Jeffrey Epstein: House Oversight Seeks Interview With Guard on Duty When He Died

The House Oversight Committee has requested a transcribed interview with a former federal prison guard who was on duty at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York when jeffrey epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in August 2019, as lawmakers renew scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding his death.

House Oversight Seeks Testimony From Guard on Duty When Jeffrey Epstein Died

In a letter made public Friday, the committee asked Tova Noel to appear for a transcribed interview on March 26. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said earlier this week that the panel has questions about Epstein’s death and emphasized that Noel is not being accused of wrongdoing.

The renewed focus comes amid new attention tied to recently released Justice Department materials related to Epstein, which lawmakers say raised additional issues they want to explore. Comer told News that the committee’s interest was driven by media reports, documents released by the Justice Department, and materials obtained by the committee.

What the Government Alleged About Missed Rounds and Overnight Gap

Noel and another guard, Michael Thomas, were charged in a federal indictment in November 2019 with falsifying records. Prosecutors alleged the records were written to make it appear they completed required rounds in the Special Housing Unit when they did not.

The indictment alleged Noel and Thomas repeatedly failed to complete mandated counts and spent substantial portions of their shifts at their desks browsing the internet. Prosecutors also alleged that, as a result of the guards’ conduct, no one conducted any count of prisoners in the Special Housing Unit from about 10: 30 p. m. on Aug. 9 to about 6: 30 a. m. on Aug. 10, when Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell.

Noel and Thomas later reached a deal with prosecutors, and the case was dropped in December 2021. Under a deferred prosecution agreement described in the Justice Department materials, the dismissal required community service and cooperation with a Justice Department inspector general review of the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.

Inspector General Review, Computer Searches, and Questions Lawmakers Want Answered

A Justice Department inspector general report completed in 2023 determined that video showed that at 10: 40 p. m. on Aug. 9, a corrections officer believed to be Noel carried linen or inmate clothing up to the tier that contained Epstein’s cell. The report said that was the last time any officer approached the tier where Epstein was housed.

In a sworn interview with the inspector general in June 2021, Noel said she “never gave out linen” and denied providing Epstein with excess linen found in his cell when his body was discovered. She also said she did not remember searching the internet for Epstein, though she may have read a news article. Noel told investigators she believed she was the last person to see Epstein alive—around 10 p. m. on Aug. 9—based on a transcript of her interview.

Separately, a forensic report on prison computers released by the Justice Department stated that Noel searched twice for “latest on Epstein in jail” between 5: 42 a. m. and 5: 52 a. m. on Aug. 10. The review said she also searched “latest on omar amarat” at 5: 53 a. m., and “law enforcement discounts” at 6: 17 a. m. Epstein was found dead in his cell at about 6: 30 a. m.

During the 2021 inspector general interview, Noel disputed the accuracy of the internet-search activity attributed to her, saying she did not remember looking up information on Epstein and that it would not be accurate to say she was conducting those searches during that window.

Comer said the committee also wants to question Noel about money transfers he said she was receiving around that time, including a $5, 000 transfer that he said a bank flagged as suspicious. In the inspector general interview, Noel was not asked about deposits to her account.

Grand jury transcripts disclosed by the Justice Department from the criminal case against Noel said an FBI agent testified that banking records of the guards were examined and that there was no evidence Noel or Thomas had been bribed.

The committee’s request sets up a fresh round of questioning as lawmakers seek more detail from a key figure on duty during the hours before jeffrey epstein was found unresponsive. It remains unclear whether Noel will agree to appear on March 26.