Jeffrey Epstein, who is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, was recently found injured in his jail cell. However, officials are unsure whether the embattled financier attempted to hang himself, if the injuries were staged, or if he was assaulted.
Epstein was discovered on the floor of his cell in a fetal position, semi-conscious with marks on his neck, sources told NBC. Various speculation about Epstein’s injuries are circulating, but so far, authorities have no definitive source and are still investigating.
According to sources who spoke with WNBC-TV, Epstein may have tried to hang himself. But another source said Epstein’s injuries weren’t that serious and gave the inclination that Epstein may be using the incident to try to obtain a transfer from the jail.
Another source who spoke with NBC said officials also believe the possibility that Epstein was assaulted in the Metropolitan Correctional Center by another inmate, who has already been questioned in regards to the incident. NBC reported the inmate is Nicholas Tartaglione, a former New York police officer who was arrested in December 2016 and accused of killing four men in an alleged cocaine distribution conspiracy.
According to CNBC, Tartaglione claimed he did not see anything happen to Epstein, and also said he did not touch the 66-year-old. Tartaglione’s lawyer told WNBC that his client and Epstein get along with each other.
Epstein has been taken to a local hospital for treatment, and subsequently put on suicide watch at the correctional facility as a precautionary measure. His injuries were found not to be life-threatening.
