, are there a lot of sticky notes?
25 MR. : No.
EFTA00115958
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : So -.
2 MR. : That one, I think - I forget,
3 maybe it was done on colored paper. It was - I
4 know it was on the desk and it was on the
5 bulletin, you know --
6 MR. : Got a bulletin board?
7 MR. right there. Yeah.
8 MR. : Okay.
9 MR. : On, like on the wall, like
10 right there. It was there. So, but, like I
11 said, you know, up until the time I left,
12 don't know.
13 MR. : Yeah, I understand that
14 you don't --
15 MR. : And -.
16 MR. : -- know what happened --
17 MR. : And - and -.
18 MR. : -- after you left.
19 MR. : And the crews change, right?
20 We're very short on correctional workers.
21 We're very short. Sometimes it was just me up
22 there. I'm quite sure you all looked at all of
23 these rosters. Sometimes it was just me and
24 and
25 MR. : Sure. And I'm just
EFTA00115959
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 62
1 trying to get - I'm just trying to understand.
2 MR. : So, I don't remember
3 conversations, daily conversations that I had
4 with people every, you know, day. All right?
5 We knew, the Lieutenants knew, everybody knew,
6 you know, you come from suicide watch, you have
7 a bunkie.
8 MR. : Right. So is everybody
9 that's working the - should everyone that's
10 working in the SHU should they know that?
11 MR. : Yes.
12 MR. : Should everyone that was
13 working in the SHU known that - if Epstein's
14 cell mate was removed, he should be housed with
15 a bunkie?
16 MR. : Yes.
17 MR. : Right. Okay.
18 MR. : Yes.
19 MR. : So -.
20 MR. : But, however, you don't know if
21 he's been removed. We don't know.
22 MR. : Once it's told. So once
23 they find out Reyes is gone, he's not coming
24 back -.
25 MR. : He should have had a bunkie.
EFTA00115960
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 63
1 MR. And should have the SHU,
2 people that were working there known?
3 MR. : They know -
4 MR. : They knew, "We need to
5 tell the Lieutenant," - not you.
6 MR. : Yeah.
7 MR. : "We need to tell whoever
8 the Lieutenant is on duty, the Officc Ops
9 Lieutenant, the Activities Lieutenant," whoever
10 is their chain of command, "We've got to let
11 them know Reyes is gone, he needs a bunkie."
12 MR. : Yeah, he needs a bunkie, yeah.
13 MR. : Okay. So that's how it
14 should have happened and the people that were
15 there should have done that. And I'm not
16 saying that they didn't. I'm just asking if
17 that's what they should have done.
18 MR. : I guess. Yeah.
19 MR. Could those people that
20 were working in the SHU, did they have the
21 authority to be able to reassign Epstein a
22 bunkie?
23 MR. : Yes.
24 MR. : So -.
25 MR. : Until the next day or whatever,
EFTA00115961
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 64
1 yeah, everybody has - can do - any officer can
2 do that.
3 MR. : So even with Epstein,
4 they could have just put somebody in there?
5 MR. : No, you've got to check first.
6 MR. : So who --
7 MR. : You've got to -.
8 MR. : -- would have they
9 checked with?
10 MR. : You check and see if he - you
11 know, if he has a separation from this person,
12 you see if this person - you look at their file
13 and you look at
14 MR. : So they check in the
15 system to see if there's any kind of warnings
16 or --
17 MR. : Uh-huh.
18 MR. : -- issues -.
19 MR. : Predators or anything like
20 that.
21 MR. : Sure, but do they need to
22 check with a Lieutenant first before -.
23 MR. : No, they can check, any
24 officer, they have access.
25 MR. : Okay.
EFTA00115962
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 65
1 MR. : And if they don't, they should
2 call the Lieutenant and say, "Hey, LT, such and
3 such," yeah.
4 MR. : Okay. So were they - but
5 because I'm assuming as you know, and I don't
6 think we discussed this, that - oh, we did.
7 The inmates that were with Epstein were vetted
8 by the high, you know --
9 MR. : The higher-ups, yes.
10 MR. : -- the Warden, the
11 Captain --
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : -- and possibly --
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : -- the Regional Director.
16 So even though those were vetted, could have
17 the SHU correction officers, or at least
18 temporarily, placed Epstein with a different
19 inmate?
20 MR. : Yeah.
21 MR. : They could have still
22 done that? And they would have been
23 authorized? Okay. They wouldn't have had to
24 check with the Office Lieutenant, say, "Get
25 with the Captain."
EFTA00115963
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 66
1 MR. : I mean, I would have did it.
2 MR. : Okay.
3 MR. : That's what my - if he needed a
4 bunkie --
5 MR. : Uh-huh.
6 MR. or he would have been -
7 somebody would have been watching him, that's
8 just me, but I'm different, you know. I do,
9 you know, I'm a forward thinker, so like I
10 said, I wasn't there.
11 MR. : Right. And being a
12 forward thinker though, and that's where I was
13 asking, do you recall
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : having conversations,
16 "Hey guys, you know, you have to -" - you
17 already said that there was the note that
18 (Indiscernible *00:52:25).
19 MR. : But everybody knows you come
20 from suicide watch - if that's the question
21 you're asking me - you come from suicide watch,
22 you have to have a bunkie.
23 MR. : And does that last for a
24 certain amount of time? So for instance, he
25 came from suicide watch on July 30th.
EFTA00115964
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : Uh-huh.
2 MR. : And -.
3 MR. : Only up until you leave Special
4 Housing, you need to have a bunkie.
5 MR. : Okay. So it -.
6 MR. : Unless, it's special extreme
7 circumstances, right, where you cannot have a
8 bunkie, then we put you in a hard cell, okay?
9 MR. : But in Epstein's
10 situation. Epstein, he came from suicide
11 watch, he doesn't have any special --
12 MR. : He doesn't.
13 MR. : -- circumstances.
14 MR. : Right? So -.
15 MR. : So everybody knew that
16 MR. : So -.
17 MR. : -- he should have had a
18 bunkie.
19 MR. : Everybody should have known,
20 yeah.
21 MR. : Okay.
22 MR. : Because that's BOP policy. You
23 come from suicide watch, you have a bunkie.
24 MR. : Okay.
25 MR. : Yeah.
EFTA00115965
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : So not only did
2 psychology send out an email, like you stated -
3
4 MR. : Uh-huh.
5 MR. : -- saying that he was
6 required to have a bunkie, it's also policy
7 that they have a bunkie?
8 MR. : Yeah. That's from me walking
9 in the door, you know, you come from suicide
10 watch, you have a bunkie.
11 MR. : Okay. It says, "
12 informed -."
13 MR. : So you can write that down, you
14 know, I mean, you know.
15 MR. : No, no, I'm just - that's for
16
17 MR. : Yeah.
18 MR. : -- me, right --
19 MR. : Yeah.
20 MR. : -- for us to go check on it.
21 MR. : Uh-huh.
22 MR. : You wouldn't happen to know
23 the policy off-hand, would you?
24 MR. : No.
25 MR. : (Indiscernible *00:53:43).
EFTA00115966
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : That's psychology.
2 MR. : Okay.
3 MR. : You know.
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : You can ask psychology. But,
6 all I know from the trainings and the things
7 that I've been in, you come from suicide watch,
8 you have to have a bunkie. That was from when
9 I joined the Bureau.
10 MR. : Okay. So you actually
11 address this later, now on this next paragraph.
12 It says, " informed his direct
13 subordinate," and this is the Officer in
14 Charge.
15 MR. : Uh-huh.
16 MR. : Can you pronounce his
17 name?
18 MR.
19 MR. that Epstein
20 needed another bunkie. They were short-staffed
21 that day." And I'm assuming this is July 30th
22
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : -- 2019.
25 replied with, I got it.'" Does he call
EFTA00115967
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 you III?
2 MR. : Uh-huh.
3 MR. : Okay. "The next morning,
4 he had a bunkie. Inmates receive bunkies when
5 they come off suicide watch. It's common
6 practice in BOP. This is clearly communicated
7 in suicide watch training. It's posted
8 throughout the area and it's also institutional
9 knowledge."
10 MR. : Correct.
11 MR. : Okay. So everybody
12 should have known.
13 MR. : Yes.
14 MR. : "Epstein had a bunkie on
15 8/8/2019. is unaware of anything other
16 than that because he wasn't working. Reyes was
17 Epstein's bunkie when left work. Epstein
18 was down in an attorney conference as well.
19 communicated the message regarding a
20 bunkie to . He didn't speak to anyone
21 else about it because he expected to
22 disseminate it to his subordinates. There were
23 no other emails or communications regarding the
24 matter. The message was spread by word of
25 mouth." Aside from what you said, there was
EFTA00115968
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 actually a Post It note on
2 MR. : Yeah, but that's - the way
3 you're reading that, is like after, on the 8th,
4 right, he had a bunkie and then didn't
5 tell nobody, you know, I'm just - that's not
6 correct. That's incorrect.
7 MR. : No, no, no, so it --
8 MR. : You could -.
9 MR. : -- says that you said
10 that he was to disseminate it to his
11 subordinates. It says - so what it means, I
12 think that --
13 MR. : When he first -.
14 MR. : -- and I didn't write
15 this.
16 MR. : Yeah. When he first - when the
17 first - when we found out that he have to have
18 a bunkie, when it was told to us, that's when I
19 spoke to
20 MR. : Okay.
21 MR. : And from that point on, he had
22 a bunkie.
23 MR. : Right. So what they
24 wrote then next - and again, we didn't write
25 this.
EFTA00115969
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : Yeah.
2 MR. : That's why we're here --
3 MR. : Uh-huh.
4 MR. : -- to make sure that we
5 got everything right.
6 MR. : Uh-huh.
7 MR. : It says, "There were no
8 other emails or communications regarding the
9 matter." So I think what they mean is, you
10 didn't send out an email to anyone --
11 MR. : No, because -.
12 MR. : -- and you didn't
13 communicate with anyone else about it?
14 MR. : No, because when I found out
15 about it, it was on the phone.
16 MR. : Okay. So you're talking
17 about on 8/8. Okay. So you're saying
18 MR. : On -.
19 MR. : So -.
20 MR. : What you mean, on 8/8? No, I'm
21 not talking about 8/8. I'm talking about prior
22 to 8/8.
23 MR. : July 30th.
24 MR. : That's prior to. On 8/8 he had
25 a bunkie, so it was nothing for me to pass down
EFTA00115970
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 because he had a bunkie.
2 MR. : Yeah, I thought that's
3 why you - that's what you were talking about
4 there was -.
5 MR. : No. It could - no.
6 MR. : Even those communications
7 regarding the matter
8 MR. : No.
9 MR. : -- after 8 -.
10 MR. : They was talking about leading
11 up to.
12 MR. : All right. So what --
13 MR. : So, don't --
14 MR. : -- you're saying -.
15 MR. : -- don't get it twisted,
16 because that's not --
17 MR. : So, I
18 MR. : -- that's not how it's supposed
19
20 MR. : I was giving you --
21 MR. : -- to be read.
22 MR. : -- the benefit of the
23 doubt.
24 MR. : Yeah.
25 MR. : I was saying that you
EFTA00115971
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 74
1 didn't have any other emails, communications
2 regarding the matter after - from 8/8 to 8/9.
3 MR. : Well, I'm not.
4 MR. : So what you're saying is,
5 "No, no, no, I didn't have any communications
6 with him about it at all," from July 30th to
7 8/9?
8 MR. : After I left on the 8th, he had
9 a bunkie.
10 MR. : And that's what I'm
11 saying.
12 MR. : Yes, he had a bunkie.
13 MR. : Yep.
14 MR. : So, it was - what else is there
15 to talk about? He has a bunkie. So, if he
16 doesn't have a bunkie, right, he should have a
17 bunkie. I wasn't there those other days, so
18 don't know.
19 MR. : Can I ask a question?
20 MR. : Yeah.
21 MR. : The instructions you gave
22 was it the day that Epstein came back
23 from suicide watch?
24 MR. : Yes.
25 MR. : And that would be July 30th,
EFTA00115972
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 just --
2 MR. : Yes.
3 MR. : -- according to the data.
4 MR. : Yes.
5 MR. : Past that date, right, you
6 already mentioned past that date, did you have
7 any individual conversations with anyone or
8 send any emails from July 30th to August 8th,
9 your last day?
10 MR. : No, because
11 MR. : Okay.
12 MR. : -- psychology sent out the
13 email. Why am I - people don't even read their
14 emails. So, emails - if it's not documented,
15 it's not out, how are you going to know? What
16 if you don't have access to your computer? A
17 lot of people don't have access to their
18 computers. They say, "Oh, I left my Ply card
19 at home. Oh, can I get an override?" You have
20 some Lieutenants that can't even give
21 overrides.
22 MR. : I got -.
23 MR. : I wasn't there.
24 MR. : I get -.
25 MR. : So I don't know.
EFTA00115973
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 76
1 MR. : You said psychology
2 sent out the instructions.
3 MR. : Yeah.
4 MR. : You -.
5 MR. : Psychology sent the email out.
6 MR. : So -.
7 MR. : On July 30th, correct.
8 MR. : Or whenever they sent it out.
9 You all have the email, you have all of that
10 documentation.
11 MR. : Did you get any verbal
12 instructions from anyone above you about this?
13 MR. : Yeah, from the Captains.
14 spoke to
15 MR. : And what did the Cap- what
16 did tell you exactly?
17 MR. : He said, "Hold on, the Warden
18 wants to make sure that he has a bunkie." So i
19 stayed there past my time, or whatever, to make
20 sure, you know, that he had a bunkie and when
21 they vetted whoever they vetted, and they said,
22 you know, what it was going to be, that's when
23 I spoke to , he said, "I got it." He
24 said, "The Warden, I spoke to them, I got it,
25 got you." That's it. And the next day I came
EFTA00115974
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 he had a bunkie.
2 MR. : And you said that back - you
3 relayed that information back to
4 MR. knew, he was there.
5 MR. : Okay. Did give you
6 any other instructions along with, "Hey, make
7 sure he has a bunkie." Did he tell you, "Hey,
8 listen, let me know if this inmate gets moved?"
9 MR. : No.
10 MR. : Did he -.
11 MR. : If he - if the inmate got
12 removed from the cell, I wouldn't know. But I
13 wasn't there so I cannot answer that question.
14 MR. : No, no, but I
15 MR. : So this is the point of
16 our conversation, you weren't there so we need
17 to know, who knew what.
18 MR. : I -.
19 MR. : Who knew -.
20 MR. : Who -.
21 MR. : Who knew about -.
22 MR. : The Captain knew --
23 MR. : Yes.
24 MR. : -- the Warden knew that he had
25 to have a bunkie. Psychology knew.
EFTA00115975
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 78
1 MR. : But unless - how are they
2 going to find out unless someone tells them?
3 MR. : And all of the officers knew
4 that Epstein is supposed to have a bunkie.
5 That's what you want to hear? That's what
6 everybody is supposed to have.
7 MR. : Exactly. And that's --
8 MR. : So -.
9 MR. : -- all we're asking about
10 is how did they know? You said that everyone
11 knew --
12 MR. : It was passed -.
13 MR. : -- per (Indiscernible
14 *00:59:54).
15 MR. : It was passed down. It was
16 sent - an email was sent out and -.
17 MR. : The email wasn't sent out
18 to correctional officers --
19 MR. : It was -.
20 MR. : -- it was sent out to
21 Lieutenants.
22 MR. : Yes. And I passed it - and it
23 was sent out I think to the - oh, is
24 on there? I don't know.
25 MR. : Okay. Let me look.
EFTA00115976
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 79
1 MR. : Is this the email you're
2 referring to from July 30, 2019? I think some
3 of the SHU people may - they're second to the
4 last or the last page. I think second - or the
5 page you're on now towards the bottom.
6 MR. : Uh-huh. So it wasn't just sent
7 to the Lieutenants, it was sent to supervising
8 staff.
9 MR. : Okay.
10 MR. : It was sent to staff.
11 MR. : SHU staff, correct?
12 MR. is on there as a SHU
13 staff person, he got it. And like I said,
14 people don't open their emails. You see how
15 many people did not - even thee Captain.
16 MR. : Right.
17 MR. : So, so hold on. What I'm
18 trying to explain to you is, it was spoken,
19 people knew that he was supposed to have a
20 bunkie.
21 MR. : So, again, the reason why
22 we're asking you the question, we understand
23 now that this - we have this email and we know
24 who got it.
25 MR. : I know why you're asking me the
EFTA00115977
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 question.
2 MR. : We're just asking what --
3 MR. : And - and -.
4 MR. : -- you're the SHU
5 Lieutenant, what conversations did you have
6 with the people in the SHU about it?
7 MR. : That Epstein is supposed to
8 have a bunkie.
9 MR. : And that's what we mean.
10 MR. : Yes.
11 MR. : So you actually spoke to
12 people?
13 MR. : Yes.
14 MR. : Because before you just
15 said basically you spoke to
16 MR. : I spoke to
17 specifically that he has a bunkie.
18 MR. : Right.
19 MR. : And then, when I'm at work, do
20 I talk to officers? Yes, he has to have a
21 bunkie.
22 MR. : So you told anybody
23 working in there, yeah.
24 MR. : Anybody that was working with
25 me on the days that I was working, knew that he
EFTA00115978
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 had to have a bunkie.
2 MR. : And because you told
3 them.
4 MR. : Because I told them.
5 MR. : Okay. So everybody on -.
6 MR. : And it was posted.
7 MR. : Perfect. And this is
8 what we're saying, you had verbal
9 communications with everyone saying, "Hey, man,
10 you guys know Epstein needs a bunkie."
11 MR. : Yes, but not on those two days
12 because I wasn't there.
13 MR. : Yeah, you didn't have
14 them on that day but the people that were
15 working there worked in the SHU prior to that
16 day.
17 MR. : If they worked with me, they
18 knew he had to have a bunkie, yes.
19 MR. : Okay. And that's where -
20 when we're looking at this, you weren't there,
21 so that's why we just need to know, these
22 people know. That's why we're talking about
23 this.
24 MR. : I don't - if they worked with
25 me, with whoever, I don't remember who - every
EFTA00115979
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 day it changes who - daily it changes.
2 MR. : Okay.
3 MR. : Some people are on overtime
4 working and I work. Okay? On the 8th, I
5 didn't work overtime. I went home. It was my
6 birthday. I went home. I wasn't supposed to
7 be there. I was supposed to be on vacation and
8 then I had military leave that weekend. I got
9 injured. So I don't know what you all are
10 trying to look for. I don't know what to tell
11 you. I don't know.
12 MR. : So we're not trying to say
13 like that - so, here's the thing. You spoke to
14 anyone who was on the shift. What's your
15 regular shift. Regular -.
16 MR. : 6:00 to 2:00.
17 MR. : So, what about any SHU
18 employees that comes on shift after you leave,
19 how would they have known?
20 MR. : The SHU 3 would know because _
21 would tell them, "Hey, yo, he need a bunkie,
22 Epstein would need a bunkie."
23 MR. : And they -.
24 MR. : And it's written.
25 MR. : How would it -.
EFTA00115980
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 83
1 MR. : We pass down - you pass down
2 information.
3 MR. : Okay. So, and then the
4 next paragraph is, " advised that
5 Correctional Officer Thomas and Corrections
6 Officer Noel know that inmates on suicide watch
7 are housed with a bunkie. If Epstein were
8 spotted alone in his cell, expressed that
9 it would have been reported to the shift
10 supervisor." Is that correct?
11 MR. : It should have been reported to
12 the shift -.
13 MR. : And both Noel and Thomas,
14 both, they should have known that Epstein was
15 required to have a bunkie.
16 MR. : Yeah.
17 MR. : Okay. And do you recall
18 - and we'll just talk about those two, do you
19 recall or do you know how they would have
20 known? Did you have -.
21 MR. : It would have been on the
22 computer.
23 MR. : Okay.
24 MR. : It would -.
25 MR. : And they would have
EFTA00115981
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : It would -.
2 MR. : -- been sitting at that
3 computer?
4 MR. : At that computer, it would have
5 been on the desk.
6 MR. : So would either of them
7 been sitting - so when someone is in the SHU,
8 especially if you're doing the shift that they
9 were where it's like 10:00 - I think it's like
10 midnight to 8:00 a.m. or 10:00 p.m. to 6:00
11 a.m.
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : Would have they been
14 sitting at that computer where the - it said
15 Epstein was required to have a bunkie?
16 MR. : Uh-huh.
17 MR. : Yes?
18 MR. : Yes.
19 MR. : Okay. Great. Thank you.
20 And it says, "If an inmate left WAB." What's
21 W-A-B?
22 MR. : W-A
23 MR. : With all belongings or
24 something?
25 MR. : Yeah, with - yeah, something to
EFTA00115982
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 that effect.
2 MR. : Okay. So, " would
3 still expect his corrections officers to notify
4 him of the vacancy." So, is that meaning that
5 being that Epstein left, would have you
6 expected that your officers had called you
7 while you were on leave and let you know?
8 MR. : No, they - you would notify a
9 supervisor. A supervisor has rights to the
10 roster. We know who is leaving and who is not.
11 MR. : Did you know that
12 Reyes was leaving?
13 MR. : No.
14 MR. : Is that normally cleared with
15 you the night before or -.
16 MR. : The court list is given out the
17 night before.
18 MR. : What time would it normally
19 come in?
20 MR. : After 4:00.
21 MR. : And he wasn't on the list.
22 MR. : I didn't see a court list.
23 MR. : Okay.
24 MR. : So I can't - you know, I was
25 gone.
EFTA00115983
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1 MR. : Should have they known
2 that he was going?
3 MR. : Huh?
4 MR. : I think, wasn't it the
5 judge that decided as opposed to him -.
6 MR. : Oh, I don't know.
7 MR. : Okay.
8 MR. : Because I wasn't there. I
9 don't know how he left the building. But,
10 inmates could go to court and not come back.
11 MR. : It says, " noted that
12 they were short staffed. also advised
13 that Corrections Officer Thomas didn't receive
14 the training." So Thomas didn't receive, I'm
15 assuming the quarterly -.
16 MR. : He works in another department.
17 MR. : So the quarterly
18 training?
19 MR. : Yeah, he works in another
20 department.
21 MR. : But do you still believe
22 he would have known that he was required to
23 have a cell mate?
24 MR. : I mean, he worked - I mean,
25 he's got more time than me in the Bureau.
EFTA00115984
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : Right.
2 MR. : So, you know, but he worked in
3 another department, you know. I can't account
4 for what they should or should not have done
5 I don't know.
6 MR. : Yeah. But do you believe
7 that as a correctional officer as well as being
8 that the fact that that's the (Indiscernible
9 *01:07:16) --
10 MR. : I'll put it to you this way.
11 If I'm on or in Special Housing, I'm making
12 rounds, I'm checking, I'm looking in every
13 cell, I'm making sure that everything is up to
14 nut. If I see something wrong, I'm going to
15 say something, I'm going to correct it. Okay?
16 That's me. I was an OIC before I was a SHU
17 Lieutenant. Okay? I was an officer first, so
18 - and I was a damn good one and I was a damn
19 good Lieutenant as well. So, I'm different
20 than - well, I take the job serious. Like I
21 said, my integrity is on the line at the end of
22 the day. Okay? I know how this operates. I
23 know how the Bureau operates. And that's why
24 the attorney said what he said. From the top
25 down, we're going to put everybody on notice
EFTA00115985
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1 and I understand this is an investigation, but
2 I was not there. I can't account for on Monday
3 morning quarterback, what anybody else does.
4 Only can speak on behalf what I did.
5 MR. : Yep. And that's why
6 we're just asking you about things that led up
7 to it.
8 MR. : Yeah. Things that led up to
9 everything was done right. He was alive --
10 MR. : Right.
11 MR. : -- when I was there.
12 MR. : And that's -.
13 MR. : He was alive when I left.
14 MR. : But being that you're the
15 Lieutenant, SHU supervisor, we wanted to just
16 know what conversations and what directions
17 were they provided prior to you -.
18 MR. : Everybody was given direction.
19 Okay? It was written, it was passed down to
20 the OIC when I got the word. When I got the
21 word, it was passed down and subsequently after
22 that, it was passed down to everybody that
23 worked. Not email, but mouth to mouth.
24 MR. : Great.
25 MR. : Okay? And it was written. So,
EFTA00115986
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1 when even stuff you can post this now, people
2 will look at it and still do whatever they
3 want.
4 MR. : Sure. Now who wrote it,
5 do you know?
6 MR. : Who wrote it?
7 MR. : Yeah.
8 MR. : I believe did.
9 MR. : Okay. So he's the one
10 who wrote it --
11 MR. : Yeah.
12 MR. : -- and put it on his
13 computer?
14 MR. : Uh-huh. And he made the signs
15 and everything.
16 MR. : And did he do it for his
17 own knowledge or did he do it so that everyone
18 would see?
19 MR. : So everybody knows.
20 MR. : Okay.
21 MR. : Just -.
22 MR. : So the purpose of it was
23 so that everyone --
24 MR. : So that everybody --
25 MR. : -- that worked in the SHU
EFTA00115987
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1
2 MR. : -- that came to Special Housing
3 knew.
4 MR. : Okay. Now when the SHU
5 conducts rounds --
6 MR. : Uh-huh.
7 MR. is there supposed to
8 be at leaste one Lieutenant per shift that
9 oversees a round conducted in the SHU?
10 MR. : You're supposed to watch a
11 count, yes.
12 MR. : A count, not a round?
13 MR. : A count.
14 MR. : Okay. So, at least - so
15 you do it. You're there on a day watch. Is it
16 also like on the, you know, the morning watch
17 and the night watch?
18 MR. : This is what happens. In SHU,
19 right, in Special Housing, every shift, every
20 Operations Lieutenant is supposed to go to
21 Special Housing and make a round.
22 MR. : Even during day watch.
23 MR. : Even during day watch.
24 MR. : And was that happening?
25 MR. : Yeah.
EFTA00115988
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. Okay. So when you
2 MR. : I mean, if I'm day watch
3 operations, I make a round. But it depends
4 because if - it depends on who is in SHU.
5 Like, I was the SHU Lieutenant, sometimes Ops
6 Lieutenants didn't come upstairs because I was
7 upstairs.
8 MR. : Okay.
9 MR. : It's my house. So, the next
10 Lieutenant will come upstairs. So I was
11 assigned for day watch because I was there,
12 there SHU Lieutenant. All right? That's
13 what's written, right?
14 MR. : In—And that's policy?
15 MR. : And that's - well, that's
16 what's written. Okay? Policy comes and goes.
17 The Captain or Warden can write - this can be
18 policy right now because they sent this out,
19 this is the policy.
20 MR. : Right.
21 MR. : Okay. I'm sorry.
22 MR. No, that's okay.
23 MR. : They have to have a bunkie. It
24 was posted that he had to have a bunkie. Okay?
25 Like I said, each Lieutenant is supposed to go
EFTA00115989
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1 to Special Housing. This - what, for midnight
2 count, 3 o'clock count, 5 o'clock count, right,
3 and the 4 o'clock count, each shift, a
4 Lieutenant has to stand - do the count.
5 MR. : Okay. So like, for
6 instance, on the 9th, would that mean that, so
7 for day watch, either or - or, no,
8 sorry, I mean or, I guess, earlier in the
9 day would be or later in the day
10 would do at leaste one count in the SHU?
11 MR. : No. That was put later.
12 MR. : Oh, so it was after he
13 left?
14 MR. : Yeah.
15 MR. : After Epstein died.
16 MR. : Uh-huh. Yeah.
17 MR. : What about - oh, okay, so
18 we're talk - sorry, everything we're talking
19 about is from the date that - August 9th and
20 August 10th where - where -.
21 MR. : I don't know if they went to
22 Special Housing or not.
23 MR. : Okay. So you're not
24 aware that -.
25 MR. : I'm not aware. I don't know.
EFTA00115990
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1 MR. : So there was nothing in
2 place where as prior to - you're there August
3 8th
4 MR. : I know a Lieutenant has to go
5 to Special Housing every shift.
6 MR. : Then I'm asking that
7 prior to August 9th, was that the policy?
8 MR. : Yes.
9 MR. : Okay.
10 MR. : Every Lieutenant - not every
11 Lieutenant, but a Lieutenant, especially if the
12 book says the Operations Lieutenant, has to go
13 to Special Housing.
14 MR. : So, per policy, on August
15 9th, whoever was like the - so there's a 4:00
16 p.m., there's a 10:00 p.m., there's a 12:00
17 a.m. At least one of them should have been
18 watched by -.
19 MR. : Hold on. Day watch operations
20
21 MR. : Yeah.
22 MR. evening watch operations
23 MR. : Yeah.
24 MR. : -- is supposed to make rounds
25 and morning watch operations supposed to make
EFTA00115991
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1 rounds in SHU. Three Lieutenants are supposed
2 to go to Special Housing.
3 MR. : I know, but what I'm - so
4 I understand they're supposed to go there. But
5 when they're there, they're actually supposed
6 to conduct a count of the --
7 MR. : No.
8 MR. : -- inmates?
9 MR. : No. That's the officers' job.
10 MR. : So but that's what we
11 just asked you and you said --
12 MR. : No.
13 MR. : -- "Yes, they were
14 required (Indiscernible *01:13:31) --
15 MR. : No, I said they're required
16 MR. : -- (Indiscernible
17 *01:13:32)."
18 MR. : -- to go to Special Housing to
19 make a round. That's what I said.
20 MR. : So is that round independent
21 of the rounds conducted by the SHU officers?
22 MR. : The round is - you go up to
23 supervise the officers. You go up to Special
24 Housing.
25 MR. : So what would -.
EFTA00115992
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1 MR. : Now, prior to Epstein, every
2 like I said, every Lieutenant is different.
3 When I go up to make a round, I walk the
4 ranges. That's me. I can't account for
5 everybody else. I don't know what they've
6 done. I mean, I don't know.
7 MR. : So -.
8 MR. : I wasn't there.
9 MR. : So what we're asking it,
10 up until August 8, 2019, were Lieutenants ever
11 required to monitor any rounds conducted in the
12 SHU by the officers or counts?
13 MR. : Yeah, but it's a 30 minute
14 round thing. It's going to say Operations on
15 it, right?
16 MR. : But -.
17 MR. : You have the documentation
18 right there and it has three shifts on it,
19 doesn't it? Yes or no?
20 MR. : But I'm not asking if it
21 changes.
22 MR. : What are you asking me?
23 MR. : Listen to the question.
24 If - is a Lieutenant required to go to the SHU
25 and watch the officers conduct either a round
EFTA00115993
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1 or a count? Not just visit the SHU, but are
2 they supposed to watch them actually conduct a
3 round or a count?
4 MR. : That was implemented
5 afterwards.
6 MR. : Okay. So up until August
7 9th, that wasn't - August 8th -.
8 MR. : We did bed bunk counts.
9 MR. : So Lieutenants were not
10 actually monitoring officers do rounds or
11 counts.
12 MR. : Yeah.
13 MR. : And there was no
14 requirement.
15 MR. : Because we're required to take
16 a count.
17 MR. : I know the --
18 MR. : So -.
19 MR. : SHU staff is required
20 to take a count.
21 MR. : It's - no, the Lieutenant is
22 required to take either the 4:00 p.m. or the
23 10:00 p.m. count.
24 MR. : Okay. So, on August 9th,
25 a SHU - you're saying one of these Lieutenant,
EFTA00115994
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 either the - you're not there, so either the
2 Ops Lieutenant or the Activities Lieutenant -.
3 MR. : What day is August 9th?
4 Friday, right?
5 MR. : August 9th is a Friday.
6 MR. : So, is there a SHU Lieutenant
7 on there?
8 MR. : No.
9 MR. : No, there's no SHU
10 Lieutenant because you're not there.
11 MR. : So Operations is supposed to
12 MR. : So Operation -
13 MR. : Operations or Activities was
14 supposed to go to SHU.
15 MR. : So it says, " worked
16 from -" - and I don't know what a BV - 0700 to
17 1500 or are they 0800 to 1600?
18 MR. : I don't know whatever it say.
19 MR. : All right. So
20 possibly was there until 4:00 p.m. Yeah, it
21 looks like that. It would be, he would be
22 there from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and
23 the would be there from 4:00 p.m. until
24 midnight.
25 MR. : Uh-huh.
EFTA00115995
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 98
1 MR. : So would it be that
2 would be at that 4:00 p.m. count or would it be
3 that would be at the -.
4 MR.
5 MR. : So would do both
6 the 4:00 p.m. and the 10:00 p.m.?
7 MR. : He can either do the 4:00 p.m.
8 or the 10:00 p.m. He's required to do --
9 MR. : Oh, one or the other?
10 MR. : -- one count.
11 MR. : Okay. So, should
12 have been present for one count in the SHU on
13 August 9th.
14 MR. : I can't say that.
15 MR. : No, no. I'm saying
16 MR. : He's required to take the
17 count, official count.
18 MR. : So when you're saying
19 he's supposed to control and receive the count.
20 MR. : Yes.
21 MR. : What I'm asking is any
22 Lieutenant supposed to be in SHU --
23 MR. : No.
24 MR. : -- that - okay.
25 MR. : No.
EFTA00115996
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : So -.
2 MR. : That was afterwards that they
3 put out they wanted bed bunk count in SHU, you
4 know, that was after the fact.
5 MR. : Okay. So no Lieutenants
6 up until August 8th when you were there ever
7 had to be present for a count.
8 MR. : No.
9 MR. : Okay.
10 MR. : But before this
11 MR. : You said -.
12 MR. -- incident happened --
13 MR. : Uh-huh.
14 MR. : -- was it policy that a
15 Lieutenant during this shift had to go into the
16 SHU and do one round? Not a count, a round?
17 MR. : Yeah. That's - I said that.
18 MR. : Yeah, but what he's
19 asking is, a round as in like getting eyes on
20 the inmates or do you mean just visiting the
21 SHU?
22 MR. : Like I said, everybody's
23 interpretation of a round is different. I
24 cannot answer for another Lieutenant.
25 MR. : Right.
EFTA00115997
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 100
1 MR. : Only can answer for me.
2 MR. : So how you did it. We're
3 asking -.
4 MR. : How I did it. Now you're
5 asking the question, how I did it. When I go
6 to Special Housing, I sign the book that I came
7 to Special Housing. I walk down the range. I
8 look at every inmate. I talk to every inmate.
9 That's when - talked to me.
10 MR. : That's how you did it.
11 We're asking policy. Does policy - did policy
12 dictate that, for instance, should have
13 gone down during his shift and gone - did what
14 you would do? Talk to -.
15 MR. : Every - like I said, every-.
16 MR. : I'm just - I know
17 everyone is different but does policy say they
18 have to?
19 MR. : No. No, it doesn't.
20 MR. : Okay. So.
21 MR. : It just says that you have to
22 make SHU rounds.
23 MR. : Right. So in a --
24 MR. : Okay.
25 MR. : SHU round, two - one
EFTA00115998
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1 person could be just popping in, "Everything
2 good? You're good?" That could be somebody's
3 interpretation
4 MR. : That could be their round.
5 MR. : -- of a round.
6 MR. : That could be an interpretation
7
8 MR. : And others - another
9 Lieutenant could go and say, "Hey, I want to
10 conduct a count with you." And another one
11 would say --
12 MR. : Yeah.
13 MR. : -- "No, I'm just going to
14 - I'm going to pop in."
15 MR. : Everybody is different. Yes.
16 MR. : Right. But policy never
17 said they needed to actually put eyes on the
18 inmates just to pop in and say, "Hi."
19 MR. : Yeah. Where does it say it?
20 Show me. Because I -.
21 MR. : That's what I'm asking.
22 MR. : I don't - I never seen it.
23 MR. : Okay.
24 MR. : I never seen it.
25 MR. : It's not a gotcha you,
EFTA00115999
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 102
1 we're asking -.
2 MR. : No.
3 MR. : We're literally asking --
4 MR. : I know.
5 MR. : -- you as the
6 (Indiscernible *01:18:22) -.
7 MR. : I know because you don't know,
8 but I'm telling you, the 30 minute round sheet,
9 right, after, and even before Epstein, you
10 know, they had it - it was, we had them on the
11 ranges so the two can physically, you know, be
12 accurate with, you know, with what you had to
13 write, or whatever. They're printed sheets.
14 Right? The dates change. Some of them are
15 handwritten. Everybody's interpretation of a
16 round is different. I was an officer. I don't
17 forget my roots, so when I make a round, I make
18 a round.
19 MR. : Does policy state what a
20 round consists of? Can I find that in policy:
21 MR. : A 30 minute round? I mean,
22 checking on the inmates. It says in policy,
23 inmates that are in 30 minute - I mean, that
24 are in the continuous lock down situation, all
25 right, want e (Indizccrniblc *01:19:25) to
EFTA00116000
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1 quote policy, are supposed to be checked on
2 every 30 minutes. Right? And then the special
3 policy says in Special Housing, because they
4 are continuously locked down and technically on
5 morning watch, everybody is supposed to go
6 check on inmates.
7 MR. : That description of rounds,
8 does that apply to a Lieutenant's round or is
9 that something different?
10 MR. : That round applies - it doesn't
11 say, "Lieutenant," it just says that you're
12 supposed to -.
13 MR. : What he's saying is that,
14 Lieutenant rounds, they're doing rounds with
15 their staff members and they can choose to go
16 in and do the inmate rounds if they want. Is a
17 correctional officer round is doing a round of
18 the inmates?
19 MR. : Yeah, correctional officers
20 look at the inmates. So what you want me to do
21 as a supervisor for eight hours is sit with the
22 officer?
23 MR. : No.
24 MR. : No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm
25 just saying. If it got - see everybody - I got
EFTA00116001
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1 to go around, see everybody, make sure I don't
2 people - make sure people are awake because if
3 I'm awake, you're awake. Okay, if I'm walking
4 around, I'm up.
5 MR. : We were just trying to get
6 (Indiscernible *01:20:33).
7 MR. : No, no, no. I know. I just -
8 I'm just - I know that's what the policy
9 states. But everybody, like I said, their
10 interpretation of the policy is different, and
11 like myself, I'm checking on inmates.
12 Sometimes when I go in the housing unit, I want
13 to walk down the range. But do I walk down the
14 range of every housing unit? No.
15 MR. : Is it ever acceptable
16 for, you know, even from the midnight to, you
17 know, 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. or midnight until
18 8:00 a.m., ever acceptable for any staff in the
19 SHU to fall asleep?
20 MR. : No, it's not acceptable.
21 MR. : And it's not acceptable
22 even if one staff says, "I'm going to sleep,
23 you stay awake."
24 MR. : No, it's not acceptable.
25 MR. : Okay. Not acceptable.
EFTA00116002
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE 105
1 Great.
2 MR. : Now, we are human. Right? So,
3 on occasion, "Hey, get up, go take a walk."
4 MR. : But if both are --
5 MR. : Throw some water.
6 MR. : -- both are sitting there
7 falling asleep together, that's not -.
8 MR. : Somebody got - that's - then
9 that's - hey, I can't -.
10 MR. : Okay.
11 MR. : You know. It's just like this.
12 I do hospital trips. I can't go to sleep.
13 Okay? Especially if we have one weapon on a
14 hospital trip. So you go to sleep and you got
15 the weapon, I'm dead. Or, we live in a world,
16 now everybody carries a cell phone, cha-ching.
17 MR. : Yep.
18 MR. : So, I just - I stood the watch,
19 I ain't sleeping. Stood the watch.
20 MR. : Sure. You mentioned the
21 files that are printed out on Sundays and then
22 you would, you know, review in the mornings --
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : -- but you weren't the
25 one that printed them out, on Sundays, they
EFTA00116003
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1 would. We received information that when
2 Epstein was found on the 10th, they went to get
3 the file and the file didn't really have
4 anything in it. It's pos- with the indication
5 that someone may have taken those files. Do
6 you know anything about that file being -.
7 MR. : I know that that file was there
8 when I left.
9 MR. : Do you know if it had -.
10 MR. : That's all I know.
11 MR. : Do you remember how many
12 documents were in that file?
13 MR. : It was limited.
14 MR. : So it was very little?
15 MR. : Yeah.
16 MR. : Only a few pieces of
17 paper then?
18 MR. : Yeah.
19 MR. : And was that because if
20 he was placed in the house - the SHU on the
21 30th, there's only one Sunday that went by
22 since he was found, I guess, on a Saturday, the
23 next - there's only one day that would have had
24 information in there? Would that be why it was
25 limited?
EFTA00116004
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1 MR. : Remember, he was in SHU from
2 the time that he got there, right? He was
3 taken out of SHU, he was placed with a bunkie.
4 He tried to hang himself. He went down, he was
5 on suicide watch. I don't know how long he was
6 on suicide watch. But he was on suicide watch
7 and we got that email. And I got that email,
8 got a call from the Captain, so the Warden.
9 Then I heard from the Warden looking for a
10 bunkie for him. You got to vet them and it's
11 not coming from me, it's coming from the top.
12 Okay. So I said, "All right," so I'm here.
13 was still there, the Warden was still
14 there. It was getting past my time I got to be
15 back in the morning, whatever. Spoke to - when
16 I got word, they said, "We got him a bunkie."
17 Spoke to , he said, "I got it." He
18 stayed overtime that day. So, him, Reyes, was
19 placed with Epstein. Every day, I had an
20 opportunity to speak with him. I - he was on
21 suicide watch. I took him up to attorney
22 conference. While he was in SHU, he would ask
23 me for phone calls. While he was in SHU, he
24 wanted rec or whatever. I said, "You can get
25 rec." Whatever he needed, and it was there
EFTA00116005
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1 from the institution, he got. Whether it was
2 clothing, tee-shirt and boxers and shower, like
3 everybody else, and he was afforded all the
4 opportunities just like every other inmate.
5 So, I don't know what else you all want to
6 know.
7 MR. : Tcc zhirt,So you said
8 phone calls. So would he get phone calls when
9 he was in the SHU?
10 MR. : He was - you're afforded to get
11 a phone call.
12 MR. : So, whcruhere wouldeve3
13 you call
14 MR. : When the team gives you --
15 MR. : Where we gctwould
16 MR. : -- his pin and pad number, or
17 whatever.
18 MR. : Where arc sic getting
19 thewould he be able to call from?
20 MR. : But - huh?
21 MR. : Where arc gcttingwould
22 MR. : On the range. He would get it
23 on the range.
24 MR. : Not in the SHU then?
25 MR. : Yeah, in the SHU.
EFTA00116006
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1 MR. : That's where you plug it
2 into?
3 MR. : Yeah, plug it in --
4 MR. : Now, would --
5 MR. one of the jacks.
6 MR. : -- would they be
7 monitored calls?
8 MR. : Yeah. Absolutely.
9 MR. : And then you like
10 document it --
11 MR. : Uh-huh.
12 MR. : -- in the log book?
13 MR. : Uh-huh.
14 MR. : All right. And then
15 MR. : Put it in the log book and then
16 it would be on the computer, you know, if the
17 call went through, whatever, and you can look
18 at the monitored calls.
19 MR. : Back to the file. If
20 anything --
21 MR. : Uh-huh.
22 MR. : -- that went on in the
23 should that have been documented in the file or
24 placed in the file, would that all be
25 electronically stored as well? So even if it
EFTA00116007
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1 wasn't printed out, could we --
2 MR. : Only -.
3 MR. : -- after the fact go in
4 and say, "This is what should have been in the
5 file?"
6 MR. : This is what you could do.
7 This is what you could do. You can go back and
8 ask them for the 583 packet that was created
9 when he first committed suicide.
10 MR. : We have that, sure.
11 MR. : Okay? There's - that's his
12 file. As this AD order, why he was placed in
13 SHU, right?
14 MR. : But didn't you say you --
15 MR. : And -.
16 MR. : -- document the food and
17 you document all that other stuff?
18 MR. : The 292s, right? If it's not
19 printed, it might be in the system, but once
20 he's removed from the system, his BOP number,
21 don't know what happens after that.
22 MR. : All right. So, point
23 being is if he's no longer in the system, then
24 the file may no longer be in the -.
25 MR. : Yeah. Just like if I go into
EFTA00116008
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 SENTRY and I will pull up his number, SENTRY
2 would tell me that he's deceased.
3 MR. : But if he was still in
4 the system, should all the - whatever was in -.
5 MR. : He can't - because SENTRY and
6 BOT4oBER—BOPWare talks, it's live, it's almost
7 like live.
8 MR. : Uh-huh.
9 MR. : So the moment an inmate is
10 moved from one housing unit to another housing
11 unit, his picture is taken from that - he's no
12 longer on that housing unit no more. He's on
13 this housing unit. Right? And if he's placed
14 in SHU, the inmate picture still can be on the
15 file, but his location will show that he's
16 housed in SHU.
17 MR. : But will all the
18 documents that were created in, you know, in
19 the SHU, would they all be maintained somewhere
20 in the system?
21 MR. : Well, you could go back, I
22 don't know how long it is, but I know that I
23 had to pull records for an inmate that had left
24 prior to, or whatever. If it was documented,
25 it's probably still there, I don't know.
EFTA00116009
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 MR. : (Indicccrniblo
2 *01:28:17)Alright.
3 MR. : But it may be in the system.
4 So, but that - it's some way you got to play
5 with the system to go back. It's like post
6 292s or something like that, like when they
7 leave. Unit team can see whatever and can pull
8 it.
9 MR. : You had mentioned that -
10 you were saying that Epstein was always
11 afforded clothing and things like that.
12 MR. : Uh-huh.
13 MR. : So I guess in his cell,
14 he had an abundant amount of linens and
15 clothing in there.
16 MR. : Well, I don't know.
17 MR. : Now who was the one who
18 would provide the clothing?
19 MR. : The officers.
20 MR. : And would they - are they
21 supposed to maintain how much -.
22 MR. : It's supposed to be one for one
23 exchange.
24 MR. : Okay. So, if he's got a
25 lot of that stuff in there, that would be
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1 something to talk to the officers about?
2 MR. : Yeah. And sometimes inmates
3 hide it, you know, under the mattress or
4 whatever, but the officers would have to, you
5 know, they're supposed to shake it down, so.
6 MR. : And that's not something
7 that you were aware of?
8 MR. : What do you mean?
9 MR. : You weren't aware that he
10 had extra linens or clothing?
11 MR. : No, I wasn't aware of that.
12 MR. : Okay.
13 MR. : Yeah.
14 MR. : What about, so we
15 recently learned that Epstein was actually in a
16 cell that he wasn't assigned to when he was
17 found. So, about six days before, I think he
18 was moved to a different cell but they never
19 reassigned that cell to him.
20 MR. : Because the cell rotation was
21 they probably did cell rotations.
22 MR. : Right.
23 MR. : Moved him and his bunkie to
24 another cell and thcn didn't key it.
25 MR. : Now, who was responsible
EFTA00116011
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1 for keying it?
2 MR. : The person that did the cell
3 rotation.
4 MR. : Okay. So it's not like
5 the Officer in Charge or the Lieutenant, it's
6 whoever did the cell rotation is the one that
7 would -.
8 MR. : It's not the Lieutenant.
9 MR. : Okay.
10 MR. : It comes up, the next day I
11 check it, 21 day cell rotation. Before I
12 leave, I verify it and make sure that it's
13 done.
14 MR. : So if six days before
15 August 9th, which would put us at like, you
16 know, August 3rd or something, he was moved but
17 the cell was never reassigned to him. Is that
18 something that you would have reviewed?
19 MR. : He was moved when?
20 MR. : We're told six days
21 prior, he was moved, but his - he was located
22 in a cell that wasn't actually assigned to him.
23 So the assumption is that, like you said, it
24 was a cell rotation but they never went and
25 keyed -- you know the cell was never keyed to
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1 him. He was still assigned to a different
2 cell.
3 MR. : I don't know (Indiscernible
4 *01:30:50).
5 MR. : All right. You don't
6 know?
7 MR. : Huh-uh. No.
8 MR. : Because I'm sure, as you
9 can imagine, the conspiracy theorists out there
10
11 MR. : Yeah.
12 MR. : -- are going to say like,
13 "Well, he wasn't in the cell he was assigned
14 to?" But you're not aware of that information?
15 MR. : Naw. Huh-uh.
16 MR. : But yet and - whoever -
17 is anyone in charge of the cell rotation or who
18 is -.
19 MR. : Well, the OIC, who - you know,
20 the day watch OIC is in charge, you know, of
21 making sure of cell rotations and things get
22 done. It's printed out daily to see on the
23 paper about cell rotations. Because the region
24 looks at that, you know, if somebody is in the
25 cell past 20 something days - actually, the
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1 Captain is supposed to review and look at that,
2 you know.
3 MR. : But you're -.
4 MR. : But I look at it as well --
5 MR. : You look at it?
6 MR. : -- as the SHU Lieutenant.
7 Yeah.
8 MR. : And you never noticed it?
9 MR. : If I'm running a roster, huh-
10 uh, no.
11 MR. : You didn't notice that?
12 MR. : Huh-uh. Because, I'm making
13 sure he got a bunkie. That's - if he - if it's
14 two people in the cell, I'm - you know.
15 MR. : Right.
16 MR. : And I get around to checking,
17 you know, it could have been a billion things
18 that I've been doing.
19 MR. : Sure.
20 MR. : You know, I was stretched thin.
21 You can look at those rosters and see how - me,
22 I'm supposed to be the SHU Lieutenant and
23 everywhere I worked.
24 MR. : Okay. And as SHe - no,
25 that's -.
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1 MR. : Go ahead.
2 MR. : No, no, no.
3 MR. : No. You can answer - I'll
4 answer.
5 MR. : I was just going to say,
6 you're stretched thin. What is your, like,
7 primary function when you're in there?
8 MR. : When I'm in SHU?
9 MR. : Yeah.
10 MR. : I run the building, *en—from
11 SHU. To, you know, just making sure - I try to
12 make sure that everybody is doing what they're
13 supposed to do. I'm checking on these inmates
14 myself and I'm making sure to keep this -
15 because it's already a stressful environment,
16 so I'm making sure, you know, people are
17 getting showered, you know, I'm making sure,
18 you know, I'm trying to, you know, we didn't
19 have rec for a long time, you know. At that
20 time, we had, you know, two rec officers.
21 Sometimes our rec officers are not there, you
22 know, and we're all helping each other, you
23 know. Showers was every Monday, Wednesday and
24 Friday, you know. So we're trying making sure
25 inmates got, you know, hygiene and things of
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1 that nature is being taken care of.
2 MR. : Okay. Back to that phone
3 call. That is authorized to let inmates in the
4 SHU have phone calls on unrecorded lines?
5 MR. : Have to be approved by the Unit
6 Manager.
7 MR. : Okay.
8 MR. : And that's only for legal
9 calls.
10 MR. : Okay.
11 MR. : And that has to be
12 MR. : (Indiscernible
13 *01:33:46).
14 MR. : -- you know, a request by an
15 inmate, then approved by the Unit Manager. I
16 don't do unmonitored phone calls.
17 MR. : Oh, I'm sorry. I thought
18 you said that you would allow Epstein to call
19 from the SHU.
20 MR. : No, I said, he would be
21 afforded a phone call, right, and it would be,
22 you know, he would have to have his pin and pad
23 number, not an unmonitored call. I don't do
24 that.
25 MR. : But did he have a pin and
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1 pad number?
2 MR. : I don't know. His unit team
3 should have gave him a pin pad number.
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : I don't know if he had it or
6 not.
7 MR. : But I thought -.
8 MR. : He never mentioned that to.
9 MR. : But I thought you said
10 that you would allow him -.
11 MR. : No, I said, he would be
12 afforded. It's a difference.
13 MR. : Because - yeah, you -.
14 MR. : Don't switch the words. He
15 would be afforded, like everybody else that
16 comes to Special Housing, they are afforded a
17 phone call.
18 MR. : So maybe is it wording,
19 because I had that written down too.
20 MR. : No, (Indiscernible
21 *01:34:31) -.
22 MR. : Because I think you said it
23 too. I think that's how -.
24 MR. : Yeah. Because we talked
25 about it. Just, we got to make sure that we're
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1 clear on these things.
2 MR. : Yeah.
3 MR. : So that's - do you recall
4 Epstein ever calling from the SHU?
5 MR. : I never gave him a phone call.
6 MR. : Okay.
7 MR. : All right.
8 MR. : I never seen --
9 MR. : Did you give this -.
10 MR. : -- an officer give him a phone
11 call.
12 MR. : This is when we talked
13 about, you know, Epstein would want to make --
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : -- phone calls. He would
16 want to have his clothing --
17 MR. : Yeah.
18 MR. : -- and stuff like that.
19 MR. : Uh-huh.
20 MR. : So, you actually never
21 gave Epstein a call.
22 MR. : I never gave him a phone call.
23 MR. : All right. Because --
24 MR. : Ever.
25 MR. : I believe that's when
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1 we talked about, what, did you just plug it
2 into the line in the SHU --
3 MR. : Yeah, that's what --
4 MR. : -- and you said -.
5 MR. : -- happens but I never gave him
6 a phone call.
7 MR. : All right.
8 MR. : Ever.
9 MR. : And then we talked about,
10 would you just log it in the book? You'd
11 monitor their call. So never - you don't know
12
13 MR. : I never gave him a phone call.
14 MR. : All right. And the
15 clothing, you never gave him extra clothing?
16 MR. : Not - never gave him extra
17 clothing, no.
18 MR. : All right. And you were
19 in - did his cell ever get shook down or
20 checked?
21 MR. : It should have, yeah.
22 MR. : It should have?
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : And at that point, they
25 should have seen that there's a lot of extra
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1 clothing and linens in there?
2 MR. : They shake the cells down.
3 I've seen a lot of extra clothing and stuff
4 laying on the range.
5 MR. : And were you ever present
6 for any Epstein cell shake downs?
7 MR. : No.
8 MR. : No?
9 MR. : Huh-uh. Well, you know what?
10 I was. I remember one of the officers say,
11 "Oh, he had this in the cell and they took it
12 out." Yeah.
13 MR. : What did he have?
14 MR. : I think it was an extra blanket
15 or something like that. They took it out.
16 MR. : All right. And we he
17 authorized to have like pills and things like
18 that in there? Medication?
19 MR. : Yes. They are authorized -
20 Medical comes up and gives them medication.
21 MR. : Are you aware of any of
22 the staff when you weren't present not
23 conducting counts and rounds -.
24 MR. : Naw. Huh-uh.
25 MR. : No?
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1 MR. : Not on my watch. What?
2 MR. : Should we - so.
3 MR. : Passing over to you.
4 Sorry, do you have a question?
5 MR. : Okay. Yeah. Let's say you
6 were at work on the 9th. You're not, but let's
7 just say you were at work on the 9th. Reyes is
8 taken out sometime between 7:00 a.m., 8:00
9 a.m., he's brought to court.
10 MR. : Uh-huh.
11 MR. : MCC wouldn't know the fact
12 that, "Hey, he's not coming back," but somehow
13
14 MR. : They would know after the 5
15 o'clock count !perhaps.
16 MR. : Let's just say, I'm just
17 saying hypothetically.
18 MR. : Uh-huh. When the courts
19 return.
20 MR. : Let's say between 1:00 and
21 2:00 p.m. --
22 MR. : Uh-huh.
23 MR. : -- MCC is notified, "Hey,
24 listen, he's not coming back and he's WAB."
25 MR. : Uh-huh.
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1 MR. : Who would have got notified?
2 It would have came through -.
3 MR. : R&D.
4 MR. : R&D? And R&D would have
5 notified who?
6 MR. : They should have notified the
7 AW or notified their supervisor.
8 MR. : Would they have notified the
9 OIC in the SHU?
10 MR. : It depends on who's the
11 officer, I don't know.
12 MR. : Okay.
13 MR. : But they wouldn't be
14 required to let the housing unit
15 MR. : They would -.
16 MR. : whereft they came from?
17 No?
18 MR. : After the court list comes out,
19 or whatever, the count changes on the El. If
20 they get - if the courts kept them, or
21 whatever, so whoever that R&D staff is, I don't
22 know what their protocols are, whatever, but -
23 because it's a whole different department but
24 we all work together. As a Lieutenant, only
25 way I would catch it on - probably on morning
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1 watch or on - if I'm evening watch, when I'm
2 doing my log and I run the 38, the daily change
3 log, and depending on what I'm looking at, I'm
4 going to see who's off my base count. The
5 morning watch Lieutenant is going to write down
6 everybody who left the institution the prior
7 day.
8 MR. : I know. But I'm asking,
9 let's say the notification did come between
10 1:00 and 2:00.
11 MR. : Uh-huh.
12 MR. : You are - let's say you were
13 at work --
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : -- and that notification came
16 down to the SHU and they were notified.
17 MR. : Uh-huh.
18 MR. : If you were at work, what
19 steps would you have taken?
20 MR. : I would have called the Captain
21 and, like, well, you know, his bunkie, you
22 know, has left and I would have let the Captain
23 know that we have to find him a new bunkie --
24 MR. : Okay.
25 MR. : -- and if they would, you know,
EFTA00116023
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1 have somebody.
2 MR. : You were not at work that
3 day, so --
4 MR. : No.
5 MR. : -- who would have been in
6 charge? Which Lieutenant would have been in
7 charge? Would that be
8 MR. : If it's between
9 MR. : Would it be the
10 Operations Lieutenant?
11 MR. : If it was between one and two,
12 depends on - yeah.
13 MR. : If was aware of it,
14 what should he have done?
15 MR. : He should have called Special
16 Housing, "Hey, this guy need a bunkie."
17 MR. : Okay. And -.
18 MR. : But if Epstein was downstairs,
19 nobody wouldn't have known because he's with
20 his attorneys.
21 MR. : But wouldn't have they
22 known the Special Housing Unit was informed
23 that Epstein's bunkie was being removed,
24 wouldn't that queue them in on that when
25 Epstein returns he's not going to have a
EFTA00116024
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
1 bunkie?
2 MR. : That could have - that's
3 possible.
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : Now let's say there were no
6 notification wheever made - let's just go
7 through the who process. When is the first
8 time they would actually catch the fact that
9 Epstein didn't have a bunkie?
10 MR. : You make rounds, you make a
11 round, "Oh, shit, you're by yourself. Hey, but
12 he need a bunkie."
13 MR. : So any one of the 30
14 minute rounds.
15 MR. : Yeah. Uh-huh.
16 MR. : So 44—basically, if he
17 came back at, let's say, 7:00 p.m., by 7:30
18 they should have known?
19 MR. : Yeah.
20 MR. : And certainly by the
21 10:00 p.m. count?
22 MR. : Yes. Most definitely, because
23 it depends on - all right, the attorney
24 conference goes from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
25 right? Attorneys can start coming in at 8
EFTA00116025
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1 o'clock in the morning. So if he's down there,
2 let's say he went down 10 o'clock. Right?
3 MR. : Uh-huh.
4 MR. : And he's down there from 10:00
5 to 7:30 p.m., whatever that time. Then he has
6 to be escorted back upstairs. Right? So after
7 8 o'clock, there's no more attorney visits that
8 they're, you know, they're gone for the day,
9 inmate goes back, he gets stripped out, he gets
10 placed in the cell. At that time, you see he
11 doesn't have a bunkie.
12 MR. : Yeah, once he's escorted
13 back into his room, right?
14 MR. : Yeah.
15 MR. : Into the cell.
16 MR. : Uh-huh.
17 MR. : As soon as whoever
18 escorted him --
19 MR. : Uh-huh.
20 MR. : -- back to the cell
21 should have known, "Hey, I'm putting him back
22 in a --
23 MR. : He don't have a bunkie.
24 MR. : I'm putting this guy
25 back in a cell without anybody in here."
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1 MR. : Yeah. He doesn't have a
2 bunkie.
3 MR. : And when you escort --
4 MR. : So -.
5 MR. somebody in the cell,
6 you always verify who is in there.
7 MR. : Yeah. Because you have to open
8 - you have to look and make sure somebody in
9 there because the inmates have to be cuffed.
10 MR. : Okay.
11 MR. : So he had to be cuffed or he
12 should have been cuffed, placed on the range
13 and when they crack that door, before they
14 crack that door to make sure somebody is in
15 there. If nobody was in there, somebody should
16 have got the horn and, "Hey, he don't have a
17 bunkie."
18 MR. : So, at -.
19 MR. : By the 10 o'clock count, it
20 should - yes.
21 MR. : And at that point if,
22 somewhere between when he was escorted back and
23 10:00 p.m. --
24 MR. : Uh-huh.
25 MR. : -- could have a new
EFTA00116027
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1 bunkie been put in there with him?
2 MR. : Perhaps, yeah.
3 MR. : Just perhaps? Not -.
4 MR. : Or he could have been placed in
5 a hard cell --
6 MR. : Okay.
7 MR. : -- by his self.
8 MR. : But one or the other
9 should have happened?
10 MR. : Yeah.
11 MR. : He shouldn't have -.
12 MR. : If I can't find a bunkie, he's
13 going in a hard cell until the morning.
14 MR. : And should have the SHU
15 staff -.
16 MR. : That's just me.
17 MR. : But should have the SHU
18 staff known that?
19 MR. : No, because I don't know if the
20 SHU was full at that time. I don't recall, you
21 know, because I didn't do a kick out list, so.
22 MR. : Okay. So if there's 72
23 inmates in the SHU, is that full?
24 MR. : Yes.
25 MR. : That's pretty full?
EFTA00116028
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1 MR. : Yeah, it's full. And we have
2 down cells, so.
3 MR. : But earlier that day it
4 was like 76 or --
5 MR. : Yeah.
6 MR. : -- or something?
7 MR. : Yeah, we were full. So, we had
8 the two hard cells, well, three, because we
9 have a suicide cell and they probably had c,
10 housing rec alone, that's on J Tier and then
11 you got the two hard cells on H Tier.
12 MR. : But regardless --
13 MR. : Uh-huh.
14 MR. the SHU people from
15 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., that would have been,
16 it looks like , he was on from 4:00 p.m.
17 to midnight.
18 MR. : Uh-huh.
19 MR. : Somebody should have
20 notified or at least
21 MR. : Uh-huh, that he was by his
22 self.
23 MR. : And would it be one or
24 the other, or
25 MR. : Well, the Activities
EFTA00116029
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1 Lieutenant, if they went to SHU to make rounds,
2 or whatever, one of them - somebody should have
3 known.
4 MR. : Okay. They should have
5 notified those people.
6 MR. : Yeah.
7 MR. : What about the next
8 shift? So Noel and Thomas are on from midnight
9 to 8:00 a.m. When they know during their shift
10 that he is without a cell mate, should have
11 they notified someone?
12 MR. : Yeah. Notified our Ops
13 Lieutenant, one of them.
14 MR. : So they should notifiedy,
15 in their case, who was the Ops
16 Lieutenant at that time.
17 MR. : Uh-huh.
18 MR. : Okay. And -.
19 MR. : Say, "Hey, this dude is by his
20 self."
21 MR. : Okay. And how serious do
22 you believe that to be that they're not making
23 notifications?
24 MR. : What do you mean?
25 MR. : So, I mean, obviously
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1 someone died in this instance. Correct?
2 MR. : Yes.
3 MR. : Let's take that out of
4 it.
5 MR. : Yeah.
6 MR. : If they're in a different
7 situation, if they weren't making that
8 notification, is that serious? Is that a
9 serious infraction of —policy or of, you know,
10 the correctional --
11 MR. : I mean -.
12 MR. : -- duty assignments?
13 MR. : Yeah, I mean, because, to me, I
14 had people that tried to hang themselves and I
15 work morning watch and I work evening watch.
16 I'm going to check whcn I havc the visualon
17 that individual and I'm making sure they good.
18 MR. : Sure.
19 MR. : And I'm telling everybody, "Yo,
20 make sure you all are doing rounds because, you
21 know, not on my watch," and anybody will tell
22 you, I'm known this for making big rounds, what
23 you doing? We doing big rounds, right?
24 Rounds, rounds, rounds, and we checking on
25 inmates in the Special Housing Unit. That's
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1 what I'm known for. I can't account for
2 anybody else, but I know me, I'm checking on
3 the individual.
4 MR. : The last time you saw
5 Epstein --
6 MR. : Uh-huh.
7 MR. : -- what did you think of
8 his state of mind? Did he seem all right?
9 MR. : He was a little nervous.
10 MR. : Okay.
11 MR. : He was a little nervous. But,
12 you know, he was just like, 4tLe—I was like,
13 "You all right?" "Yeah." And he looked at me,
14 you know. And he wanted to go to rec. Again,
15 that morning, he took a shower on Thursday and
16 then he went to attorney conference.
17 MR. : Did he seem like - did he
18 give you any kind of indication that he might
19 be wanting to take his own life?
20 MR. : NHuh-uh.
21 MR. : No?
22 MR. : He just was just, you know,
23 people have like a nervous feeling or whatever.
24 MR. : Now, with a nervous, do
25 you have any reason to believe that he did not
EFTA00116032
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1 take his own life?
2 MR. : What do you mean?
3 MR. : Someone else -
4 MR. : No, nobody killed that man. He
5 did it himself. Nobody killed him.
6 MR. : So you feel very
7 confident about that?
8 MR. : Yeah. Nobody killed that man.
9 MR. : The question has got to
10 be asked.
11 MR. : Yeah. Nobody killed him.
12 Listen, all the conspiracy theories, out the
13 window, okay? The man killed his self. Okay?
14 It's unfortunate that he did this and now, here
15 we are. But, you know, that's what cowards do,
16 you know? But I can't speak for him. He knows
17 why he did what he did.
18 MR. : Sure.
19 MR. : But, nobody killed the man.
20 MR. : Could the officers that
21 were in the SHU see into Epstein's cell from
22 where they were seated?
23 MR. : If he's standing at the window.
24 MR. : No, no, I'm sorry, from
25 their desk area.
EFTA00116033
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1 MR. : Yeah, if he's standing at the
2 window, you can
3 MR. : Oh, oh, oh, you mean if
4 Epstein is standing at the window.
5 MR. : If Epstein is standing at the
6 window, you can -.
7 MR. : But otherwise, unless you
8 go up to the door, you can't see.
9 MR. : Unless you go up to the door,
10 N44uh-uh. You can see if a light is on. But,
11 let me put this on record. The SHU is broken,
12 it needs to be fixed. Okay? Inmates control
13 the lights from the inside. Officers, they
14 just started now putting the lights on the
15 outside. Okay? We should be able to control
16 the lights. We should be able to flick the
17 lights on and look inside the cell. No inmate
18 should be able to press a button and look
19 inside the cell or disfigure the lights.
20 MR. : So you don't have - you
21 didn't have the ability to actually turn the
22 lights on inside --
23 MR. : No.
24 MR. : -- of their cells?
25 MR. : No, there was a switch, but you
EFTA00116034
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1 still couldn't - the inmate can press the
2 button and only one of the lights would come on
3 and if that light wasn't working, they you
4 can't see inside the cell unless you tell him
5 to get up out of their bed and put that light
6 on. Or if you have a flashlight, you know,
7 you're flashing it in there. But, you know,
8 the cells are broken, man. They were supposed
9 to thcn been change the cells. You know, they
10 had wooden doors for years, but not in SHU.
11 You know, they just - the range, our range,
12 they just did a couple of those doors. And
13 some of them was even falling off the hinges.
14 MR. : Was there any
15 conversation that you recall when Epstein was
16 there of placing him into 10 South?
17 MR. : Not that I recall.
18 MR. : Do you believe he should
19 have been placed in 10 South versus the SHU?
20 MR. : I mean, he's high-profile like
21 they said he was. Everybody else went up
22 there. So, you know, it was to me that he
23 would have been more closely monitored, but
24 that's not my call.
25 MR. : And whose call is it to
EFTA00116035
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1 place someone in 10 South?
2 MR. : It's the Warden and the
3 Captain.
4 MR. : And have you ever heard
5 that it's actually even over their head for 10
6 South?
7 MR. : No. Yes. That they said all
8 the inmates in 10 South are SAMSe inmates.and
9 HCCTS (Phonetic Cp. *01:50:32).
10 MR. : Right. And can you
11 explain what SAMSe is?
12 MR. : Special Security Measures,
13 something, you know, there's - you know, their
14 mail is handed - everything is by SIS giving
15 -stand Unit Team. te—Ae SHU Lieutenant.
16 Anything that they get comes from the SHU
17 Lieutenant because we have to keep - that's
18 like, you know, they are - you got to just make
19 sure that they're ready to stand trial. Like,
20 I was there, you know, for Juan Guzman, I was
21 the SHU Lieutenant, and that nothing happened
22 to him.
23 MR. : What happened to him?
24 MR. : It'a nNothing.
25 MR. : Oh.
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1 MR. : You know, he stood trial and he
2 was gone.
3 MR. : Was he in 10 South?
4 MR. : Yes. And (Indiccorniblc
5 *01:51:25)all the other inmates that was in 10
6 South under my watch.
7 MR. : So Monday morning
8 quarterbacking, do you believe that Epstein
9 should have been in 10 South then?
10 MR. : Or on G Tier.
11 MR. : That's 10 South lower?
12 MR. : Yes.
13 MR. : Okay. Because they
14 basically accomplish the same mission.
15 MR. : Those - yeah, because those
16 cells are hard because they're, you know, they
17 got plastic over the windows and everything, so
18 if you're going to try to do anything, you
19 know, it's really difficult. The shower
20 curtains that break away or whatever. Where
21 they can hang the towels, break away.
22 MR. : Did you ever make that
23 suggestion to anyone?
24 MR. : Did I make the suggestion?
25 MR. : Uh-huh.
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1 MR. : That's not my call.
2 MR. : Yeah, yeah, I know, I
3 just didn't know if -.
4 MR. : Naw, that's not my call.
5 MR. : Sure.
6 MR. : I only do what I'm told.
7 MR. : Absolutely.
8 MR. : You all want some water or
9 something, you got to use the bathroom?
10 MR. : No, no, no, I'm good,
11 thank you.
12 MR. : You sure?
13 MR. : Positive, thank you.
14 MR. : What else we doinggot?
15 MR. : I just one other question.
16 MR. : Uh-huh.
17 MR. : I'm just going to show you
18 the midnight count --
19 MR. : Yeah.
20 MR. : -- from August 10th.
21 MR. : Uh-huh.
22 MR. : You just take a look at that.
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : That front page is called the
25 El?
EFTA00116038
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1 MR. : Yep.
2 MR. : What's the SHU count on that?
3 MR. : 72.
4 MR. : Can you take a look at the
5 count slip on the back page.
6 MR. : The last page.
7 MR. : You see the one for the ZA?
8 What's the count on there?
9 MR. : 73.
10 MR. : If you were the Lieutenant,
11 right, and that count slip came up, what would
12 you have done?
13 MR. : I wouldn't have took it.
14 MR. : Why? Because the -.
15 MR. : The count is wrong.
16 MR. : And what would you have done?
17 MR. : Count again.
18 MR. : You told them to count it
19 again?
20 MR. : Uh-huh.
21 MR. : Is there -.
22 MR. : First, I would have - whatever
23 count that they called in, right? If I'm
24 taking the count, right? I'm the official
25 count person, okay?
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1 MR. : There should be like the
2 Ops Lieutenant I'm assuming?
3 MR. : Uh-huh. You could take - but
4 they don't have to take the 12 o'clock count.
5 They could - he could take the 3:00 or the
6 5:00.
7 MR. : Okay.
8 MR. : But they have to take a count.
9 I'm different. I want to - there's times I'm
10 even watch operations, right? I'm taking the
11 10 o'clock count, I'm taking the 12 o'clock
12 count. After the 12 o'clock count, I don't
13 have to worry about the count no more. I mean,
14 I have to worry about the count, but I'm making
15 rounds, I'm making sure everything is good.
16 Right? But I want to know what I got. This
17 number right here, is the number that I'm
18 concerned about.
19 MR. : So if the Ops -
20 MR. : 758 inmates. So if the ops,
21 what?
22 MR. : So if the Ops Lieutenant
23 took that count at midnight --
24 MR. : Uh-huh.
25 MR. : -- should have they gone
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1 down to the SHU and witnessed the new count?
2 MR. : Naw, so it's only if it's a
3 double bad.
4 MR. : Just a double bad.
5 MR. : Yeah.
6 MR. : One bad is not -.
7 MR. : If it's a double bad.
8 MR. : They don't need to get
9 eyes on?
10 MR. : Yeah. If it's the double bad
11 count, we got to go up with a roster, a bed
12 book roster and we, you know, we tell our
13 inmates, "Stand." At night, it's different
14 because you're supposed to see living,
15 breathing flesh. So we're not required to make
16 everybody stand. But I'm going, I'm looking,
17 we counting. That's just me.
18 MR. : Okay. But there was no
19 requirement based on one back bad count.
20 MR. : Naw. If it's a double bad, you
21 have to go up - because sometimes they call in
22 the wrong number.
23 MR. : Uh-huh.
24 MR. : But that's --
25 MR. : Have you ever heard of -
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1 have you -.
2 MR. crazy. I've never heard.
3 MR. : The (Indiscernible
4 *01:55:26) so -.
5 MR. : You don't have to never worry
6 about me repeating jack.
7 MR. : No.
8 MR. : But this is crazy.
9 MR. : Now, what if the person
10 who called count into Control said that, "Hey,
11 I wrote down 73 on the slip, but one of our
12 guys is out of the unit, he's in another place,
13 but I still counted him." Does that make any
14 sense to you? What if they got -
15 MR. : Yes, it makes sense to me, but
16 me as a Control Center officer, no, it's wrong.
17 MR. : Right. And should have a
18 person - so say like --
19 MR. : So -.
20 MR. : -- should have Noel or
21 Thomas known -.
22 MR. : You want to know what I - damn,
23 I should not, oh my God.
24 MR. : But should Noel or Thomas
25 known they shouldn't have written 73 if they
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1 knew the number was 72 and one guy was
2 somewhere else? Should have they known that
3 the number was 72?
4 MR. : You only - I'm going to put it
5 to you this way. You only write the number of
6 number of people that you have on the housing
7 unit.
8 MR. : Okay.
9 MR. : If you have more than the
10 number that you have in the housing unit, that
11 means somebody is not where they're supposed to
12 be. If you have less than you have on the
13 housing unit, this tells me two things.
14 MR. : What's that?
15 MR. : Either -.
16 MR. : Say it.
17 MR. : There's nothing you can
18 surprise us with.
19 MR. : Okay. Originally, it was 73
20 and that's the count that they called in.
21 Somebody realized, "Hey, this guy is not here.
22 Holy shit. Oh, he has - did we key him out?
23 Holy shit. We didn't key him out. Oh, key
24 that guy out." If that guy was keyed out,
25 let's say, I don't know, after 10 o'clock, 11
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1 o'clock, when this was printed - this was
2 printed at 12:35, (Indizccrniblc *01:57:39)the
3 computers don't come back up until 12:30.
4 After 12:30 you can log on the computer and
5 print if you want.
6 MR. : Does this tell you that
7 they didn't conduct the count and they just
8 used the number that -.
9 MR. : That says a lot of things.
10 MR. : What does it say to you?
11 MR. : That says a lot of things.
12 That says a lot of things. But me, as the Ops
13 Lieutenant, I would have never accepted that.
14 MR. : Now, if the Ops
15 Lieutenant said, "Create a new count slip and
16 send it in," would it make any sense that that
17 was still attached to this?
18 MR. : MayboWhat do you mean.
19 MR. : So if the Ops Lieutenant
20 said, "Create a new count," --
21 MR. : Uh-huh.
22 MR. : -- and they did a new
23 count and did one that said 72, would it make
24 any sense why this one that says 73 is still
25 attached?
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1 MR. : No. That one that says 73
2 shouldn't have been there --
3 MR. : And --
4 MR. : -- because that's wrong.
5 MR. : -- do you agree that the
6 people that are written there appears to be an
7 M. Thomas and a Noel?
8 MR. : That's what it says.
9 MR. : Just so we don't --
10 MR. : Uh-huh.
11 MR. : -- want to ever have the
12 opportunity for someone to say we showed you
13 MR. : Uh-huh.
14 MR. different things, so
15 can you just initial and date the top of these
16 packets so that --
17 MR. : Yeah.
18 MR. : -- it's just to show --
19 MR. : Yeah.
20 MR. : -- what it is you looked
21 at?
22 MR. : Uh-huh.
23 MR. : Did he look at any of
24 this stuff?
25 MR. : No, I was going to --
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1 MR. : Yeah. I looked at this.
2 MR. -- ask something, one more
3 thing too.
4 MR. : I'll do it. You know.
5 MR. : Is there a reason an inmate
6 will be moved to R&D that late at night?
7 MR. : Nope.
8 MR. : Is it -.
9 MR. : When is typically the
10 latest somebody be moved to R&D?
11 MR. : Only way that they're going to
12 R&D, right, if they're going on the bus, the
13 bus is coming.
14 MR. : Right.
15 MR. : And that's normally on
16 Wednesdays.
17 MR. : And what time would they he
18 moved to R&D?
19 MR. : After the count and --
20 MR. : Which count?
21 MR. : -- nobody is moving. If
22 they're leaving at 3:00, after the 12 o'clock
23 count.
24 MR. : But buses are almost
25 always around Wednesdays, correct?
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1 MR. : Typically, yeah.
2 MR. : You would have no - want
3 to know what happened on a Friday night,
4 Saturday morning.
5 MR. : Nope, no. Only people that
6 leave the institution on a Saturday morning,
7 and that's like they come at 8 o'clock, you
8 know, the special guys that go out in the, you
9 know, they're going to Saturday court.
10 MR. : Okay. So that - there's
11 really no excuse for that one right there.
12 MR. : No.
13 MR. : On this (Indiscernible
14 *02:00:20)? Okay.
15 MR. : No.
16 MR. : Just had one more.
17 MR. : Uh-huh.
18 MR. : This is the 5:00 p.m. count,
19 I mean the 4:00 p.m. count. Can you just
20 verify that for August 9th?
21 MR. : Uh-huh.
22 MR. : If the call came in between
23 1:00 and 2:00 stating that Reyes - if you
24 notice under the SHU, ZA, you see the one edd
25 out count?
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1 MR. : Uh-huh.
2 MR. : If between 1:00 and 2:00 the
3 call came in stating that Reyes is no longer
4 going to be in the institution, if it did,
5 should that have reflected still as one out
6 count?
7 MR. : Yeah, because he's out.
8 MR. : But if they said that he's
9 not coming back and he's WAB.
10 MR. : That's R&D.
11 MR. : Explain that.
12 MR. : R&D is Receiving and Discharge.
13 We don't get notified. The courts notify R&D.
14 The Marshals notify R&D. R&D has a supervisor,
15 right? On shift, they have officers that are
16 on shift, so any movement, they know - would
17 know before I would know and so they have to
18 make the proper notifications and key in in the
19 system.
20 MR. : That's what I was going to
21 ask you.
22 MR. : Yeah.
23 MR. : If R&D did make that
24 notification to the SHU and who else should
25 they have notified to get that correct?
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1 MR. : The CMC would - if the CMC is
2 there, you know -.
3 MR. : What's the CMC?
4 MR. : The Case Manager Coordinator.
5 Yeah. Case Manager Coordinator.
6 MR. : Who would that be on - do we
7 have the schedule?
8 MR. : Oh, I don't know who was the
9 MR. : Okay. This is
10 MR. : CMC at that time.
11 MR. : Office (Indiscernible
12 *02:02:07) if the notification was made.
13 MR. : No, they won't be on that
14 roster.
15 MR. : Okay.
16 MR. : That roster is a custody
17 roster.
18 MR. : Okay.
19 MR. : So, like I said, R&D is a whole
20 total different department. The court speaks
21 to them.
22 MR. : Okay.
23 MR. : So when the courts talk to
24 them, then they talk to us. Normally R&D, you
25 know, if they're WAB or something like that, we
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1 wouldn't know until you run the 38.
2 MR. : What do you mean 38, meaning?
3 MR. : The daily change log. Uh-huh.
4 MR. : Do mind just --
5 MR. : Yeah.
6 MR. : -- with these just --
7 MR. : Yeah.
8 MR. : -- putting it the 6/15/21
9
10 MR. : Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
11 yeah.
12 MR. : -- and that's just so we
13 know that --
14 MR. : Uh-huh.
15 MR. : -- not only you initialed
16 but the date of this.
17 MR. : Yeah, yeah, yeah. No problem.
18 MR. : And then on this last
19 one, 4:00 p.m. --
20 MR. : Uh-huh.
21 MR. : -- if you don't mind just
22 initialing it and dating as well. Thank you,
23 sir.
24 MR. : 6/15/21.
25 MR. : Uh-huh.
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1 MR. : Is there anything else
2 you wanted -.
3 MR. : That's it.
4 MR. : All right. So that's all
5 we have for you. We just wanted to know what
6 you knew with the SHU and hopefully it wasn't
7 too painful.
8 MR. : Naw, it wasn't.
9 MR. : Anything else you want to
10 add for the record?
11 MR. : No. I'm just - I wasn't there.
12 So unfortunately, what happened, happened.
13 Everybody works different. I know there's an
14 investigation, but through all the conspiracy
15 stuff, everybody, the staff that was there when
16 they found him, they worked hard to try to
17 revive him and save his life. But,
18 unfortunately, you know, it turned to a sad
19 event. But we are very well understaffed. Had
20 we had more officers - I know everybody want to
21 point the finger, but it's an unfortunate thing
22 to happen, you know? You know, a lot of things
23 have to change in the BOP, you know, but, you
24 know, I only can be as truthful and honest with
25 you as I can, you know?
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1 MR. : On that note, you just
2 made me think of one more small question. You
3 said that they did work hard on saving his
4 life. Was it okay that Thomas immediately went
5 into the cell upon seeing Epstein in the state
6 that he was in or should have he waited?
7 MR. : He made a decision.
8 MR. : All right so was it - do
9 you -.
10 MR. : I would have made the same
11 decision.
12 MR. : Okay.
13 MR. : You know, policy states that
14 you can enter a cell if you have, you know,
15 more staff, two or more staff. You don't need
16 an immediate supervisor if it's an emergency
17 situation.
18 MR. : All right. So if
19 somebody is telling us that, "No," they needed
20 to wait for a Lieutenant to come down there,
21 that's not correct?
22 MR. : No. It's in the policy.
23 MR. : Okay.
24 MR. : I know the policy.
25 MR. : So you believe that it
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1 was fine for Thomas to enter.
2 MR. : Yeah, because I would have did
3 the same thing.
4 MR. : Okay.
5 MR. : Yes, there's plenty of times
6 where I've seen something, we had enough staff,
7 "Let's go in there," you know, and --
8 MR. : And they argued
9 MR. : -- safe a life.
10 MR. : -- that it was like
11 ruse in order to overthrow, you know, that
12 guard or something like that.
13 MR. : No. That's bullshit.
14 MR. : You just said that. You've
15 seen the situation but you've said that there's
16 enough staff, let's go in there. You never --
17 MR. : Yeah.
18 MR. : -- went in there by yourself?
19 MR. : No.
20 MR. : That's what he was -.
21 MR. : Yeah, so I'm - Thomas
22 went in by himself if Noel is down range, he's
23 by himself.
24 MR. : They both on the same range?
25 MR. : Yeah, so if she's down,
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1 not with him, he goes in by himself, is that
2 okay?
3 MR. : It's one for one. And if he
4 says it's an emergency situation, he made
5 decision.
6 MR. : Right.
7 MR. : I probably would have - if I
8 see somebody hanging, I'm making a decision.
9 MR. : Sure.
10 MR. : I'm trying to save a life.
11 MR. : Uh-huh.
12 MR. : You understand?
13 MR. : Yeah. No, I'm only
14 asking - yeah.
15 MR. : No, the policy states, you
16 know, it's two to one, you know, two officers
17 to one inmate. Then they came and they said,
18 "One to one ratio," but they never really
19 changed it, that's word of mouth. But it's
20 always two to one, right? If you down range
21 with me, it's two to one. So if it's an
22 emergency situation and I've activated my body
23 alarm, I'm a go get you. Okay? Now, who
24 knows, he could have been faking a funk. Come
25 in there, he came in his cell and try to
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1 escape. Now you got the keys, now your SHU is
2 compromised. So it's a judgment call. But at
3 the end of the day, I've been in situations
4 where two people in my career tried to commit
5 suicide. I saved both of them. Okay? One was
6 early, I think early this year, January or
7 something or late last year. Inmate tried to
8 kill himself. I was called upstairs. I didn't
9 wait. They said, "Operations to the Special
10 Housing Unit -" I mean, Special Housing. i
11 didn't wait. I came upstairs ASAP. They let
12 me in and the dude was hanging. I did my
13 (Indizcorniblc *02:07:50)583, I did my
14 notification to the Warden, right? Did they
15 thank me? No, she sent me a personal email
16 like three days later. You know who did it, I
17 did, but it's okay. I'm there for officers.
18 I'm there to save lives. I did my job. Prior
19 to that, I still had a guy, a young man who was
20 in the newspaper, gang member. Okay? I saved
21 his lift. He was hanging on J Tier in a
22 suicide cell, tried to hangd himself. We went
23 in there, grabbed him with enough staff and we
24 lowered him down. After that, there was a
25 young boy. Always had a bunkie. Who was the
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1 SHU Lieutenant? Me. Okay? So do I - from
2 experience, yes, I know. Do I talk to my crew?
3 Yes. Was it documented? Yes. That's all I
4 can say.
5 MR. : So yeah, you agree with
6 his decision, it was okay?
7 MR. : He made a decision.
8 MR. : Absolutely.
9 MR. : You know?
10 MR. : Okay.
11 MR. : All right?
12 MR. : Anything else you want to
13 add before we turn this thing off?
14 MR. : Naw.
15 MR. : All right. It is
16 currently 8:06 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
17 This is Senior Special Agent
18 and I am turning off the recorderwc'rc
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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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