House Oversight Summons Epstein Prison Guard Tova Noel for March 26 Transcribed Interview
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has requested an in-person, transcribed interview on March 26, 2026, with former corrections officer Tova Noel, one of the two guards on duty when Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019. In a letter citing public reporting, DOJ documents, and records obtained by the panel, Comer said the committee believes Noel has information relevant to its ongoing investigation into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Federal prosecutors in 2021 dropped criminal charges against Noel and fellow guard Michael Thomas for falsifying records about that night after the pair reached deals, and both lost their jobs, a resolution that fueled widespread suspicion online about whether the full story of Epstein’s death has been told. DOJ documents say Noel searched the internet for information about Epstein minutes before he was found dead, though she later told investigators she did not remember doing so. The GOP-led committee has already hauled in high-profile witnesses including Bill and Hillary Clinton, former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner, and Epstein accountant Richard Kahn, and this move pushes the probe deeper into alleged failures and possible misconduct inside the federal jail itself, an angle many skeptics have long insisted Congress had avoided.
📌 Key Facts
- House Oversight Chair James Comer sent a letter requesting an in-person, transcribed interview with former MCC guard Tova Noel on March 26, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET in Washington, D.C.
- Noel was on duty at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center when Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell on August 10, 2019; the medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.
- Federal charges against Noel and fellow guard Michael Thomas for falsifying records were dropped in 2021 after deals with prosecutors, and both were fired from their jobs.
- DOJ documents state Noel searched online for information about Epstein minutes before his death, a step she later said she did not recall in a 2021 sworn statement.
- The GOP-led Oversight Committee has already taken testimony from Bill and Hillary Clinton, former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner, and Epstein accountant Richard Kahn as part of its broader Epstein-Maxwell investigation.
📊 Relevant Data
In a 2025 poll, about 25% of Americans believed Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide, while twice as many (about 50%) believed he was murdered, and nearly 70% thought the government was hiding information about his death.
In 2019, suicides accounted for 8% of all deaths in state and federal prisons, with 311 suicides reported in state and federal prisons combined.
Suicide in Local Jails and State and Federal Prisons, 2000–2019 — Bureau of Justice Statistics
In January 2019, the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn experienced a week-long power outage following a fire, leading to extreme temperature fluctuations, inmate complaints about medical care, and widespread reports of inhumane conditions.
Records Shed Light on Troubling Conditions at Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center During 2019 Power Outage — American Oversight
As of recent Bureau of Prisons statistics, federal corrections staff demographics are approximately 60.3% White (non-Hispanic), 21.5% Black, 14.5% Hispanic, 2.5% Asian, and 1.2% Native American.
Statistics - Staff Ethnicity/Race — Federal Bureau of Prisons
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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