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The release of the Jeffrey Epstein files left many observers feeling that there’s still a good deal that we don’t know about the sex trafficker’s crimes — and his death.
And while we might never have the full story, we can at least anticipate that more details will be revealed on March 26, when Tova Noel testifies before Congress.
Noel is the corrections officer who was guarding Epstein’s cell on the night of his suicide.
She was fired after he was found dead, and now, seven years later, she’ll finally give testimony under oath.
Epstein had previously attempted suicide, and Noel and her partner that night, Michael Thomas, were supposed to check on him every 30 minutes.
Somehow, despite being under such close watch, Epstein was found hanging in his cell.
Many consider the death suspicious, and the House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Noel as part of its ongoing effort to get to the bottom of the matter.
Both guards have admitted to not making all of the required checks that night and to falsifying records indicating otherwise.
But many believe there’s more to the story than simple incompetence.
As TMZ reports, investigators have discovered documents indicating that “payments of various amounts pumped into Noel’s accounts over 16 months prior to Epstein’s death.”
Also of note is the fact that Noel googled two names in the hours after Epstein’s death — Epstein’s and that of another inmate, a man who had been convicted on wire fraud charges.
Noel previously spoke about Epstein’s death during a 2021 interview with the Department of Justice, during which she admitted that she was probably the last person to see him alive.
“Does it surprise you to hear that, you know, internet searches would show that that’s what you were doing from 5:42 to 5:52 a.m. on August 10, 2019?” Noel was asked on that occasion (via NBC News).
“Yeah,” she responded, because “it wouldn’t be accurate.”
Noel insisted that she had not actively searched Epstein’s name, claiming instead that a webpage containing news about the late financier refreshed automatically when she turned on her computer.
“Due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation,” reads a letter from Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky that was delivered to Noel this week.
We will have further updates about this developing story as new information becomes available.