The guards assigned to monitor accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein lied about checking in on the inmate in the hours before he died, the New York Times reports.

Multiple law enforcement sources and prison officials reportedly told the New York Times that two guards tasked with monitoring Epstein while he was being held in a special housing unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan were asleep during three hours in which they were required to check on the inmate every 30 minutes — and falsely claimed in logs that they did check on him.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, the two guards, who have not been identified, have been placed on administrative leave. The warden on duty, Lamine N’Diaye, has been transferred to a facility in Philadelphia while federal authorities conduct an investigation into the circumstances of Epstein’s death.

Epstein, 66, was found injured in his cell on July 23 in a possible suicide bid, and was placed on suicide watch for only six days before he was placed in the special housing unit. Epstein’s lawyers are believed to have requested he be removed from suicide watch.

The mysterious financier, who previously pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution of a minor, was found unresponsive in his cell at about 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. He was later transferred to a hospital in downtown Manhattan, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the New York Times report, both of the correctional officers who failed to carry out the required checks on Epstein had been working overtime.

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