U.S. prosecutors have dropped their criminal case against two jail guards who were at the Manhattan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York on the night that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein purportedly killed himself.
The two guards were indicted in November 2019 on charges of conspiracy and falsifying records. They later both admitted to having “willfully and knowingly” falsified records to make it seem they were checking in on Epstein every 30 minutes on the night of Aug. 9, 2019, and on early Aug. 10, 2019.
Prosecution against both Noel and Thomas had been deferred for six months. During the deferral period that ended Nov. 20, they complied with the terms of the agreement, which required each to perform 100 hours of community service and cooperate with a federal investigation arising from Epstein’s death.
Thomas’s lawyer, Montell Figgins, said his client was happy with the dismissal and looked forward to putting the matter behind him, while Noel’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment, reported Reuters.
Prosecutors signed the legal document to drop the case against Noel and Thomas on Dec. 13, in the middle of a trial against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate.
The case is U.S. v. Noel et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 19-cr-00830.