Who is Tartaglione mentioned in this document?

Nicholas Tartaglione is a former New York police officer who was Jeffrey Epstein's cellmate at MCC New York during the July 23, 2019 incident. Tartaglione was awaiting trial on charges of murdering four men. His attorney requested the video preservation, believing the footage would show Tartaglione helping to save Epstein's life and demonstrate his client's good character. Tartaglione was later convicted in 2023 and sentenced to four consecutive life terms.

What happened to the surveillance video requested in this document?

Despite MCC staff confirming in this email that preservation was 'Done,' prosecutors revealed in January 2020 that the video 'no longer exists.' Officials claimed they 'mistakenly preserved video from the wrong tier' due to a data entry error when looking up Epstein's cell number. The FBI also found that backup recordings had been erased 'as a result of technical errors.' This has fueled ongoing questions about circumstances surrounding Epstein's death.

What does this document reveal about the Epstein case?

This document is significant because it shows that a formal, documented request was made to preserve surveillance footage just two days after the incident, and that MCC staff confirmed it was done. The subsequent revelation that this footage was destroyed despite these efforts raises serious questions about record-keeping and evidence preservation at the facility. The document serves as contemporaneous proof that there was awareness of the footage's importance and an apparent attempt to preserve it.

Who is Tartaglione mentioned in this document?

Nicholas Tartaglione is a former New York police officer who was Jeffrey Epstein's cellmate at MCC New York during the July 23, 2019 incident. Tartaglione was awaiting trial on charges of murdering four men. His attorney requested the video preservation, believing the footage would show Tartaglione helping to save Epstein's life and demonstrate his client's good character. Tartaglione was later convicted in 2023 and sentenced to four consecutive life terms.

What happened to the surveillance video requested in this document?

Despite MCC staff confirming in this email that preservation was 'Done,' prosecutors revealed in January 2020 that the video 'no longer exists.' Officials claimed they 'mistakenly preserved video from the wrong tier' due to a data entry error when looking up Epstein's cell number. The FBI also found that backup recordings had been erased 'as a result of technical errors.' This has fueled ongoing questions about circumstances surrounding Epstein's death.

What does this document reveal about the Epstein case?

This document is significant because it shows that a formal, documented request was made to preserve surveillance footage just two days after the incident, and that MCC staff confirmed it was done. The subsequent revelation that this footage was destroyed despite these efforts raises serious questions about record-keeping and evidence preservation at the facility. The document serves as contemporaneous proof that there was awareness of the footage's importance and an apparent attempt to preserve it.

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This is an internal MCC New York email chain from July 25, 2019, documenting a formal request to preserve surveillance video footage from the night Jeffrey Epstein was found semiconscious in his cell—footage that prosecutors later revealed 'no longer exists.'

This document captures the critical preservation request for surveillance video of the July 23, 2019 incident when Jeffrey Epstein was found injured in his cell at MCC New York. Attorney Aida Leisenring, representing Epstein's cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, formally requested that MCC preserve all video from the hallway outside the cell between 11 PM on July 22 and 4 AM on July 23, 2019. The email chain shows MCC staff confirming the preservation was 'Done'—yet prosecutors would later reveal in January 2020 that this footage was never actually preserved due to what officials called a 'data entry error,' making this document a key piece of evidence in understanding how critical surveillance footage went missing.

Key Highlights

•Documents the formal preservation request for surveillance footage from the night Epstein was found injured—video that was later reported destroyed
•Shows MCC staff confirmed preservation was completed, contradicting later revelations that the correct footage was never saved
•Reveals Tartaglione's defense team was actively seeking video they believed would exonerate their client and show him saving Epstein's life
•Timestamped evidence of the specific time window being investigated: July 22, 11 PM to July 23, 4 AM

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

James Patterson

Bestselling account of Epstein's crimes and network

Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Bradley J. Edwards

Victims' attorney's firsthand account

Document Information

Bates Range

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Pages

Document Content

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To: Cc: To: Cc: To: From: Sent: Thur 7/25/2019 5:03:28 PM Subject: Re: Fwd: Preservation request Done. Special Investigative Technician MCC New York 150 Park Row New York. NY 10007 >,» 7/25/2019 12:18 PM >>> Please the below, please preserve the video footage of the SHU tier containing cell Z06-215 from 11 pm July 22, 2019, until 4 am July 23, 2019. Please provide a copy for the investigation and maintain a copy in the event we are ordered to produce it to the Court and counsel. Please advise when this has been done. Thank you. Supervisory Staff Attorney CLC New York Metropolitan Correctional Center 150 Park Row New York New York 10007 >>> Aida Leisenring > 7/25/2019 11:54 AM >>> Hello =, It was good to see you yesterday. Thank you for accommodating my visit with Tartaglione and giving him extra time to review his discovery. We very much appreciate that. I am writing to request the preservation of all video surveillance that captures the hallway outside of Tartaglione's cell on the date and time of the Epstein incident that is currently being investigated. I believe that the date and time is July 23 during the early morning hours. Accordingly, I would ask that all video surveillance from July 22 at 11 pm to July 23 at 4 am is preserved. If it is your understanding that the incident occurred at a different time, please let me know and preserve the relevant footage, including an hour before the incident and an hour afterwards. If the responding officers were wearing body cameras that captured the inside of the cell in the aftermath of the incident, I am requesting that such footage also be preserved. We will be officially requesting this material through the appropriate means, but please consider this email a formal preservation request. CONFIDENTIAL SDNY_00012161 EFTA00034725

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Thank you. Aida Ferrer Leisenring, Esq. Barket, Epstein, Kearon, Aldea & LoTurco LLP 666 Old Country Road, Ste 700 Garden City, NY 11530 Please note that my emailed has changed to: This transmittal may be a confidential attorney client communication or may otherwise be privileged or confidential. If it is not clear that you are the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this transmittal in error; any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this transmittal is strictly prohibited. If you suspect that you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by telephone or email and immediately delete this message and all its attachments. CONFIDENTIAL SDNY_00012162 EFTA00034726