Newly released Department of Justice documents show that one of Jeffrey Epstein’s prison guards, Tova Noel, searched for information about the disgraced financier just minutes before he was found dead in his jail cell.
According to FBI records cited in the documents reviewed by The New York Post, Tova Noel — one of two Metropolitan Correctional Center guards on duty the night of Epstein’s death — searched for the phrase “latest on Epstein in jail” at 5:42 am and again at 5:52 am on August 10, 2019, less than 40 minutes before her colleague, correctional officer Michael Thomas, discovered Epstein dead by hanging at 6:30 am.
Alleged negligence on duty
Prosecutors say Noel shopped for furniture online and napped during her shift, neglecting the required 30-minute checks on Epstein. Thomas reportedly browsed motorcycles during the same period. The FBI’s 66-page forensic review of the guards’ computers highlighted Noel’s internet searches as particularly significant.
During her 2021 DOJ interview, Noel denied Googling Epstein, claiming she “didn’t remember” and disputing the accuracy of the FBI records.
Suspicious cash deposits
DOJ files also revealed that Chase Bank flagged a $5,000 cash deposit made by Noel on July 30, 2019, just days before Epstein’s death. Her account had a total of seven deposits totaling $11,880 starting from April 2018. Noel began working in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) where Epstein was held on July 7, 2019.
Noel, who drove a $62,000 Land Rover, was reportedly not questioned about the deposits during her DOJ interview.
Blurry surveillance footage
FBI briefings suggest Noel may be the “mysterious orange shape” seen near Epstein’s cell at 10:40 pm the night of his death, carrying linen or inmate clothing to the SHU tier. The same report notes that this was the last time any correctional officer approached the only entrance to Epstein’s tier.
In sworn statements, Noel claimed she never handled inmate linen and last saw Epstein alive “somewhere around after 10 pm.” The other guard on duty reportedly slept between 10 pm and midnight.
Criminal charges dropped
Noel and Thomas were fired after falsifying records about Epstein checks, but criminal charges against both guards were later dropped. Noel has since been sued in Westchester County for alleged assault in her current role as a medical office assistant.
Epstein’s death remains under scrutiny
The new DOJ documents mark the first time a name has been publicly associated with the mysterious orange figure in the surveillance footage, which has long fueled conspiracies surrounding Epstein’s death.
Noel has denied any involvement in Epstein’s suicide during her sworn statement.
