Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi ripped officials on Monday after the death of ultra-wealthy convicted abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
“Now, do I think that somebody killed Jeffrey Epstein? No,” Rossi said on the Law&Crime Network. “But I think they gave him the opportunity to take his life by recklessness, deliberate ignorance, willful blindness, and heads have to roll. This is disgraceful, not only for the justice system, but for the hundreds of victims.”
WATCH Rossi’s comments in the player above.
Federal authorities said Epstein was found dead Saturday morning from an apparent suicide in his cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center. This inmate was facing new charges in the alleged sexual abuse of dozens of underage girls. As Rossi alluded to, the incident sparked unsubstantiated conspiracy theories in part because of Epstein’s high-profile connections, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and others.
The brass tacks of the matter is that law enforcement officials say Epstein apparently attempted suicide last month, but Epstein was taken off suicide watch just days later. He was supposed to have a cellmate, and guards were supposed to check on him every half hour. Procedures weren’t followed, sources said, according to The New York Times. He wasn’t checked the night before he was found, he had been alone in his cell, and guards were working overtime. The Washington Post later backed up this report, citing a source who said guards did not check on Epstein in hours. The Wall Street Journal said that according to “people familiar with the matter,” the inmate’s attorneys had asked that he be taken off of suicide watch. One of the sources said that he had been meeting with attorneys for up to 12 hours a day. The Journal also backed up reporting that guards still had to check on Epstein every 30 minutes and that Epstein had to have a cellmate. Reports are that Epstein had a cellmate but that the person had been removed and not replaced.
Heads may well roll. Attorney General William Barr blamed the Federal Bureau of Prisons for the Epstein death debacle.
“There will be accountability,” he said, according to the Post.
Barr announced over the weekend that he launched an inquiry into Epstein’s death.
[Image via David Dee Delgado/Getty Images.]