Accused millionaire sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein commits suicide; Justice Dept. to investigate
Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein apparently committed suicide early Saturday morning, officials said, but the U.S. Department of Justice indicated it would look into the death.
The millionaire financier was found unresponsive in a jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan — the federal lockup where he was being held without bond awaiting trial next year. He faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Epstein hanged himself, Federal Bureau of Prisons officials told ABC News. He was transported in cardiac arrest at 6:39 a.m. to New York Downtown Hospital, where he was officially pronounced dead.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr said he was “appalled” to learn of Epstein’s death while in federal custody. Barr announced Saturday afternoon that the Justice Department’s inspector general would conduct an investigation into the circumstances of Epstein’s death.
Epstein, 66, had been jailed since early last month, when he pleaded not guilty to charges filed by New York federal prosecutors after an indictment accused him of sex trafficking dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14 years old. He had been on suicide watch briefly following an apparent attempt to take his own life back on July 23, but was not on suicide watch at the time of his death.
Epstein’s apparent suicide came just a day after the release of new court documents alleging that Epstein kept a “sex slave” who was forced to sexually service other prominent men, including former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Richardson vehemently denied the claim.
Epstein had numerous residences in the U.S. and beyond where sex trafficking activities allegedly took place, including a sprawling New Mexico ranch. Federal prosecutors said he used employees and associates to lure the girls to his residences and then paid some of his victims to recruit other girls for him to abuse.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News the criminal case against Epstein will not end with his death. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan will continue to evaluate the evidence and hear from his accusers, the sources said.
(ABC News and CNN contributed to this report.)
