NYC jail sign ordering 30-minute staff checks on Epstein defaced, DOJ files reveal

WASHINGTON, DC: According to newly released Department of Justice Jeffrey Epstein documents, a jail sign ordering staff to check on Epstein every 30 minutes at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center was defaced.

A photo of the undated orange sign shows the word “mandatory” misspelled, underlined in red, and followed by a question mark. 

The sign, signed “God,” read, “Manadatory? Rounds must be conducted every 30 minutes on Epstein #76318-054 as per God." It was posted in the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was being held.

New document reveals Epstein’s fake passport used in the 1980s

The Department of Justice released nearly 30,000 new pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein on Tuesday, December 23.

In a post on X, the DOJ said, “Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already."

The new documents also include a fake passport that Epstein apparently used in the 1980s. The passport listed him as “Marius Robert Fortelni,” showed Saudi Arabia as his residence, and appeared to have been issued in Austria.

In a 2019 letter to a federal judge regarding Epstein’s detention on serious charges, his lawyers explained the passport. They wrote, "Eighth, as for the Austrian passport the government trumpets, it expired 32 years ago."

Epstein’s attorneys added, "And the government offers nothing to suggest – and certainly no evidence – that Epstein ever used it. In any case, Epstein – an affluent member of the Jewish faith – acquired the passport in the 1980s, when hijackings were prevalent, in connection to Middle East travel."

They continued, "The passport was for personal protection in the event of travel to dangerous areas, only to be presented to potential kidnapers, hijackers or terrorists should violent episodes occur.”

Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 arrest warrant revealed in newly released documents

The newly released Epstein files also included the federal arrest warrant that led to Epstein’s 2019 detention in New York.

The warrant, issued on July 2, 2019, directed law enforcement to arrest Epstein on serious charges, according to the filing in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The document lists violations of Title 18, US Code Sections 371 and 1591, which cover conspiracy and other offenses. US Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses signed the warrant, following a federal indictment that was unsealed the same day.

Epstein, a financier with powerful political and social connections, was arrested shortly after the warrant was issued. He died weeks later in a Manhattan federal detention facility while awaiting trial; authorities ruled his death a suicide.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday, December 23 demanded that the Department of Justice be transparent about 10 possible Epstein co-conspirators mentioned in the latest document release.

“Buried in the Epstein files is an email showing that the Department of Justice was investigating at least ten potential Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirators,” Schumer said in a statement.

“The Department of Justice needs to shed more light on who was on the list, how they were involved, and why they chose not to prosecute. Protecting possible co-conspirators is not the transparency the American people and Congress are demanding.”