Two federal correctional officers accused of sleeping on the job and browsing the internet the night Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself will dodge jail time under a proposed deal with prosecutors.
Tova Noel and Michael Thomas will complete 100 hours of community service and be under pretrial supervision for six months under the deferred prosecution agreement, which requires a judge’s approval. Prosecutors notified the court of the deal in a Manhattan Federal Court filing late Friday.
“After a thorough investigation, and based on the facts of this case and the personal circumstances of the defendants, the Government has determined that the interests of justice will best be served by deferring prosecution in this District,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Lonergan wrote.
Under the deal, Noel and Thomas admit that they falsely filled out forms that they’d made rounds checking on inmates in the Special Housing Unit of the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan the night of Aug. 9, 2019, into the following morning. Noel and Thomas were captured on surveillance video neglecting their duties the night Epstein hanged himself.
The correctional officers will also cooperate with a Justice Department inspector general probe into the Epstein case.
Attorneys for the correctional officers did not respond to an inquiry. Their union representative, Tyrone Covington, declined comment until the deal is approved by a judge.
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